I've been thinking about salad bars lately. See, after I returned from my Thanksgiving trip to the midwest, where all it seemed like I did was eat heavy, hearty meals, I needed something that was light, green and healthy.
As soon as my boyfriend and I got back from the airport and unpacked our luggage, we headed over to the closest Whole Foods to peruse their expansive salad bar. I have to say, I love the idea of salad bars. They're kind of very 70's and I find the sneeze guard to be an awkward but necessary evil, and yet I still quite like salad bars. You stand there, plastic carton in hand and let the ingredients guide you down the line.
A little of this, a lot of that, I'll pass on whatever that is, and then a little sprinkling of this over here. So many choices. It's the only time any of us ever create a meal in public and it's interesting to see what other people come up with.
However the reality of most salad bars is a little less enticing. Tubs of iceberg lettuce or romaine. Thawed bags of peas and corn. Canned beets. Unimaginative range of bottled salad dressings. I've never really understood why so many salad bars have pudding as an option. And what is the point of baby corn? Seriously. Who actually likes baby corn? I just wish the ingredients on salad bars were better and more seasonal. I would have loved some roasted squash, pepitas and dried cranberries, pumpernickel croutons and perhaps a little goat cheese. What I had to choose from was thawed corn and rubbery hard boiled eggs. I honestly expected more from Whole Foods.
After I paid for my salad and got ready to dig in, I was horrified by my hideous creation. My salad was a mess, a hodgepodge. It looked like a dog's breakfast. I think a lot of us probably do this. When presented with so many options, we go overboard and the results are a bit, unfocused, let's say. If we saw this salad in a restaurant, we'd never order it.
How often do you go to a salad bar? Do you load up on everything you see or do you maintain focus? What local salad bar do you love? Better yet, what would be on your ultimate salad bar?
i wish that places with salad bars had containers with dividers in them - i only like my food touching if they are intended to go together, so even though i love the hot buffet at the deli across the street, i usually only get one or two things, and generally the least saucy.
I enjoy salad bars, but I find I am really picky about what goes in my salad, so I only put the things I would normally eat in one if I was making it at home. My mom on the other hand sounds like you, she will dive right in and put anything that sounds good to her in the container, usually with the same results:)
Burlington Vermont has a fantastic cafe called Stone Soup which has a delicious salad bar (as well as a hot bar). The vegetables are from the local urban farm project and are always fresh. The cafe is also a bakery, so you have your choice of yummy bread to go along with your dish. It makes eating at a salad bar feel healthy, not pitiful. I don't know why more places don't have good salad bars.
I love salads, but for some reason, I never create anything I really like from one. I just need someone to make it for me! I am a failure.
i can't do the public salad bar...for some reason i always get an upset stomach. others always create these beautiful masterpieces but i just end up feeling sick.
it always pulls me in with its promise of fresh greens, beans, dressings, etc. but falls short. i make a lot of salads at home and always think you can tell a great restaurant by the salads that they serve. most days, if i don't pack lunch, i'll visit a good mix-n-toss where they make delicious chopped salads. yum!
I get super creeped out by salad bars and buffets. Too much stuff and then the hygiene issues. Don't ever stand and watch what people do.
You know they touch the food with their hands when they can't get the tongs to cooperate. Right? And then there are the children...
The only time I'll eat at a salad bar/buffet is if the place just opened and almost nobody has been through yet.
But I realize I'm a little phobic.