The mystery behind the salads at Uni-Mini

Uni Mini. You walk (read: stumble) in at around three o'clock in the morning craving your favorite sandwich. The line is almost out the door but you decide the wait is worth your while. You pass the island in the middle of the store and know it's almost your turn to order. You wipe some drool off your chin as you begin to dream about unwrapping the paper of your mouthwatering sandwich. But as you arrive at the counter, you have most likely failed to notice the glass window that stands before you holding Uni Mini's lesser-known food option: the salads.

We took note of the delicacies enshrined behind this glass window. We decided to be adventurous, breaking out from the typical college student's Uni Mini addiction (subs and sandwiches), and we tried some of these mysterious salads. Even the most devoted Uni Mini customers may not have ever noticed this diverse culinary option because we are often too busy socializing with our friends in line beside us.

Take a moment to observe the selection of Uni Mini salads, displayed on a refrigerated shelf in rectangular serving containers. There is chicken salad, tuna salad, shrimp salad, seafood salad, macaroni salad, egg salad, potato salad and coleslaw. You'll find the chicken and tuna salads off to the side. Both are recognizable by their brown hue, yet they are indistinguishable from one another save for the labels in front of each container. The other six salads are mostly white, which we attribute to an excess of mayonnaise.

Deciding to explore this less than well-known option at Uni Mini, we tasted the coleslaw and macaroni salads. Our palates were not particularly tantalized by these options. The mayonnaise ingredient cannot be missed, so as two foodies who are not fans of mayo, these were not the salads for us. However, if you love pasta in any form, even soggy and tasteless, or if you enjoy coleslaw's veggies rendered indistinct as they are doused in mayonnaise with a pickled aftertaste, these are the salads for you!

We were not sure what to make of the chicken and tuna salads. Both brown salads greatly resemble a puree, so maybe they would make a good alternative to cream cheese on a bagel if you feel the need to incorporate some extra protein! Please don't let this discourage you from frequenting Uni Mini! But here's our suggestion: stick with the sandwiches.