the whole plate.

"side salad."

One of my biggest pet peeves (besides people who blast their ipods too loudly – anyone with me on this?) is the typical salad served at a restaurant.  

I recently ordered an “entree” salad supposedly including sugar snap peas, shitake mushrooms, grape tomatoes, and ahi tuna.  The vegetable combination was the deciding factor for me, so I was understandably disappointed when the waiter appeared with an appetizer-sized bowl of mostly greens, one snap pea (chopped into pieces), and 2 shitake mushrooms.  Yeah, that filled me right up.

I find it unfortunate that salads have a lot of negative associations.  Diet food.  Rabbit food.  Health food.  Female food.  Food that you have to eat before you can have the good stuff.  

There was a time when I thought I had to live on salads to be healthy.  The portion had to be small, dressing on the side.  I was never satisfied, and I couldn’t figure out why.

Now, my sister calls my salads “serious.”  I don’t play around.  They’re usually towering, full of every vegetable in my fridge, on top of a massive bed of greens.  They don’t contain much dressing because I love to taste the natural flavors.  They always leave me feeling energized and well-fed.  

I’ve learned that part of being healthy is eating what you love.  I happen to love vegetables in great abundance.  I’m happy now to savor a serious salad right alongside warm bread and peanut butter, balancing my plate, satisfying my tastebuds.

I hope one day mainstream restaurants will catch on too, using their salads to celebrate fresh, nutrient-rich, and delicious produce, rather than simply touting them as a waistline-friendly choice.  Truthfully, I wish we could take the weight associations away from every type of food – but that’s a rant for another day.

What size are your salads?

Related posts:

1. salads for summer.
2. it’s about what you don’t see.
3. the thoughtful plate.