This is from The Spice Cookbook, a big thick book. Cooking the pasta in seasoned water gives it a special flavor.

Favorite Macaroni Salad

2 teaspoons celery salt
2 teaspoons onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
(or use the powdered garlic, onion, and celery seeds and some salt)

4 cups boiling water
2 cups elbow macaroni

1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup cooked green peas
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup diced pimiento (or red bell pepper)
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 can sliced olives, drained
2 large hard-cooked eggs, diced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Head lettuce
Paprika

Mix together the first 3 ingredients. Add half of this mixture to the water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, add macaroni, cover, and cook until tender. Remove from the heat, drain well, and chill. Add remaining seasoning salts and the next 8 ingredients. Toss lightly. Serve on lettuce and garnish with paprika.

A barbecue restaurant I know of uses that stubby macaroni in their salad. I think it's called Salad Mac sometimes, and mixes it with their coleslaw, that sweet, creamy kind.

Here is a fancy coleslaw recipe from The Joy of Cooking:

Cole Slaw Deluxe
1 small head of cabbage, cut into the thinnest shreds possible
1 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
(Fresh herbs: chopped parsley, chives, etc.)
3/4 cup whipping cream, beaten stiff
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground (white) pepper
1 cup seedless green grapes
1/2 cup finely shredded blanched almonds

Combine all the dressing ingredients and pour it over the cabbage. Toss quickly until well coated, and serve at once.

Okay, maybe this deluxe recipe is a little much to be stirred up with macaroni salad, so here's a simple coleslaw recipe for the sweet version as opposed to the vinegar/celery seed version we see sometimes:

My Mother's Coleslaw
Finely chopped or even grated green cabbage
Finely shredded carrots
Miracle Whip (not mayonnaise)
Salt
Maybe some sugar but taste first
(Half and half)

Combine these ingredients and add the sugar if it needs it. You want it fairly sweet. If you want it creamy, add a little half-and-half.

We used to eat at a seafood restaurant that made coleslaw with very finely grated cabbage, almost ground into very fine pieces. I loved that texture.