Easy Tomato Salad

Clay told the EKU coaches he's not coming. He called the defensive coordinator himself, man to man, and said he was enlisting in the Army. The coordinator said he understood. He said the offer would stand if Clay changed his mind. He said "We respect your service." Clay hung up and came downstairs and told me and Connie. Connie nodded. I nodded. We all nodded at each other like a room full of dashboard bobbleheads, nodding because speaking would have required acknowledging that the last door to the last alternative had just closed.

The scholarship is gone. Not gone-gone — the coordinator said it would stand — but effectively gone, because Clay isn't going to Basic for ten weeks and AIT for however long and then say "Actually, I'd like to play football now." This is real. This is committed. This is a seventeen-year-old boy who had a free education offered to him on a silver platter and chose the Army instead, and I still don't fully understand why and I'm starting to accept that I don't need to. Understanding is not a prerequisite for support. Love is.

I want to talk about something lighter. Let me talk about slaw. Specifically, the difference between mayonnaise slaw and vinegar slaw, because this is a debate that has divided the South for generations and I have opinions.

Mayonnaise slaw (Connie's recipe, which I've already shared): shredded cabbage, carrots, Duke's mayo, vinegar, sugar, celery seed. Creamy, tangy, rich. Best on pulled pork sandwiches, fried fish, barbecue plates.

Vinegar slaw (Betty's recipe, which I'm sharing now): shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, thinly sliced onion. Dressed with apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seed, a pinch of red pepper flakes. No mayo. None. The cabbage marinates in the vinegar dressing and becomes slightly pickled — tangy, crunchy, bright. It keeps longer than mayo slaw and cuts through grease better. Betty served this with fish fries, barbecue, and fried chicken.

Both are correct. Both are valid. The choice depends on context and preference and where you grew up. I grew up vinegar slaw. Connie grew up mayo slaw. Our marriage has survived this difference for twenty-six years, which proves that love is stronger than condiment theology.

I made vinegar slaw this week and served it with leftover pulled pork on white bread and thought about nothing for twenty minutes while I ate, which is a gift. Twenty minutes of nothing. Twenty minutes of just food and chewing and the tangy crunch of cabbage. No Army. No birthday. No fear. Just slaw. Sometimes slaw is enough.

Betty’s vinegar slaw philosophy — no mayo, no fuss, just acid and crunch and time doing the work — carries over into everything she made alongside it. This easy tomato salad is cut from the same cloth: a vinegar-forward dressing, fresh vegetables, and nothing in the way. I made it this week alongside that pulled pork and the slaw, and it disappeared just as fast. Sometimes the simplest thing on the table is the one that actually gets eaten.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 lbs ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges or thick slices
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh basil or parsley, roughly torn

Instructions

Slice the tomatoes. Cut tomatoes into wedges or 1/2-inch slices and arrange on a wide, shallow serving plate or bowl. Season lightly with a pinch of salt and let sit for 5 minutes to draw out some of the juices.
Prepare the onion. Slice the red onion as thin as you can manage and scatter it over the tomatoes.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Dress the salad. Pour the dressing evenly over the tomatoes and onion. Toss gently or leave layered — either works. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 5 minutes before serving so the tomatoes can absorb the dressing.
Finish and serve. Scatter fresh basil or parsley over the top just before serving. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve at room temperature alongside pulled pork, fried fish, or grilled chicken.

Nutrition (per serving)

Easy Tomato Salad — Simple, Tangy, and Enough