Family Life and Friendship Network

I brought a salad to work today - or so I thought. After all, it said "Entree Salads" on the top, in large green letters. When I opened the package, I found everything except the lettuce. Only then did I notice the small font: "Just add lettuce". How can they call this a salad if it doesn't include lettuce? Let's look at the word salad as we use it semantically.

Some non-lettuce salads do exist: Jello salad, potato salad, egg salad, and others, but those all require a qualifier. Nobody calls Jello salad just "salad". Likewise with most other salads. When I hear the word "salad" without a qualifier, I think "lettuce, with other stuff, and a salad dressing". My wife Julie, who bought this so-called salad, thought the same thing. Furthermore, Hillshire Farm Entree Salads shows a picture of lettuce with toppings.

I have a not-so genius idea for Hillshire Farm: Call it an Entree Salad Topper, if it only has salad toppings. Call it an Entree Salad if it includes... the "salad" part of salad. Meanwhile, I'll go back to chewing my chicken, bacon-bits, and cheese dinner. I can't have dry croutons without dressing, and I don't want to use dressing without lettuce. Bacon-bits with chicken and no salad... mmmm...