I ran out of salt the other day and it was very exciting.
Running out of salt doesn’t happen often in my home because I buy the big box of Morton’s Kosher Salt. That big box contains three pounds of salt. That’s a lot of salt to get through even for me, a gal who puts salt on everything she eats unless it’s ice cream, and even then, it could happen.
There was a terrifying moment a couple mornings ago when made my scrambled eggs. I had hit the bottom of the previous box of salt but had not yet gotten the new one. I panicked a little and seized the 99.999% empty box, shaking a pathetic cloud of salt dust over my plate. It worked well enough, but it put the fear of Jehovah in me. I wrote “BUY SALT!!!” on my to-do list. At the top.
On my way home that evening, I popped by the store and got my new salt. I wondered to myself as I lugged it home in my totebag* who I might be by the time I finished this box.
I will surely be in my second year of graduate school; there’s no way I’m going to consume quite that much salt from now until late August, am I? I think that would be bad. Will I be in a new relationship? That last box of salt was used in preparing meals for a few gentleman, if I may be frank. (None were named Frank. Maybe I’ll meet a Frank.)
Maybe when I finish that box of salt, all my dreams will have come true and I will be sublimely happy and want for nothing and lack nothing and be this perfect, happy, beneficent, magnificent being that sort of floats along and makes the world a better place and causes no suffering and doesn’t make anything worse.
But I’ll probably just be making scrambled eggs.
*Chicago has implemented a 7 cent bag tax for every plastic or paper bag used for carrying purchases from a store. Grocery stores, convenience stores, department stores — no purchased object is safe. When they announced this, I thought it was just grocery stores for some reason. People were grumbling, but I didn’t think too much of it; it couldn’t add up to too much, I usually have a totebag, anyhow, and if it leads to fewer plastic bags in the world, this is probably good. But then I realized the tax is on all bags! If you purchase one thing every day, on average, and it comes in a bag, that’s $25 a year. It’s annoying, is what I’m saying. Also, I promise not to do any more math in a post for a long time.
Sue
I also ran out of salt this week. It is not something I buy very often. But all week long in the back of my mind I kept hearing my mom say, ” Who runs out of salt?” Well now I can tell her ,”Me and Mary”. Thanks for being my comrade.
Mary Lynn
and weirdly enough, I came into the kitchen a few days ago and there was that exact same 3 lb. box of Morton’s coarse kosher salt on our countertop. My husband said, “we need more salt” and I’m thinking what?? who uses up a whole box of salt? But luckily for some strange reason, perhaps I was doing some sort of craft requiring salt, we already had a box in the pantry. Makes you wonder what was happening in the universe this week.
Lesley Gilbert
I live in the UK and for the past 9 months we have had to pay 5p for all plastic bags (except for fresh food, fish, medicines etc) but before the law was implemented I was already carrying a small folding shopper bag in my hand bag. You soon get used to keeping 1 or 2 handy for a quick shop. I keep larger bags in the boot of my car for the weekly big shop.
Linda
So I cleansed up the Earth today (it is Earth Day, after all), and there were LOTS of plastic bags strewn along the river bank. I say hooray for the bag tax, and bring it to Pennsylvania!
Barbara
A 3 lb. box of salt would probably last about 6 years in my house, if not more. I’d have to throw it away before it gets all used, due to the expiration date.
Lauren
Since it took millions of years to form, I assume the expiry date is more a USDA thing than food safety.
Ivy
Salt has an expiration date?? I didn’t even know!
Erica
I found, on our trip to Chicago last month, Navy Pier charges a whole .50 for a bag. I said, “no, thank you”, and stuck the hoodie in my tote! And one could lose track of the salt one has, if one wants to try all the different kinds that are supposed to be chock full of minerals – Celtic Sea salt, Himalayan Pink Salt, etc…and then I buy the big box of kosher salt, forgetting about the others in the pantry…Oh well. No salt buying for this household for a LONG time!
Colleen
California (san Francisco Bay Area ) 10 cents per bag at food stores and some others
I do not know how it works really as I bought at Home Depot no bag charge. Take out food no bag charge.
We are trying to get used to bringing bags to the market, you see people every trip walk away from their car then turn around and go back get there bags. Also people have a hard time knowing how many bags to bring .
It is good to not waste the trees making paper bags but I miss them. Being a sewist I have many sewn bags but filled with stuff and I forget my bags so many times I’ll get it one day but it is not too bad to take the grocery buggy to my car and load into bags there or just into the car …. it’s unloading at home that’s a pain
Kathryn Darnell
Since I retired we pulled up stakes and have been traveling in our 5th wheel (I get to visit lots of quilt stores now). Cupboard space is at a premium so I try to keep things organized which is definitely not my nature. But necessity demanded a cupboard purge. In my baking cabinet I started pulling out salt. Canisters, shakers and unopened refill containers. What in the world? Has the salt fairy been to my trailer? I’ve got pink, coarse, fine and regular…..come to my place and I will fill you up ….I won’t charge you for the bag!
Pattie
I too am a “salty” person- no comments please :-). I have been known to use that which has accumulated in the bottom of a pretzel bag. Gotta have what you gotta have.
Karen Cyson
I’m not a ‘salt’ person. Usually just use it on the few fries I eat. Use pepper on eggs. Every Time I go to the doctor (once a year, to get my thyroid script renewed) his parting comment is “use less salt.” Every. Time. Finally this year I spoke up and told him to knock it off. He doesn’t know how much salt I use. He doesn’t know if it’s affecting me (it works differently for different people”. I explained my rationale and he backed down and apologized. So, Mary, salt away if it makes you happy. I’ll say nothing against it and i’ll defend your right to salt. Have you tried the “fancy” salts??