Round 2 - The Rise of $12 Salads

[Jamie]

Guidelines

• Watch the youtube video linked.

• You are not required to watch the entire video if you're not enjoying it, but at least a few minutes so you can get an idea.

• Share whatever opinions you have about the video!

• Try to post at least a few sentences.

Reward: 2 random cards

This Round
https://youtu.be/INAdl_N_ju0
Video Length: 8:56

My thoughts:
I find this to be a mixed issue. On one hand, I've come to really love salads with lots of delicious ingredients, and I like that there are a variety of different kinds with completely different flavor combinations. I used to not like salads growing up because the ones you saw were usually pretty basic, so the more diverse offerings have encouraged me to order salads more often. On the other hand, it really is extremely expensive, I've seen some $20 salads, which costs almost as much as an expensive steak at a nice restaurant. It's prompted me to start making salads at home, though buying ingredients can still be quite expensive. It's interesting to me that purchasing a nice salad has become more of a treat that I splurge for myself on. The video brings up some good points about healthy foods becoming too expensive for poorer areas. It seems really unusual that healthy food would be more associated with wealth in the U.S.

While this video specifically covers America, I'm curious if folks from other countries have seen a similar rise in fancy expensive salads as well!

[Ace]

Everyone caught on to salad being good, and decided to premium charge the hell out of it. Which is really sad because most restaurants or fast food joints that "try to cater" to the health foodies out there leaves them in a sort of punishment. Which is sad because I also even find myself eating salad on underways when there isn't a good option out (Usually hot dog day, or the steam baked chicken that looks like they just snatched seagulls out of the air and cooked them). But it shows how economy is forced to adjust, with the rise of fresh produce being all the rage, thus causing a surge in the price. Both commercially, and practically. Which isn't a bad thing imo cause that means the farmers that are producing the produce are being paid for their stuff. Sucks the middle man wants to bleed the customers dry though.

[Elijah]

Oof yeah, healthy food being associated with wealth is such a thing. I'm pretty salty about it, not just because everyone deserves to have access to nutritious food, but because food that starts off being accessible gets appropriated and gentrified as soon as influencers "discover" it (see the whole spa water tiktok thing; it's just aguas frescas and suddenly influencers are trying to make it a health trend, but it would not surprise me if we started seeing "spa water" places pop up and start to displace existing agua fresca places or force them to drive up their prices to compete). I can just see places selling 16oz of agua de sandia for $8 when that costs more than the whole dang watermelon!!

It really says a lot for the general income of my area that the only one of these chains I've heard of is Sweetgreen, and even then I have to drive about a half hour to get to it. It's the same with Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, etc; a lot of these trendier, healthier food places are inaccessible cost and distance (which contributes to cost too with gas prices) to a lot of folks. And I know I don't even have it as bad as other people because I can afford to go to these places occasionally. I enjoy splurging on it every so often because sometimes I just crave a big salad and don't want to make it myself (esp the warm ingredients they use). But it's not like I want these places to be closer by either if their prices are going to remain the same because gentrification is a whole thing too and I don't want to be cost out of where I live either.

Luckily, a lot of them are markup for the sake of the brand and the experience because honestly, markets like Northgate, Vallarta, and El Super have great produce and ingredients at an affordable price, and those ARE super accessible where I live. We just buy raw ingredients and make our own salads most of the time, or use those premade salad kits you can get at the market or Walmart for like $4. Or Costco tub of salad greens that can make like a week's worth of salads, my beloved...

[Kayori]

It's unfortunate, but yes so many healthier ingredients are so much more expensive now. So many people are stuck eating only what they can afford, and now that's usually fast food, or mass produced packaged foods. Fresh produce prices go up with each bout of inflation, and even then all of those trendy ingredients added to the salads these days are expensive in and of themselves. What used to cost less than many $5, to make a salad for easily 4-5 people, could now cost anywhere from $15-$20.

[Jamie]

Ace@ - I agree on some points, but I think even at the production level with farmers it's pretty rough. Social media has certainly changed the game of production and advertising though.

