When my partner and I were in New Zealand, we noticed that if salad came with a meal but was served separately (e.g., a salad bar) the locals would wait until their main course was served before going up to help themselves to salad. In North America, it's standard to start with the salad bar and then wait for your main course.

Which is the more normal? In Argentina, I noticed that a salad ordered separately will show up with the main course and will be eaten after (similarly observed in France). Do all Latin cultures (mainly Spanish, Italian, French) view salads as a palate cleanser eaten after the main course?