By Kevin Williams
I was at my local supermarket the other day and was tempted by a taco salad I saw in the salad bar. It looked really good. I'm not a germaphobe, a clean freak, etc, etc, but I did start thinking "how long has the salad been sitting there?" I started talking myself out of it. But the food did look good. I've known some people over the years who just get their supper a couple of times a week, a big heaping salad from the supermarket salad bar.
Any of our readers ever do it? I don't think I've ever had a supermarket salad, but they do always look good. I'm guessing the salads are priced on weight? You fill up a plastic clamshell with salad and then it's weighed and priced?
This is a crab meat salad (I think), the taco salad that looked so good is behind it.
This was some decent looking spinach...and what looked like just plain iceberg lettuce
More salads, can't tell what kind these are....
So, what do you think, are supermarket salad bars a good thing, bad thing, indifferent?
Dorothy
I’d be ok with a supermarket salad bar, but there are none in my area. The one you couldn’t identify looks like broccoli salad to me. Anybody ever eat a a Sweet Tomatoes? Excellent salad with premade salads as well as all the ingredients to make your own. Plus 5 or 6 different soups, pasta, breads and soft serve ice cream! Yum!
Liz Vogelsong
Not for me! They may look good... But I feel they are too germy. Also temp control.. How long have they been sitting out.. Both hot or cold
Liz Vogelsong
Grace Pulley
I used to work in a supermarket that had a store salad-bar. It was rather popular at the time and it could be rather pricey especially for the heavier items such as fruits, potato & macaroni salad and such. When I worked there I would usually get something for my lunch break from there. I have eaten at others in different states. I like salad bars at restaurants and the ones in the grocery store are great to have around especially when traveling. We have utilized them many times in our travels. I know many people are squeamish about germs but I don't see any difference between the ones in the grocery stores than the ones in a restaurant. Most I have been too are monitored by someone in the store the same as they do in a restaurant.
Kevin
Always good to hear from you Grace, what is the main supermarket chain in Gillette?
Ky
Among the unidentified salads here are my guesses--The back one is a layered salad. The recipes I've seen for that have iceberg lettuce as the base, followed by carrots, bacon, frozen peas, and cheddar cheese in layers, topped with a mayonnaise/sugar/and cream dressing on top and sealed to the edge. When you get to your potluck, then you toss it all together. My guess on the front one is a broccoli salad--the kind that has broccoli, broccoli slaw, raisins, peanuts, bacon, and mayonnaise tossed together.
I usually skip the salad bars because I can make a lot of these salads and have a much larger quantity for the same price. With 4 teens we go more for quantity. If I was by myself, then I'd probably be more inclined.
Kevin
Geez, I can't imagine four teens...the appetites...two little girls can be tough enough on the grocery bill!