Alternately titled “wherein we learn the Italian art of how to use a salad recipe to insult both the Germans and the English”.
Intro
The expressions “throw shade“, “throwing shade“, or simply “shade“, are slang terms for a certain type of insult, often nonverbal. Anna Holmes called shade “the art of the sidelong insult”. Merriam-Webster defines it as “subtle, sneering expression of contempt for or disgust with someone—sometimes verbal, and sometimes not”.
Salat of Greens
In a redaction of the recipe (below) you take assorted greens, leeks, parsley, herbs such as sage and thyme, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Wash the greens separately then mix together. Dress with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.
Of the most perfect mixed salad. (4) Of all the salads we eat in the spring, the mixed salad is the best and most wonderful of all. Take young leaves of mint, those of garden cress, basil, lemon balm, the tips of salad burnet, tarragon, the flowers and most tender leaves of borage, the flowers of swine cress, the young shoots of fennel, leaves of rocket, of sorrel, rosemary flowers, some sweet violets, and the most tender leaves or the hearts of lettuce. When these precious herbs have been picked clean and washed in several waters, and dried a little with a clean linen cloth, they are dressed as usual, with oil, salt and vinegar.
...Never do as the Germans and other uncouth nations do – pile the badly washed leaves, neither shaken nor dried, up in a mound like a pyramid, then throw on a little salt, not much oil and far too much vinegar, without even stirring. And all this done to produce a decorative effect, where we Italians would much rather feast the palate than the eye. You English are even worse, after washing the salad heaven knows how, you put the vinegar in the dish first, and enough of that for a foot bath for Morgante, and serve it up, unstirred with neither oil nor salt, which you are supposed to add at table.
…And whosoever transgresses this benign commandment is condemned never to enjoy a decent salad in their life, a fate which I fear lies in store for most of the inhabitants of this kingdom.
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