Salad Suicide
Would anyone like to start the meal with a salad or appetizer?
I’m like a deer in the headlights with this question, especially when I’m the first person to order. Internally I weigh my odds as to who else, if anyone, will want a pre-meal dish… what is the risk that the rest of table will have to sit and watch while I shovel food into my mouth? Alternatively, if I don’t order then I’m the one having to play with my napkin and avoid awkward food envy. When i’m hungry, my go-to decision is to order a salad.
I love any combination of food with my bed of mixed greens, however, I never understood the fascination with the chicken caesar salad. Of course, this is a better choice than the fried calamari or loaded potato skins, but when stacked against other green options it’s actually one of the worst salads to pick. According to the authors of ‘Eat This Not That’, an average dinner portion of the classic chicken caesar has 900 calories and 60 grams of fat. This isn’t a surprise considering it’s made up of layers of shaved parmesan cheese and dressed (usually “drenched” is the right word) with creamy dressing…not to mention stacks of croutons. The same portion of grilled chicken over mixed greens is 400 calories and 20 grams of fat.
However, if you’re like a few people I know and can’t let go of the Caesar, ask for the dressing on the side and skip the croutons. I lightly dip (don’t think of this as a dunk contest) every few fork fulls, ending up with about 3/4 of the dressing leftover at the end in the side dish…and not hanging off as arm fat 3 months down the road.