Food Network (Round 2): lavacake06, snickerdoodle02

Elijah@ - Looked up the spa water and I'm pretty sure I lost brain cells watching that. It's not even like aguas frescas is all that obscure, but you know, it has a foreign name. On the part of the influencer, it's such a strange thing to try and claim as her own, but sadly just shows that gentrification and appropriation is still perpetuated even with the 'woke' culture that we have in the U.S. Trendy foods really are so harmful not just for prices, but even the production level, I've seen stories about how the avocado and acai berry industries had a lot of bad stuff happen once they blew up in popularity.

Food Network (Round 2): fairybread01, okonomiyaki10

Kayori@ - It's really sad, because I'm sure many people would love to eat healthier, better for you foods! I sure would, but my wallet says no. And I'm not exactly poor or anything, Ace and I both have salary jobs and own a house, yet some of these ingredients while shopping are at a real premium.

Food Network (Round 2): strawberry05, soju12

[Jun]

Kinda weird to me, since ever since i was a kid, salad as a meal has been very normalized. Living in city you buy salad all the time. And in a lot of house holds, salad and salad mix is a daily meal haha. Like um, example ill do salad and rice easily for a meal often. I am going to be bias; I do believe this applys to certain regions and such vs others. But, I think that also comes down to the 'green = wealth' idea. Im saying "yeah growing up in a city this isnt new ect" but then I have to put in the whole 'city' idea. vs say middle america or smaller areas. So the Hip-Lifestyle ideal, that makes sense.

I know there is a whole topic there of "people adding in vegitables/fruits/healthier food choices in their cooking (there is a price in heathy food, but imo its more accessable then a lot of fast food options and such sometimes, meal prepping and planning is a big effect). I think people do become spoiled to certain taste and foods, that it almost goes back to the trendy thing of "i had a salad today" VS "I ate a proper amount of vegitables/fruites my body needs in a day/week". That probably doesnt make sense like i want it to.. but yes.

unrelated: "sweet great has over 100 locations" (shows on the map like 8) lol like ok bruh. I wont lie; i never heard of sweetgreen.

[Jamie]

Jun: Honestly same, I had never heard of Sweet Green. The first salad place I had ever heard of was Sweet Tomatoes in Florida, and it was only because I had a cousin that worked there. As for how common it is, it definitely is depending on the cultural influence I feel. It definitely became a "thing" in the U.S. with the big millennial health food movement. It mostly becomes expensive once you add all the bells and whistles (hummus, beans, seeds, cheese, croutons, etc.) but if you're going for basic greens then it's not as bad, but it can greatly depend on the area.

Food Network (Round 2): fruitjuice07, crabcake08

[Star]

Salad has always been a part of my life. Usually a Chef or Cobb salad at the very least. Especially in the summer when it's just too hot to want to cook. Though fancy wedge salads are something we picked up from restaurants, but usually I'll have a salad with lots of different vegetables and then cheese and either ham or chicken.

Usually for salads I just pop down to the outdoor market that's about two minutes from my flat and pick up some fresh veg. I couldn't imagine spending that much money on a salad. If I'm going out I want something that I can't just make myself or don't want to put the effort into making myself.

Good on Everytable for trying to combat the food desert problem though. I know what that's like

[Jamie]

Star: A local outdoor market sounds so nice, and so close! I Imagine it would be easier for picking out portions as well. Last time I went salad shopping I had the choice between massive bushels or boxes that just had way more than I can eat before it goes bad. My fault for liking salads with lots of different types of greens and such though lol.

Food Network (Round 2): ketchup20, horchata19

[Lex]

Yeppp I would never buy a salad from a restaurant unless I'm very specifically in the mood for like, a steak or chicken salad with french fries/egg/cheese/etc, and that's certainly not because it's healthy jdhfkjf. It's wild what people will charge for even just a bowl of the basic salad ingredients these days. Like I'm glad there's more vegetarian/vegan options for people but you also shouldn't have to spend like $5 per salad ingredient for a single meal. BUT at the same time that's a problem for most restaurants these days unless you're specifically at a fast food chain, and especially if you're going to places that source locally and/or have a lot of workers to pay, which will obviously up the cost. Most of the time I just make a simple side salad with meals at home because it's cheaper to buy a few ingredients and get multiple salads out of them.