Salad Lunch for social eating

A while ago (and probably several times before that) it was asked here about tips for dealing with the fact that so much socialization seems to take place around food - almost any time people get together, they're eating together, and that can be hard when you want to enjoy the company, but don't want to have a plate of muffins sitting in front of you!

What my friends and I did last weekend when we got together for lunch - we met at a friends' home, and each of us brought various greens, and salad fixings of our choice - blueberries, goat cheese, almonds, cukes, carrots, herbs, caramelized onions, chicken breast, hardboiled egg, etc. Then we all mixed and matched to make a salad we really enjoyed. It was a fun way to eat really well while enjoying good company. (This also works great when you have friends who have special dietary requirements, like gluten-free, allergies, or who are vegetarian.) Making the salad the centerpiece of the meal was a terrific idea on my friends part, and having everyone contribute different ingredients to choose from was perfect. (I'd love to do it again, and do a fruit salad. I love fruit. LOL)

Just wanted to share that - it works especially well if you have friends who are also trying to become fitter.