

How to Beat the Salad Bar - Alex3917
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/magazine/mag-20Subversion-t.html

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Semiapies
Gee, these places will sell you unprepared vegetables (mostly) cheaper than
they'll sell you those same vegetables cut, washed, and available for you to
shove in a container in whatever combination you want - who could have
imagined such a thing?

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pavel_lishin
I like my salads simple. So honestly, half the time I just go into the store,
and buy a cucumber and a tomato, or something like that, and eat 'em with a
little salt. Cheap, nutritious, etc.

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Semiapies
That's cool. I've been meaning to try the salad recipe about halfway through
this link:

[http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2011/01/reduce-reuse-recycle-
ho...](http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2011/01/reduce-reuse-recycle-how-the-3rs-
can-help-you-with-the-washing-up)

The thing that bugs me about the NYT article is the pretense that one is
somehow being cheated by paying a bit more for convenience. If people only
cared about cost, nobody would ever use a salad bar - or go to a restaurant,
for that matter.

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ghshephard
Another approach is to go to Sizzler. Avoid the Carbs, and load up on the
Baby-Greens, Spinach, Olives (two kinds), Jalapenos, Radish, guacamole, red
onion, mushrooms, broccoli - $8.99 (and they throw in a reasonably well cooked
6 oz (tri-tip) steak to boot - Just say no to the Baked Potato/Fries).

And, if you really want to go to town, for an extra $2.00 you can turn that
into unlimited trips to the Salad Bar.

It's amazing how much Salad a guy with his iPad, and a free afternoon can put
away. :-)

I used to go to Fresh Choice - until they started charging more for the
"Premium" salad bar choices, and I realized 90% of the food beyond the salad
bar was low (empty?) nutrition carbs.

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andrenotgiant
TL;DR - to get your money's worth at Whole Foods get a Sundried-Tomato and
Bacon-Bits Salad. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar if you're feeling indulgent.

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sorbus
"Whole Foods doesn’t stock the best salad topping of all — bacon bits,
obviously — in its salad bar."

A better summary: Most things at the salad bar are 70% more expensive than on
shelves. However, there are some exceptions which are much cheaper at the
salad bar. The optimal salad consists of Mesclun, Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar,
Gorgonzola Crumbles, Almonds, Dried Cranberries, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and
Croutons (per the infographic included with the article), all items which cost
more than $7.99/pound (the cost of a salad) on the shelves.

And a TL;DR for my summary: When buying salads, choose items which cost more
per pound than the per pound price of salad.

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edw519
"How to Beat the Supermarket"

I just got home from the supermarket after spending:

    
    
      $1.49 for one cucumber
      $2.99 for one pound (about 2) of tomatoes
      $2.49 for one head of lettuce
    

This is about right for one large salad.

A restaurant up the street has an all-you-can-eat salad bar for $7.29 which
includes bread, chili, soup, and dessert.

Looks like it's going to be salad bar for lunch and cooked dinner (without
salad) at home here.

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Semiapies
A salad with a pound of tomatoes _alone_ is pretty darn "large". :)

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sbierwagen
If you are eating salad, you have already lost.

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pavel_lishin
What?

