Mr. Lake's New Orleans Forum

Some years ago (on Chowhound, I think) I got mugged by the PC Police for mentioning Wop Salad. When I gamely tried to explain that Wop Salad used to be on every Italian menu in New Orleans, the outrage escalated, and I gave up.

Is Rocky and Carlos the city's last holdout for Wop Salad?

R&O's has a Italian Wop Salad on the menu. I get it on every visit. It's really good.

...and no one complains about a COBB salad.

Tessie's Place off W. Metairie near Clearview still has a WOP Salad on the menu.

I don't understand the indignation...and my great-grandparents were born in Sicily.

I don't care what they call it (My guys are all from Contessa Entellina, Sicily) I love Wop Salads! Tower of Pizza on Vets serves up a fantastic one, but they're calling it Italian Salad these days. Wimps!

Once upon a time, "WOP" was a slur everywhere, including New Orleans, so it's no surprise that people are shocked when WOP Salad turns up on Italian menus. What they don't realize is that — in New Orleans, at least — Italians seized control of the word "WOP", and in so doing, subverted it. (Subversion via satire is such a classic N.O. tactic. Think: "Zulu parade.")

Am trying to remember when WOP Salad began its slow fade to "Italian Salad." The 1970s? Eighties?

Here's a good discussion of wop salad...what it means...how it began...how it evolved...the misconceptions...why the name is rarely used today.
http://transcendentvictuals.blogspot.com/2009/06/wop-salad.html

oh, that is just ridiculous. don't people have lives? didn't venezia call theirs a wop salad?