Hózhó

Tonto was asked to bring a salad to a Christmas party this year. After having my fill of Mennonite Summer Salad, while recently working on an investigative piece, I decided to try my luck at a seven layer salad. Not to be outdone by any of those Betty Crocker types, I called on my good friend, Harrison Lapahie Jr., who is one of the Navajo tribes most esteemed sand artists. He instructed me to draw a simple picture of the salad I envisioned on a piece of paper with a pencil. Then he said to be sure not to overcomplicate the design because it can be difficult to control vegetables with over intricate details. I was then to spread the ingredients evenly throughout the glass bowl with a Popsicle stick, and repeat the process until all areas of the bowl had been covered with their corresponding colored veggie. It was imparted to me that if I followed these instructions, this layered salad would not only taste scrumptious, but would also restore harmony to the diners, or as the Navajos say, "hózhó."