Well, traditional "Helen Corbitt" style poppy seed is meant to have a crunchy texture. Usually when you buy it in the stores the poppies offer no real crunch, its just a creamy dressing. The real attraction though is the sweet-and-sour bite of the dressing, with an emphasis on the sweet.
Supposedly its good on fruit salads, but I'm partial to the spinach/dehydrated cranberry/poppy seed combo. It really is like a mountie just dolloped a fresh cheese curd on your tongue.