It appears an iceberg has yet again bested a Brit. Much like the ill-fated Titanic, British Prime Minister Liz Truss has been defeated by an iceberg—iceberg lettuce, that is.
A week ago, a British tabloid aimed a webcam at a head of iceberg lettuce and posed a simple question: “Which head of wet lettuce will last longer?” The left-leaning Daily Star referred to the tenure of Truss, who was already facing increasing pressure to resign as prime minister.
The light-hearted gag captured the hearts and minds of citizens of the internet. Many rooted for the vegetable.
In the end, the lettuce won. On Thursday, Truss announced her resignation after just 44 days on the job.
The webcam shot originally simply included a framed photo of Truss next to a head of lettuce with googly eyes. As of this writing, the lettuce has been joined by various fruits and vegetables and appears to have enjoyed a celebratory drink or three.
“All hail the lettuce,” the Daily Star wrote after Truss resigned. Her 44 days in office makes Truss’s tenure the shortest of any prime minister in British history.
Though Truss’s ouster is a serious matter, many chose to simply roast her for being bested by a head of lettuce.
Puns and Titanic jokes were among the most popular reactions.
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg” was a common refrain.
“Liz Truss – Gone. Lettuce – Romaine,” wrote @Pandamoanimum.
Various unfavorable comparisons and memes filled the timeline.
Similarly, short-lived public servant Anthony Scaramucci (remember him?) joked, “1 Scaramucci = carton of milk. 1 Truss = head of lettuce.”
A chyron spooling beneath the live shot of the head of iceberg proclaims, “This lettuce outlasted Liz Truss.” It also adds that “the lettuce will make a speech to the nation at a time [to be confirmed].”
Unlike Liz Truss’s tenure, the lettuce, now on day seven, appears to have several more days of life left in it.
“Battered, bruised, starting to lose a bit of colour with the strain—but yes, the lettuce is going to last longer than Truss…” remarked @michaelsavage.
Some are now predicting that the lettuce is here to stay, in spirit if perhaps not in the flesh.
“It looks like ‘Can Truss outlast a lettuce?’ is going to be one of those legendary memes that lives forever,” opined @Angry_Staffer.
