I like a good salad. Some salads give the illusion of being healthy, and I am willing to play along. I know I need to eat more veggies, and salad is convenient, because you can get one just about everywhere.
Preferred salads: Cobb, BBQ chicken, and Caeser salads are my go-to choices, those and our own family buffalo chicken salad. The best fast-food salad that I have found in the cobb salad at Chick-fil-A. (The discontinued Spicy dressing is another matter that needs to be dealt with.) If you’ve been to Sauce in Arizona, then you need to try the Caprese salad – it tastes like Italy. The closest I will go to a “girlie” salad is the crumbly blue cheese and craisin salad at Paradise Bakery. That’s enough of that- now to the point of the post.
For some reason, I have become a target. Over the past few months, the food service industry has conspired against me. I don’t know why they have picked me, but I have been the victim more times than I can count in recent months.
They serve me salad with brown lettuce. And to make it even worse, sometimes they bury it under the dressing and you don’t know until you are well into it. You find it after a few bites – yellow, wilting ick. Those stinkers.
Yuck. What’s with that? I know that I look like I need to increase my intake of healthy produce – but instead, they serve me yuck. And to make it worse, it is well-hidden grossness.
Even my EC thinks it has been really weird, and I’m not talking about places like “Sandy’s Stale Salad Shack.” This has been happening at restaurants like Outback, Carrabbas, and Texas Roadhouse. The crowning blow? Chick-fil-A foisted upon me a super-nasty salad that had no business being served to anyone. Shock. Chick-fil-A is renowned for served good food. They are the model of consistency.
This time my curiosity got the better of me. I went back to the counter and showed them the dead salad. They apologized repeatedly and told me they would make one fresh for me. (And Chick-fil-A ain’t cheap, If I’m gonna lay out $7.50 for a fast food salad, I would like the brown lettuce kept to a minimum.)
A few minutes later an apologetic manager came out and apologized apologetically. After more apologies, which were graciously accepted, the curiosity that only comes from frequent exposure to brown salad got the best of me, and I asked a simple question:
“How does that happen?”
“We apologize.”
“Apology accepted. I am just curious as to how a brown salad gets served to a customer.”
*Manager blinks* “What do you mean?”
“I was just curious how it happens. Doesn’t someone have to make the salad?”
“Of course. And we apologize that this has happened.”
“Please stop apologizing. So, when you make and serve a salad, does anyone actually look at it, or is it done in a poorly lit room?”
“Oh, we look at it when it is made, and before it is served.”
“Then how….?”
“I don’t know.”
At that point there was no need to go on, because I had obviously confounded the manager. There were really only a few reasons that a brown salad would be served:
1) Someone didn’t care.
2) It was a very old salad accidentally found its way into the rotation, or
3) They were knowingly trying to unload the old produce on unsuspecting customers.
I don’t know the answer, but I wish it wouldn’t keep happening to me – or to anyone else. Especially those who pick one up and drive all the way home before they can take a look at it.
Fortunately, I live in a reality where buying a salad is within my reach, so I can’t be too critical, and I’ll keep eating at all those places. Thankfully, MMM does not live by salad alone.
Oh, and the blue cheese wedge salad at the Outback is worth the extra dollar.
I used to love Rueben sandwiches from Togo’s, a high calorie, very occasional treat. The last few sandwiches have had a lot more inedible fat in the pastrami. I’m thinking they switched to a new, cheaper supplier. Ahhh…it’s nice to get to vent once in a while!
I hear the new goddess cobb salad at Panera is delish!!!!!!
So I have been on vacation for awhile and just now catching up with your posts. I order my salad with a side of Big Mac! Anyway, back to a something about your post on the Lydian stone-great points. When I was called to a stake position my stake president drew me a triangle and listed the following levels bottom to top: Doctrines, Principles, policies, administration. He pointed out that doctrines and principles never change but policies and types of adminstrations (like when we have new bishops that do things differently-gasp!) do change. That has kind of become my “Lydian Stone”. When I hear someone getting all worked up, I look at it and say what level is that? Almost always it is a policy change not a doctrine. It is amazing how quickly you can calm someone down by going through that then asking them what it is.
Great point.
Wait, I want your spiritual angle on the wilted salad! I read it really quick to get the the doctrinal point and now I’m craving a salad.
Ummm…. oops?
I’ll offer one.
The adversary is sneaky, and will often hide the yucky things he wants to get into our minds and bodies under an appearance of being healthy and appetizing, or dress it up to look like something it isn’t.
We need to be vigilant to catch him in his tricks and when we do, send it back to the kitchen and find the things that will really bring us joy and nourish our soul.
nicely done.
Big ol’ LIKE.
On par with the brown lettuce is the slimy dark green lettuce leaves. I have been disappointed that way. The restaurant’s location was not near where I live. Fortunately their other location gave me a free salad to make good.
My next disappointing salad at the same restaurant near to my home used to be my favorite salad. It is at Kneaders. The best thing about this salad to me is dressing and the huge pieces of Portobello mushrooms. It’s called the Turkey and cranberry salad. Well, I had raved about this salad to my co-worker and relatives. When I went to show her I had to dig around to find any mushrooms. They were the tiniest pieces. I called them and explained the situation. They gave me a free salad. I would love to say it was the same yummy salad I have been ordering for years but I can’t. There were a few small pieces of mushroom in it. I still like the salad. (The dressing is to die for) However, I don’t love it like I did.
I have been experiencing these types of disappointments lately across the board. Companies are cutting costs by using cheaper materials and raising the prices and giving less customer service. Tell me if you feel that way too. Groceries, clothing, shoes, restaurants etc. I say let’s blame Obama and our failing economy. Write in Mitt Romney for President! Lol! I’m serious!
I have to take exception to your example: my sister Sandy doesn’t serve stale salad!
I have to take exception to your example: my sister Sandy doesn’t serve stale salad! ?
It’s everywhere. The best way to avoid it, is to have the lettuce replaced with bacon. Or fresh spinach leaves. Arf!