Caesar Salads are Overrated

When I was a kid, I grew up with a pretty typical Puerto Rican-American diet. I drank soda, ate junk food, and even when I ate regular meals, they were usually prepared in the least healthy way possible. I had a low-quality diet until sometime after COVID, when I became obsessed with eating healthier.

Back then, I never really enjoyed salads. Better yet, I thought salads were lame. Who wants to eat lettuce? Even today, I have to admit that I’m still not a fan of lettuce. It’s actually my least favorite leafy green.

I think I know why some of you don’t like salads. Here’s my theory.

Imagine a salad with a few pieces of lettuce, two thick slices of tomato, a few slices of cucumber, a little salt, and some olive oil. That’s it. If that’s the kind of salad you’ve been eating, no wonder you don’t like salads.

I love eating salads now, but ever since I moved to Houston, one of my biggest struggles has been finding a place with good salads that’s either on my way home or on my way to work. Every time I open a menu, I see the same few options: the Caesar salad or the Caesar salad wrap, which happens to be my least favorite type of salad.

I’ve said this before, but honestly, restaurants in Houston need to diversify their menus. If you really want to keep the title of a melting pot, earn it.

As someone who genuinely enjoys salads, it’s frustrating to open a menu and realize that the Caesar salad is probably the best option available. In my opinion, Caesar salads are overrated. They’re just boring—lettuce, Parmesan cheese, and croutons. Personally, I don’t even think croutons belong on a salad, but I’ll save that debate for another blog.

There are so many ingredients that can take a salad to another level. If you’re someone who’s trying to enjoy salads, I recommend places like Sweetgreen because they offer much more creative combinations.

What can make a salad better? In my opinion: avocado, goat cheese, blue cheese, truffle dressing, nuts, dried fruit, quinoa, butternut squash, almost any protein… and I could keep adding to the list.

Let’s not forget what I mentioned earlier: lettuce is kind of lame. There are leafy greens with much better flavor. My two personal favorites are spinach and arugula. Spinach has a mild, earthy flavor, while arugula has a peppery bite with a slight bitterness that gives a salad much more personality. Better yet, you can even mix them together. I’ve attached data that supports this opinion.

Before finishing this entry, I’d like to propose a few ideas for menu makers and restaurant owners.

First, stop making the Caesar salad the default option. You don’t need to keep it as one of the few featured salads on the menu. If a guest wants a Caesar, most restaurants already have the ingredients to make one: lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons, and Caesar dressing.

Second, offer a salad that’s just as simple but much more flavorful. For example: arugula, avocado, your choice of cheese, and a grilled protein like chicken. It’s just as easy to prepare, but the flavor is far more interesting and complex.

Finally, this one is a little more ambitious. Just like restaurants keep ketchup and mustard bottles available, it would be great if they also kept bottles of extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. If a customer orders a salad and doesn’t enjoy the house dressing, they could simply dress it themselves.

I know all of this might sound a little crazy, but I don’t think it is. What’s really crazy, in my opinion, is refusing to explore new territory. It would be great to see restaurants expand their healthy options for people who don’t always want fries or soda with every meal.

Trust me—it’s surprisingly difficult to find creative, healthy salads. And I think we can do much better.

people who like simple stuff like me. If a customer orders a salad you can offer them Olive oil and vinegar in case they don't like their dressing.  

I know everything might sound crazy but it actually is not. What is crazy in my opinion is not exploring unknown territories, It will be cool to expand the options for those who don't eat fries, or drink sodas. Trust is really annoying to find cool, healthy and creative options.