M. Suzanne Terry

When I went through my mom’s recipe collection in order to find things to make, I told her, “I want a variety of things – comfort food, desserts, main courses, side items, etc.” I came across the recipe for Western Salad, and I remarked, “Oh – Western Salad – good!  This gives me a healthy option, too!”

She gave me the oddest look.  I was confused at first, but then I read the recipe.

It started well:

• 1 head of lettuce
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 can ranch-style beans

But it derailed from there:

• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1 cup Catalina dressing
• bag of corn chips

You mix everything except the chips. The chips are added as you serve, to avoid sogginess. And you end up with this:

I did leave out the onions, because when there are raw onions in something, that’s all I can taste, and I doubled the amount of tomatoes. But I followed the rest of the recipe exactly.

Calling it a salad is an exercise in willing suspension of disbelief. I can picture the creator of this marvelous foodstuff debating whether or not s/he could actually call it salad and get away with it, finally ending with the deciding factor – “Does it have lettuce?  Yes!  Okay, then – salad, it is!”

So I’m giving in to my nostalgia, deceptive as it might be, and sticking to the name Western Salad. Just nod along, everybody.  Be cool.

My memory of this dish is that it was light and healthy.  The reality of this dish is that it is the sort of thing one might buy from a concession stand. This explains why Mom never actually served it as a meal but as a decadent side item in an otherwise healthy, balanced dinner.

As I have mentioned before, I am not my mother.  Totally ate a large bowl of Western Salad as a meal.

I regret nothing.