The Green Watch, part 8.
McDonald's chicken salad has more fat and calories than a Big Mac.
What is the point of getting a salad with meat and cheese in it? You may as well order the sammich, or eat dessert first. Come to think of it, what is the point of going to McDonald's for a salad? That's like going into a volume hardware store looking for spinners.
As a (non-proseltyzing) vegetarian, I could never understand why the majority of salads listed on the majority of menus I've perused have some sort of meat featured as a "garnish." Not only does it neuter a large portion of the friendliest section of most mainstream menus, but it also serves to alienate me just a little more from the rest of the general population of omnivores. However, I certainly can understand the appeal for most diners. A meat-laden plate of greens gives the illusion of necessary roughage, while at the same time providing the comfort of animal protein. But it's all for naught if the greens are mostly water and the meat is squirming with E. coli(lest I direct your attention again to this article).
Perhaps it's that "eateries" like Applebee's and Outback and Red Robin and Chili's(who all serve crap food, BTW) think that the textbook plate of greens isn't edgy enuf for their clientele, that spinach and radicchio alone don't equate into star power, that an iceberg wedge doesn't have quite the punch of a pork shoulder soaked in Jack Daniel's. So, much like their servers' costumes, they feel the need to dress up their salads with flair, to embellish them with "real" food, to make the whole plate a complete meal.
They're missing the point. A salad isn't a star, it's a supporting actor. It isn't a main course, it's a supplement. It isn't the dress, it's the clutch. A salad isn't supposed to be fancy, it's better if it's low-key without being an afterthot. It's designed to operate in the background, to accentuate the rest of your meal, to act as a chaperone for everything else that passes between your tonsils.
I have no problem picking the chicken out of my salad. But I shouldn't have to.
=]'
What is the point of getting a salad with meat and cheese in it? You may as well order the sammich, or eat dessert first. Come to think of it, what is the point of going to McDonald's for a salad? That's like going into a volume hardware store looking for spinners.
As a (non-proseltyzing) vegetarian, I could never understand why the majority of salads listed on the majority of menus I've perused have some sort of meat featured as a "garnish." Not only does it neuter a large portion of the friendliest section of most mainstream menus, but it also serves to alienate me just a little more from the rest of the general population of omnivores. However, I certainly can understand the appeal for most diners. A meat-laden plate of greens gives the illusion of necessary roughage, while at the same time providing the comfort of animal protein. But it's all for naught if the greens are mostly water and the meat is squirming with E. coli(lest I direct your attention again to this article).
Perhaps it's that "eateries" like Applebee's and Outback and Red Robin and Chili's(who all serve crap food, BTW) think that the textbook plate of greens isn't edgy enuf for their clientele, that spinach and radicchio alone don't equate into star power, that an iceberg wedge doesn't have quite the punch of a pork shoulder soaked in Jack Daniel's. So, much like their servers' costumes, they feel the need to dress up their salads with flair, to embellish them with "real" food, to make the whole plate a complete meal.
They're missing the point. A salad isn't a star, it's a supporting actor. It isn't a main course, it's a supplement. It isn't the dress, it's the clutch. A salad isn't supposed to be fancy, it's better if it's low-key without being an afterthot. It's designed to operate in the background, to accentuate the rest of your meal, to act as a chaperone for everything else that passes between your tonsils.
I have no problem picking the chicken out of my salad. But I shouldn't have to.
=]'