Greens, Delicate

“You gotta get your ruffage,” rings in my ears when I’m choking down a boring salad at the start of a meal. A plate of naked greens with the dressing on the side (never enough ranch; always too much vinaigrette), a lame yellowish red tomato, dried-out grated carrots, maybe a shred of purple cabbage holding out hope.

A bad salad pisses me off.

A green salad can be one of the most memorable parts of a meal. It can be the acidic precursor to the main event or the digestive reward after savoring several rich courses. I’m not dogmatic about when a salad is served (though I tend toward the end of the meal, to my father’s dismay). I do firmly believe that it must be interesting. Not complicated but entertaining.