The quest for the BEST SALAD EVER!

I'm on the bus writing this and the guy next to me decides to read over my shoulder, so hopefully he's not pretending and can understand I'm writing about him - yes YOU!
Anyhoooo, I've given him a deadly side-look now and turned my back on him for some privacy ...

Now that's out the way I can talk about salad. Yeeeeuup, SALAD!

It all started last week when I opened a previously delivered package containing Zumba DVDs and extras. After reading the book that accompanies the workout DVDs I decided to enhance my diet. And thus the hunt for the Best Salad Ever began.

By the time I got to work one day last week I'd eaten cereal and had a bottle of water. If you know me you'd know this isn't my ideal breakfast but I'm trying to reach a fitness goal so, sacrifices have to be made.

11am and I was HUNGRY! My body - a consummate fan of food - kept sending me direct food-related messages, the odd stomach rumble, the desire to kill a complete stranger, ya know? The usual stuff you experience when you're hungry.

My heart was set on getting a salad and I was going to get one even if it meant dying of starvation first.
12pm, and I'd left the office and tried two supermarkets within 10 minutes only to discover they didn't do salads with olives and feta cheese (two important ingredients in the Best Salad Ever).

It was 12.15pm when I laid eyes on the first person I could murder, a tall man who almost shoulder barged past me just outside the second supermarket. I had to eat soon! I kept my cool, doing anything to him would prolong lunch. I wish he knew how close he came to seeing that brilliant white light.  

A brainwave hit me and I thought: NANDOS. The nearest one was the Camberwell branch. Minutes later I was there ordering their new Mediterranean Salad. Its description on the menu was gorgeous; lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, grilled chicken with the option to hold the meat. Heaven on a plate or shallow bowl (whicheevr way it comes when you order).

I was so hungry by now; if I was salivating I wouldn’t have noticed, it turns out I was a little, but no one saw.

No sooner had I ordered, the guy behind the till told me to “hold on” and went out back to do something. Turns out he wasn’t sure if they had any of the salad I wanted. Turns out they didn’t!

SHIT-SNACKS! Was what I wanted to say, instead I killed him several times over in my head and politely backed away from the counter. 

Armed with the knowledge that my quest for the Best Salad Ever would come to an abrupt end I got another brainwave: THE OTHER NANDOS. This branch was a bus ride away in Elephant and Castle and I was running low on ‘lunch break’. I made the right and completely professional choice – and jumped on the first bus smoking in that direction.

Once at the other Nandos I queried the salad and by the power of Castle Grey-skull they had it.

This is what’s in a Mediterranean Salad:

• Mixed leaves
• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Olives

All topped with feta cheese & splashed with olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Yeeeeeeup, things that make you say: Mmmmmm!

I ate all of it as the following picture will evidence.

Since, I have been making my own salads, and just the other day I had one with; grilled prawn and bacon, feta cheese, olives, mixed leaves, lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes ... it was EPIC!