Photo by chkz
I have a childhood memory of reading a restaurant menu where they called their garden salad "Rabbit Food". I remember thinking,
That's not very nice. And yet, when I looked at what was in the salad - lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, etc., it did sound an awful lot like what my I'm-young-and-the-only-rabbit-I-have-any-real-experience-with-is-Bugs-Bunny mind imagined a rabbit would, in fact, eat.
Fast-forward a couple of decades (dear Lord, has it really been a couple of decades already?), and you will see that I have a love-hate relationship with salads. Here are some of the things I love
1. Fresh, fresh, fresh.
2. Even if you take all of the things on a double-cheesy fatty McFatburger and put them on a salad, it's still less calories than if you just had the double-cheesy fatty McFatburger on a bun with a side of fries.
3. The possibilities for flavor combinations are endless. Salad greens are like a blank canvas. A crunchy, succulent, green canvas.
Now here are some of the things I hate
1. When the greens-to-toppings ratio is off and all of your heavy toppings end up at the bottom of your bowl and you eat them completely separately from the greens. Half of the time, I feel like I need a spoon to scoop up all the seeds, nuts, and other "heavies" that are left behind.
2. It's so easy for a salad to overdress for the occasion. Result: soggy, heavy, dressing-laden leaves.
3. When you mix the dressing into the salad and a rouge lettuce leaf flips up and splatters balsamic vinegar on your pristinely white shirt.
Bottom line: I love eating salads, but I have yet to perfect the salad process.
So here's my question:
What are your successful salad secrets?
I have a childhood memory of reading a restaurant menu where they called their garden salad "Rabbit Food". I remember thinking, That's not very nice. And yet, when I looked at what was in the salad - lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, etc., it did sound an awful lot like what my I'm-young-and-the-only-rabbit-I-have-any-real-experience-with-is-Bugs-Bunny mind imagined a rabbit would, in fact, eat.
Fast-forward a couple of decades (dear Lord, has it really been a couple of decades already?), and you will see that I have a love-hate relationship with salads. Here are some of the things I love
1. Fresh, fresh, fresh.
2. Even if you take all of the things on a double-cheesy fatty McFatburger and put them on a salad, it's still less calories than if you just had the double-cheesy fatty McFatburger on a bun with a side of fries.
3. The possibilities for flavor combinations are endless. Salad greens are like a blank canvas. A crunchy, succulent, green canvas.
Now here are some of the things I hate
1. When the greens-to-toppings ratio is off and all of your heavy toppings end up at the bottom of your bowl and you eat them completely separately from the greens. Half of the time, I feel like I need a spoon to scoop up all the seeds, nuts, and other "heavies" that are left behind.
2. It's so easy for a salad to overdress for the occasion. Result: soggy, heavy, dressing-laden leaves.
3. When you mix the dressing into the salad and a rouge lettuce leaf flips up and splatters balsamic vinegar on your pristinely white shirt.
Bottom line: I love eating salads, but I have yet to perfect the salad process.
So here's my question: What are your successful salad secrets?