Poll: Eating salad

[MichaelB]

We eat lots of salad. At restaurants salad is always served at the beginning of the meal, but when we eat at home I always have salad after the main dish – only because it is simpler logistically and lets us enjoy the main dish while it is still hot. Just wondering how others include salad into their meals.

[NW-Bound]

We eat salad first, while the main dish is still simmering.

[Big_Hitter]

usually eat it last at home, DW was raised overseas and apparently that's the way they do it over there

[RobbieB]

I typically don't do salad as part of a meal at home, if I do it it is the meal.

Chef salad, shrimp salad, caesar salad with lots of anchovies on top, spinach salad with hot bacon dressing. And some nice crusty bread of course makes a nice lite refreshing supper for those hot summer nights.

[Fedup]

My husband eats salad first, while waiting for the main course to be served. I only nibbling and it varies. I eat it alone in restaurant. I eat with main course at home.

[YVRRocketSurgery]

All things being equal, I prefer having salad with my main dish so I can have a little salad, have a little main dish, have a little salad, have a little main dish...

Eating out, table space is sometimes an issue so we just have to have it first.
At home, salad tends to get eaten last during casual meals because while we'll have the lettuce in the spinner and fixing prepped, we're typically cooking the main dish on the fly so we want to finish it, get it on the table, and eat it while it's hot and then get to the salad after.

[W2R]

I chose "I prefer to eat salad before the main dish".

I suppose I could have answered, "Salad is my main dish" because at times that is the case. However it's not my main dish at every meal, so this answer did not seem quite correct for me.

[2017ish]

If part of a meal at home, we eat it last (i.e., most nights). Same reasons as MichaelB gives.

[rodi]

I know when we were eating at the houses of relatives, in Italy, Salad was often a later course... but then again, meals were multi-hour, very social affairs... and every dish was served family style - with a new and different wine to match. (Very fond memories of these meals!)

We tend to prepare the salad while the main dish is cooking. Depending on when the family gathers is when salad is served. If everyone is super hungry and hovering - we'll serve salad before the entree just to move the boys to the table and out from underfoot. Otherwise it all gets delivered to the table at once.

[nash031]

Out: I eat the salad first.

In: Eat salad with the main course (I'm not making courses!). Salad often IS a main course for me, with Salmon or Chicken on top.

[athena53]

My first marriage was into an Italian family and salad was served after dinner. I was told that the salad dressing killed the taste of the wine served with dinner. I liked that timing; salads are generally light, so you don't feel like you're stuffing yourself after the main course.

[MRG]

I choose with my meal. Reality is I love my salad before my dinner but I'll finish the salad with the meal. Don't try to take it away.

Not an exact match, but I wasn't going to say I prefer not to say.

[Meadbh]

I prefer to eat my salad before the main course, unless it is the main course. At home, I have a salad as my main meal at least twice weekly. For a main course salad, some of my favourite ingredients include massaged kale, roasted vegetables (leftover from the previous day), grilled eat or chicken (also leftovers), avocado, nuts, berries, goat's cheese and my home made vinaigrette.

[Cobra9777]

At home, if salad is not the main dish, we eat it with the rest of the meal, not before or after. DW and I are both low-carb eaters, so at a restaurant, we typically substitute a side salad for the potato or rice, and ask for it to be served with the meal. Same as at home. We don't do "courses."

[braumeister]

We never have salad at home unless it's the whole meal.

When I was younger and single, I used to eat huge salads as my evening meal quite often. But these days it's generally only at restaurants.

That said, when I go on a long car trip, I normally bring a bunch of broccoli florets, celery and carrot sticks with a cup of blue cheese dressing to munch on as snacks while driving. Maybe that counts as salad?

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh some of my favourite ingredients include massaged kale

I thought you were making a very subtle joke, then I Googled it. Very interesting -- thanks for the tip.

[mpeirce]

I always eat the salad after the main course at home. Usually, dinner is just a meat course then the salad (it's always got more than just lettuce - lots of veggies).

Eating out - it comes first and I don't buck the system.

[audreyh1]

Unless in Italy.....

[Dawg52]

At home I normally have it with my main course. Tonight I'm having spaghetti and I will have a salad with it. Same when having a grilled steak. The only time I have a salad first is when in a restaurant.

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister I thought you were making a very subtle joke, then I Googled it. Very interesting -- thanks for the tip.

Uncooked kale is quite fibrous. Massaging it with some olive oil and lemon juice breaks down some of the fiber and makes it easier to eat.