I do naturally avoid cafeterias/buffets. I was in Spain (Barcelona) and walked into a vegetarian restaurant (Self Naturalista) that I had heard was excellent. Surprise, it turned out to be a huge cafeteria. So the pace was packed, so I figured they must be doing something right. It turned out to eb the best vegetarian food I have ever eaten, so I guess its just american cafeterias that suck. And no, I'm not a vegetarian.