"Surprise Salad Check Out" by Susan Pearl

 My sister-in-law, my husband  and I were going to eat a salad at a hospital cafeteria.  I noticed that the salad bar was set up like a buffet and then to pay for the salad a person would be charged 30 cents an ounce.  My sister-law-law went first.  She put lettuce and alfalfa sprouts and a couple other lightweight salad items on her plate and was ready to check out. I think her salad was three ounces and it cost a ninety cents

I was next in line and I was very hungry.  I had covered the lettuce on my plate with lots of my favorite shredded cheese.  Then on top of that I had put lots of other favorites--bacon bits and cubed ham.  Then I put a few cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices and topped it all with thousand island dressing and bread croutons.  Since I was so hungry I thought another layer of shredded cheese, bacon bits and cubed ham should do it.  I was ready to check out.  My salad weighed one and a half pounds and cost over seven dollars.  I must say I was a little embarrassed as I asked my husband if he had a couple of one dollar bills to go with my five dollar bill.  It seemed like everyone was shaking their head as if they had never seen anything like it before.  All eyes were on my seven dollar salad.

We sat down at a table and ate our salads but I really felt so surprised at how expensive my salad was.

I learned that when something is being charged by the ounce to keep it light.