Mama Says - Torrance

Mama says to eat your vegetables. And I did listen a little bit. I loved some vegetables as a child, and adult me loves them all. But salads. Salads are the bane of my existence, and I will never understand the American drive to consume large quantities of crunchy, tasteless chunks of raw iceberg lettuce. I love carrots in hummus as much as anyone, but I will never understand a salad. 

But Mama Says speaks of a different kind of salad. A customizable container of roughage, featuring suggested combinations like the Proscuitto di Parma that I can not only live with but actually learn to enjoy. The key is the soft slices of cured Italian ham on crusty chunks of bread with balsamic, but they also include a base of romaine lettuce, which carries more weight than iceberg-water. Less common options like gooey sweet potato and discs of lentils add depth. Their original dressing spice up the salads as well, though the Italian is tossed best with a simple oil and balsamic. 

Mama says you can have your less healthy options when your vegetables are gone. The salads are generous portions but they disappear easy and quick. You won’t be hungry after one of these, but you may still want to split a Carbonara between a couple people when you’re done. Al dente spaghetti is coated with eggy cream, and bacon brings its own savor. Add chunks of chicken if you want the protein, but you don’t really need it as they don’t really mix it in. 

Maybe I would have listened to my mama more if all vegetables could taste this good. I’ve never willingly ordered a salad anywhere else, and though I’d readily order from Mama Says again, I doubt I’d go anywhere else.