Water Polo Salad
When one of our sons, Trevor, just before his high school freshman year came home and said, “I’m going out for water polo”, I answered, “What is water polo?”……….!
Quite honestly, having not been brought up in Southern California where the sport is fairly well known, I had not heard of it. It was not until I told my dear father about Trevor going out for water polo that I realized that he, my father, had played water polo in college – in Canadian college that is!
It made a lot of sense that Trevor would go out for, and was passionate about, water polo. He was a super swimmer – a fish in water – and so this was the perfect sport for him. It did not surprise me when he made the team and quickly became their “sprinter” – the one who goes after the ball as soon as the whistle is sounded.
The team turned out to be an amazing team – very cohesive. The players were all very close and played really well together. They always knew where the other ones were in the pool. It was quite an experience for Trevor, as are all sports, I believe. Sports tend to teach us great life lessons that we take with us where ever we go.
The evening before any important game, team moms would prepare dinners to send the team on their triumphant way. The menu at these dinners was always the same…….lasagna and what became dubbed as “Water Polo Salad”. I did not realize that a salad that I made, and Trevor loved, would become so famous amongst the water polo players. The boys loved it and, obviously, the ingredients were what they needed. They had a very successful team that won CIF two years in a row!
Apart from the fact that the boys loved it, everyone seems to love it when we serve it. I hope you enjoy it just as much!
Water Polo Salad
1 bunch spinach
1 head iceberg lettuce
½ lb cut up mushrooms
6 hard boiled eggs
½ lb fried bacon
½ lb grated mozzarella cheese
Dressing
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 small onion grated
½ teaspoon dried mustard
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
8 oz cottage cheese
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Yum! Water polo salad is the best. Do you have any tips for grating the onion? That always seems to be difficult. 🙂
Yes, working with onions can be tear jerking! I usually take a large onion, put my gloves on and then just grate about half of it on a four-sided grater. I throw the other half away. It goes pretty quickly. Also, do you know the trick about putting an unlit wooden match in your mouth in order not to cry when you are working with onions? Try it!
That is, put the match between your teeth.
I can’t believe you shared the ingredients! Thank you! Oh happy day!
You are so welcome, Gabs!
I love this salad you make Jacks!
This is the best salad! I may not have grown up eating it, but I love it all the same. Thanks for sharing.
Thank YOU!
This looks amazing! I am going to make it for my brother when he comes for a visit(former SPHS H20Polo player) Thanks for posting the picture of the team too! What great memories!
So glad! Those were great days, I have to say. It was wonderful following the team.
Oh yes, dear Jackie, I have enjoyed that salad many times at your dinner table. But I always thought that it was called Pennelope Salad because I always fed it to that precious champion dog of yours! It is very delicious, though!
Always love having you at our dinner table, Dick!