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| - It's comical watching folks see how high they can pile food on one plate. Who doesn't know there's no limit to the number of times you can go back for more?
One school of thought says it's better to visit the line a few times to experiment with tasteful combinations instead of lumping ingredients together in a single homogenized heap. The heap approach is adventurous. It can result in a legendary blend, something like how the Cobb--or even Caesar!--salad was invented.
Why delay gratification when you can gorge yourself immediately on a single heaping monument?
The arrangement of the buffet line lends itself to erecting your own fortress of salad-tude. Build a symmetrical cone or bulging mound. At the end near the door, start with a foundation of leafy greens, followed by chunky morsels of broccoli and cauliflower to support your slices & strips of veggies such as celery, carrots, squash, & cucumber. Throw in some Jell-O to hold it all together. Carefully scoop on peas & beans so they won't roll off the pile. Apply generous dollops of dressing to form a cohesive mortar to hold the whole mish-mosh in place. Mix your favorite dressings in zany combinations such as bleu cheese, thousand Island, & ranch. Garnish the tidy shambles with shredded cheese, croutons and tasty flecks of textured protein, aka "bacon" bits. Add a decorative necklace of cherry tomatoes around the edge.
Every item is labeled either vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free. Do people really go to a salad bar to "eat healthy"? They're gonna chow down regardless. Don't kid yourself. All the runny creams and sauces, the yummy garnishes have as many fats and calories as a Big Mac.
At the start of the feeding frenzy it's fairly peaceful. But as the lunch rush builds, the din sounds like a cell block disturbance, making it so hectic & stressful that satisfaction comes only when you beat a hasty retreat out the side door.
I was about to leave a dollar for the table server when it occurred to me that when there's an orgy of gluttony greed can't be far behind. Someone would snatch that girl's dollar. Plate pilers are not to be trusted. On the way out I gave her the dollar personally.
I awarded an extra star because many of the offerings are fresh & tasty.
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