White Gold
Got into a debate recently about managing expectations when dining out. Is it wrong to expect food to be delicious and well seasoned when eating at a restaurant? Apparently so.
While I am not one to complain about my food, send it back or write up a scathing review online, I am always so surprised when the food is under seasoned. Sourcing the ingredients, prepping them and then cooking them take a ton of time and money. Salt is relatively cheap and easy to apply to foods. After spending all that time roasting the beets, peeling them, making a vinaigrette and then gently tossing the said beets in the vinaigrette and then adding some locally sourced greens for a pop of color, it would be so easy to add just a touch of salt to bring out all the flavors and make it a truly delicious dish. But more often than not, the final dish is begging for more salt.
Whenever people ask me what the most important ingredients are when I'm cooking or why my food tastes so good, I always give the same answer: salt and pepper. A giant box of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt costs less than 10 dollars and will last at least a year. Salting your pasta water, seasoning the greens in your salad, and adding a pinch of salt to chocolate chip cookie dough batter will make all of your food taste SO MUCH BETTER.
I had the pleasure of visiting the salt marshes of Bretagne when I was in France years ago and I spent about 200 euros at the gift shop. The cashier and my French companions were shocked at the volume I purchased. They asked me why I was buying so much and I replied, (in cheap Asian fashion) "Do you know who much all this fleur de sel and sel gris would cost in the US? At least 5-10 times as much as what I'm spending today!" Even with expensive postage, I saved a pretty penny that day. My friends hoarded the salt caramels for months to savor the experience. I bought all the different wooden salt accessories like scoops and spoons to make seasoning that much more ceremonial and fun.
The word "salary" has its roots in the Latin word for salt, "sal". Roman soldiers used to be paid in salt rather than gold because it was so valuable. Sometimes referred to as "white gold", salt was a very important part of life for preserving and seasoning food. Many many years later, the price of salt has dropped tremendously and is sometimes even given away for free in those weird paper tube flat packets in your disposable utensil kit. There is no excuse for under seasoning your food ever. The white gold of yesteryear is now widely available, dirt cheap and comes in dozens of varieties. Let's all make our food taste and sparkle a little bit more with an added pinch of salt.
