The notion that you don’t win friends with salad has haunted me and my fellow vegelantes (vigourous vegetable-lovers) ever since Homer Simpson used this fateful line in an ep about Lisa going vegetarian. It became a chant, then a meme, and it’s been echoing in my ears for decades. Which may seem like no big deal, until you consider that the consumption rates of salad – and of vegetables in general – are in dire straits.

True, the ’90s – when that episode of The Simpsons aired – were not kind to salads. Limp lettuce, fat-free dressings, too many sundried tomatoes… it’s no wonder that people weren’t lining up to give salad a rap. But times have changed, as has the definition of what a salad can be. No longer merely a bowl of leaves, Salad 2.0 can be just about anything you want it to be. Cooked or raw veg, greens, grains, carbs, nuts, seeds, cheese, fruit – bring it on. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re talking at least two types of produce, intentionally combined, with a dressing of some kind, it’s a salad!

Food should make you feel good: when you buy it (or grow it); when you cook it with a sense of confidence and playfulness; when you serve it to family and friends; when you eat it; and, especially after the meal is done, when the lushness of fresh ingredients and the vim that’s gone into preparation and assembly leaves you vibrating with life. Salads are perfect for making friends happy too, because they’re easy enough for even beginner cooks to whip up. If you’re hosting a big get-together, flick a pic of a salad you like the look of to each of your guests to lighten the load, and give everyone a sense of collegiality before the meal’s even begun.

The fact of the matter is, you can win friends with salad, and it’s very ready to make friends with you. ALICE ZASLAVSKY