Michigan, Have You Ever Had One of These Strange Midwestern “Salads”?

If someone were to say the word "salad", one would probably think of lettuce and other veggies piled together and topped with some dressing. But, maybe not when you're in the Midwest...

The Midwest has this weird habit of calling lots of things "salads" that just plain aren't. If that dish you call a "salad" doesn't have a single piece of fruit or vegetable going on, it's probably not a salad. On top of that, if the main ingredient of the thing you call a "salad" is Jell-o or cream cheese, again, probably not a salad.

But here's the thing; Midwest salads that aren't really salads are a whole thing. In fact, it's so common that one woman has made it part of her whole TikTok persona. @thatmidwesternmom has created a slew of videos that exemplify "Midwest salads that aren't salads". Check out some of her videos below.

Looking through her videos, the main ingredients of these so-called salads are typically  Cool Whip/whipped cream, cream cheese, or mayonnaise. To be honest, though, that pretzel strawberry "salad" sounds really good. And to be even more honest, I'm pretty sure my aunt makes the same exact thing when the holidays roll around. But we don't kid ourselves and call it a salad, it lives on the dessert table with the rest of the sweets, where it belongs.

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If you're going to a Midwestern holiday gathering this year, you'll probably find some version of one of these "salads"; I know I will. Strawberry Jell-O Pretzel salad...I'm comin' for ya!

What's your feeling about Midwestern salads? Do you normally serve up something similar? We wanna hear about it. Send us a message (or a picture) of the Midwestern salad that normally gets served at your family's holiday gatherings.

Maybe you avoid the holiday gatherings so you don't get pestered with a bunch of questions from intrusive family members. We've got some tips on how to deal with that this year.