Salads
 

There seems to be a cycle in the changing popularity of salads around the world. Just when one noted food writer announces that salads are boring and should be omitted from fine dining, chefs in France begin concocting the most exotic salads ever: greens with such unexpected ingredients as duck breasts, sweetbreads, warmed Chèvre cheese, or sliced noisettes of lamb. At almost the exact moment when home economists launch their massive assaults against fast-food chains, the burger giants and supermarkets introduce consumers to salad bars. And after years of facing menus that offered the predictable choices of salads labeled chef’s, shrimp, or fruit, the new diet-conscious generation now enjoy salads that are as fashionable in their selections as the latest in jogging outfits or jewelry.

To avoid being relegated to what is now defined as the “iceberg and Thousand Island” generation, take a new look at the produce section or the greengrocer’s bins. Whether you serve salad to guests as a first course, alongside the main dish, before the cheese and dessert as they do in France, or as the main dish, you will marvel at the variety of tastes, colors, and combinations that salads bring to today’s table.