Are You "Salad Bar Savvy?"

The World's Most Expensive Mac 'n Cheese

OK, I will confess to eating more than my share of lunches at the $8/lb. salad bar directly across the street from my office (if the company wants a plug, they can pay me for it, but it's known to many as "Whole Paycheck").

If only to feel less self-indulgent, I pride myself on being "salad bar savvy."

That means:

--Never load up on the carbs -- not a bad idea, anyway, but for $8/lb. you can buy enough potatoes for a month.

--Do home in on the high "value-added" items: main dishes with a lot of meat and labor-intensive prep.

--Never go after 1 p.m. In fact, before 11:30 a.m., when everything is freshly put out, is best.

It never ceases to amaze me, grocery shopping mid-afternoon, to see someone going through a very picked over salad bar loading up on macaroni and cheese, potatoes, etc.