I think a lot of the color has to do with the variety. I grow a lot of green beans, both for our use here at home, and for the market. The Romano, or Italian as some people call them, cook up much differently than does our old standby, White Half Runner beans. The Romano beans do not need nearly as much cooking. We cook them I guess what could be called Southern style, with salt, onion, pieces of ham, and butter. I also like them with new potatoes cooked with them.
I've seen people barely cook a green bean, and it'd be very crunchy. I like mine cooked down quite a lot, but do like the Asian style green beans that are not cooked as much. There are a hundred ways to cook a green bean, and it all comes down to ones preference.
