CS #002 – The Lost Salads of 2022

Summer/Fall 2022 was admittedly, for various personal reasons, an ambitious moment to try to do much of anything consistently.

Nonetheless, I diligently photographed every Caesar salad I consumed during that period. And it seems fitting to try to recall to the best of my faulty memory, for the sake of posterity, how these lost salads are faring a year out from my encounter with them.

Saturday, August 27, 2022 – Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence Caf

*A properly meal-sized salad — unfortunately, certain elements required prompt sequestration.*

My recollection: I’d been worried that the chicken Caesar salad wouldn’t be nearly as filling as the other two menu options. Yet I dared. Pleasantly surprised by the massive stainless steel bowl (a GENEROUS serving!), its yummy crunchy lettuce, its well-balanced dressing. I remember enjoying. BUT the bits of chicken were unforgivable. Even at such a distance from the event, the words “wet” and “feet” come to mind. Believe me when I say I tried. But when your meat is reminiscent of a fruit gusher, sometimes you just have to admit defeat.

Sunday, September 4, 2022 – Trois Brasseurs St-Denis (Quartier Latin)

*Ask my friends, they’ll tell you: I’m a sucker for a 3B “big ass salad”.*

My recollection: I literally can’t remember this salad, which suggests it was up to par… From the looks of the photo on the left, them be some hefty (and dry?) croutons.

Thursday, September 15, 2022 – Atlas Pizza St-André (I think??)

*The one recurring struggle with takeout salads: insufficient contents to container ratio (I need room to stir in my dressing, folks!).*

My recollection: Okay, I’m cheating here and consulting last year’s agenda and journal… No trace of the meal in either place. Okay, I think we’ll just write this up as a “depression salad” and leave it at that. For what it’s worth, I’d still order an Atlas Pizza salad today, so if that’s indeed where this one’s from, that bodes well…

Thursday, September 22, 2022 – Violet Angel, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

My recollection: As we were waiting to be seated, my companions and I were all independently spying on other diners’ plates, and apparently all drew the conclusion that we needed to get our hands on that half-half salad/pizza lunch special! It was a very good choice. Talking about the salad specifically, I have no notes. Look at that parmesan dust! The not-too-much number of croutons! The portion size was just right for an accompaniment. Yum yum yum yum YUM!