"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER> wrote in message
...
>
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "W. Baker" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Julie Bove > wrote:
>>>
>>> : "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER> wrote in message
>>> : ...
>>> : >
>>> : > "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER> wrote in message
>>> : > ...
>>> : >>
>>> : >> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>>> : >> ...
>>> : >>> Used to be in pretty much any restaurant...maybe not a really
>>> fancy
>>> : >>> one...you could get a diet plate. It usually consisted of a
>>> hamburger
>>> : >>> patty, sometimes a chicken breast, sliced tomatoes, a scoop of
>>> cottage
>>> : >>> cheese and some sort of canned fruit. I haven't seen anything
>>> like that
>>> : >>> on a menu for years. Ruby's Diner does have a hamburger salad.
>>> That's
>>> : >>> a tossed salad with a hamburger patty on it. That's the closest
>>> thing
>>> : >>> I've seen!
>>> : >>>
>>> : >>
>>> : >> When I was a teenager, my favorite lunch when we were traveling was
>>> a
>>> : >> "cold plate" (similar to what you called a "diet plate"). It
>>> always
>>> : >> consisted of several types of cheese and fresh fruit with a scoop
>>> of
>>> : >> cottage cheese in the center. Again, I haven't seen that for
>>> years.
>>> : >>
>>> : >> MaryL
>>> : >>
>>> : >>
>>> : >
>>> : > Oh, yes, the "cold plate" we ordered also had two or three types of
>>> deli
>>> : > meat rolled up on the plate (but not hamburger). They often offered
>>> : > potato salad as an option instead of cottage cheese, if desired.
>>>
>>> : When I lived in NY, I was frustrated by the diners there and in NJ.
>>> They
>>> : had something listed as salad on the menu but to me it was not salad!
>>> Yes,
>>> : you would get potato salad, macaroni salad and stuff like that. But
>>> no
>>> : vegetables! And that was what I wanted.
>>> hat is odd, as in the NYC diners I go to thee are often nice green or
>>> greens, tomatos, cukes and some shredded vegetables served as a first
>>> course or "house" salad. In addition, many often have the option of
>>> your
>>> having a mescalun salad in place of french fried potaoes sith
>>> omelleettes,
>>> wrap sandwiches, etc.
>>
>> I did see the house salad, but I was ordering something like a cottage
>> cheese or tuna salad platter. When I saw that on the menu, I assumed I
>> would get a platter of raw veggies with a scoop or two of tuna or cottage
>> cheese. Instead I got maybe a lettuce leaf, the tuna or cottage cheese
>> and then a scoop of potato salad and pasta salad.
>>
>> At one place I just kept ordering thing after thing, trying like mad to
>> get a green salad. Finally the waitress asked me what I wanted. I said
>> I wanted a plate of lettuce, maybe with some tomatoes on it. She
>> shrugged and said she would see if they could do that. Like my request
>> was unusual. This was at a diner in NJ.
>>
>> I do know of one diner in NJ (Hibernia) that does have good salads on the
>> menu in addition to a really good salad bar. We always made it a point
>> to stop there on the way to PA.
>>
>
>
> I just ask for a description of the item if it is not clear from the menu,
> and I request substitutions as necessary. For example, I seldom eat at
> IHop. When I do, I get somethng like ham and eggs and request a small
> bowl of fresh fruit instead of the pancakes that they include with almost
> everything. No problem! They always accomodate.

Beware of their eggs. If you get something like an omelette, they put
pancake batter in it to make it fluffier.