Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Croutons with a salad on the side

I've been eating salads lately for lunch - it's kind of a new thing for me. I haven't generally been much of a salad person, but lately salad bars and complimentary side salads have really been hitting the spot.

The cafeteria at work has a pretty good salad bar, and, due to my lack of decisiveness, I find myself going to it more and more despite having a rather extensive choice of other delicious options. One unforeseen side effect of this: I feel like I'm so strong-willed and wise everyday when I bypass the chicken fingers and the pizza bar.

The fun part about a salad bar is all the options. Now our bar is pretty good, but not amazing - if it were, there would be all sorts of crazy and interesting choices, like pineapple or apples or craisins (how can something like craisins not be crazy - just look at that name. Craisins. Craaaaisins. Yeah, that's a good word). But I've still been enjoying what we do have.

For instance, I've come to realize I really like peas in my salad. I also take 1 or 2 cherry tomatoes, just because they're kinda fun to pop in your mouth and eat whole. I particularly like getting one really big one, and seeing if I could actually eat it whole. Turns out, my mouth really is as big as I've always given it credit for, because I have a 100% success rate with all the tomatoes I've gotten. Usually, it's the tomato juice squirting that you have to be mindful of...otherwise that can allow for some awkward moments when your desk is in the front office like mine is...

Needless to say, I've become a bit of a salad-making proficient these days. And I feel so healthy, to boot!

...that is, until I reach the end of the counter, and I nod hello to my friend the crouton bowl, and I dish in an embarrassing amount of croutons on the top of my salad. Honestly, it's almost shameful - I spend more time shoveling croutons on my salad than I spend making the rest of it.

Red-faced, I grab two more croutons, stuff them in the corners of my bowl, slam the lid closed and walk off, trying to cover the clear container with as much of my hands as I can.

All in all, I still feel rather healthy - better to eat a salad with a slightly disproportionate number of delicious, garlic-y croutons than to eat a giant piece of pizza or a greasy hamburger with over-salted fries.

So I pull my head up a little, still feeling good about my food choice and the healthy decision I made.

And then I throw a bag of peanut m&m's on top, destroying whatever respect I was barely maintaining...

Second best thing (behind those succulent croutons) about my new salad cravings? The fact that you just read a whole blog post about it...honestly, I agree - why don't I write about something a little more exciting and interesting than wasting my 5 stalker readers' time with my salad stories?

Because this is as exciting and interesting as I get, baby! I know, your mind was just blown. Sorry to break it to you.

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