It seems that up until about ten years ago, every Mexican
restaurant in Texas served a side salad of just iceberg
lettuce, tomato and onion. Apparently, as a cost reduction,
that disappeared.

It seemed incongruous that the salad dressing was 'ranch,
Italian, thousand island, etc.' I started asking the
waiters, owners or anyone in a Mexican restaurant what their
mother served on salads. It drew a lot of blank stares, but
never an answer.

If green salad was served in Mexican households, was there a
dressing?

What would be considered "authentic".

"Thurman" > wrote in message
...
> It seems that up until about ten years ago, every Mexican
> restaurant in Texas served a side salad of just iceberg
> lettuce, tomato and onion. Apparently, as a cost reduction,
> that disappeared.
>
> It seemed incongruous that the salad dressing was 'ranch,
> Italian, thousand island, etc.' I started asking the
> waiters, owners or anyone in a Mexican restaurant what their
> mother served on salads. It drew a lot of blank stares, but
> never an answer.
>
> If green salad was served in Mexican households, was there a
> dressing?
>
> What would be considered "authentic".


go he click on venduras
http://mexico.udg.mx/cocina/cocinamex.html

ENSALADA MIXTA (mixed salad)

Ingredients:
½ avocado
¼ oil cup
¼ vinegar cup
1 teaspoon of salt
¼ pepper teaspoon
6 leaves of Roman lettuce
6 leaves of lettuce orejona
1 sliced zuccini very thin
½ sliced onion very thin
½ pepper in thin slices
3 stems of tender celery sliced
6 mushrooms sliced

Procedu To grind in the mixer the 5 first ingredients of the dressing.
To put vegetables accommodated in a ensaladera and to bathe them with the
dressing.

Thurman > wondered in message
...
> It seems that up until about ten years ago, every Mexican
> restaurant in Texas served a side salad of just iceberg
> lettuce, tomato and onion. Apparently, as a cost reduction,
> that disappeared.
[snip]
> If green salad was served in Mexican households, was there a
> dressing?

Two of the Mexican women I worked with used to serve iceberg and splash it
with white vinegar, maybe some ground up dried peppers, topped with
paper-thin lime slices with every main meal. It was delicious and different.

The Chilean national ALWAYS served iceberg and doused in straight
(fresh-squeezed) lemon juice. (That first salad was a puckering experience.)
[Damned fine cook!]

The El Salvadoran and Nicaraguan expatriates always served up some form of
citrus salad with their meals.

If that's representative, I don't think there is an "authentic" salad
anymore than there is in the US. Cooks use what's available tempered by what
they like. <shrug>

The Ranger

Lettuce , tomato, carrot,onion, black olives, season with black pepper, salt
and garlic powder and onion powder and mix with a little mayo. Just like
mom used to make. Great with enchiladas.
"Thurman" > wrote in message
...
> It seems that up until about ten years ago, every Mexican
> restaurant in Texas served a side salad of just iceberg
> lettuce, tomato and onion. Apparently, as a cost reduction,
> that disappeared.
>
> It seemed incongruous that the salad dressing was 'ranch,
> Italian, thousand island, etc.' I started asking the
> waiters, owners or anyone in a Mexican restaurant what their
> mother served on salads. It drew a lot of blank stares, but
> never an answer.
>
> If green salad was served in Mexican households, was there a
> dressing?
>
> What would be considered "authentic".
>

"Thurman" > wrote in message
...
> It seems that up until about ten years ago, every Mexican
> restaurant in Texas served a side salad of just iceberg
> lettuce, tomato and onion. Apparently, as a cost reduction,
> that disappeared

Few Mexican Mexican homes serve a salad as we know them. The usual start for
almost any meal is the salsa on the bable - green, red and chile de arbol ;
maybe some guacamole - small bread loafs (bolillos or teleras) and soft corn
tortillas, hot, between a towel or tortilla warmer. The first dish will be a
soup, followed by a plate with the main course, usually with rice and beans
alongside, then desert which will be a flan (custard) ro sweet roll or cake
or fruit.

When you are invited to a super-rich family meal the start will be great
wines, great cheses, olives and maybe a bit of green somewhere, but mostly
not.

When eating with a campesino out in the boonies you get about the same
routine as mentioned in Mexican Mexican homes above.

Salads are on Mexican restaurants because Americans ask for it, and the
Mexicans are more than willing to oblige. But salads are certainly not
customary.

Wayne