Some Assembly Required

Should I really have to pay the same amount or more for a deconstructed salad as a normal salad? In fact, it doesn’t seem like it should be called “salad”—it’s a tidy collection of separated ingredients. It’s like the mise en place for a salad skipped a couple of steps on the line and went straight to plating.

Don’t get me wrong: sometimes I’m in the the frame of mind to play with my food or build something from a kit, and there is something appealing about the high degree of organization. It just feels a tiny bit silly to get an almost-prepared dish; it feels a little like I’ve accidentally signed up for a foraging experience. Somehow a little more entropy feels appropriate for a salad.