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<p>The purpose of salad isn’t to be part of some dieting fad. Salad – if you make it yourself – is actually good because it’s cheap for the way it fills you up. Lots of fiber, to go with the overdose of carbohydrates students tend to eat (I make a lot of rice and pasta…). Make your own. Toss some in your spaghetti or instant noodles…</p>
<p>Lettuce sells for pretty cheap – I think at the supermarket the average price is like 79 cents a head? (If you buy sensibly and on a budget – not organic.) Vinegar is pretty cheap too (valuable for 1000 different things, from marinades to activating bacteria-killing HOCl in disinfecting bleach). Get one of those low-fat imitation butter spreads – it’s good enough – melt it and put it over the salad, then add curry powder, chili powder and fresh ginger. And cilantro. Then a dose of apple cider vinegar (I think it sells at 1.25 / gallon – get those 3 gallon bottles. Even ifyou cook a lot, you won’t have to repurchase it for months.) </p>
<p>Cabbage is cheaper than lettuce and lasts longer … but it doesn’t taste good raw. But you can fry it (use a minimal amount of oil) or stew it in acidic solution (vinegar, tomatoes), esp. if you are slow-cooking meat portions. You can also pickle cabbage in vinegar solution – add radish, onion, garlic, carrots, with some other spices into a clean glass jar (pour some boiling water into it first to sterilise it). Add some sugar and salt. Let it sit in a cool dry place for several days, then store in the fridge for several more days. Then it’s ready to eat! Mmmm, spicy pickled cabbage … goes with rice.</p>