Friday, February 15, 2013

ARE YOU "HOW" YOU EAT?


They say you never really know someone until you break bread with them and I think that may be true.  You can tell a lot by how someone eats, how they butter their bread, cut their meat, or even sprinkle their salt!  For example, there are Ponderers– people who salt thoughtfully  as though anticipating the bite they are about to enjoy- the flavor and texture- as if reflecting on the first time they encountered this food, perhaps it was during a conversation on a first date, or a news broadcast of something significant that they are remembering. They take their time and enjoy the ride.

There are Enthusiasts, too, those people who eagerly shake or pour or grind their salts so vigorously, often with exaggerated repetition, that you might even fear they will over-salt their food as they talk excitedly about their day,  a revelation at work, news from an old friend, they do not even look at what they are doing as they grind away and yet, they grab their food with a fork and eat with wild abandon…. And you wonder, "If I suddenly switched plates and gave them something entirely different, would they even notice?"

One of the most interesting are the Piece-Mealers.  They could even be classified under obsessive compulsive personality eaters– cutting each and every bite as they eat, bite by bite.  They enjoy only one food group at a time on their plate, often also salting it a few grains at a time so that each and every bite is perfectly poised to be appreciated – to notice individually.  They are not as thoughtfully lost as the Ponderers or as eager and engaged as the Enthusiasts and they definitely aren't going to set any speed records cleaning their plate, but you can be sure that every morsel will be appreciated and every grain of salt will be noticed  -bite by bite.

That’s where Salts of the 7 Seas– shines– grain by grain!

What kind of eater are you, or, should I say, what kind of Salter are you?

A sea salt perfectly suited to enjoy grain by grain is Fleur de Sel!  A salt harvested from the cold waters of Brittany, only at certain times of the year and only at certain times of the day– a salt many
chefs consider to be the finest of sea salts for its ability to bring every food it touches to life!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

TRUE CONFESSIONS


I took my gray sea salt for granted for years...until I ran out. Then the reality set in—food tasted different, there were no bright flavors to enjoy, no delectable anticipation to look forward to when I took my steak off the grill, no seductive urge to eat all the popcorn in one sitting...the salty thrill was gone. I grumbled for a while, searched the shelves of my local grocery for something to take its place, but alas, I lived in a gourmet-deprived town and no matter how many salts I tried, nothing could bring back the flavors that I longed for. My taste buds lay in solemn despair. I accepted my fate for a while, my appetite waned, my desire for food lingered between indifference and obliged eating and then it occurred to me, I simply had to take the situation into hand and find a salt that could bring back the spring in my step, the zing to my veggies and the passion to my baked pota-toes!

As is true for most things in life, timing is everything and that is when I met him, the Frenchman, and my life turned around! He had lived in Brittany, he had harvested salt himself, he knew everything about good, natural salt and he was willing to share his knowledge! I ordered his beautiful gray sea salt and waited in anticipation, counting the days until it arrived. Finally, in a brown paper-wrapped box, torn and scuffed from its long journey across the sea, the postman handed me the simple square box holding a cup of heaven!

I tore into it, untwisted the heavy metal clasp on the bag inside and pinched a few grains of the still damp salt breathing in the smell of the sea and the wind and the sun that had created it! Giddily I dropped the grains of salt on my tongue and closed my eyes letting its smooth salty essence melt in my mouth. It was then that I knew I would never allow myself to be without this marvelous, flavorful gift from Mother Nature ever again! Life is simply too short!

Brittany Gray™ is that same wonderful salt that I discovered, and I wanted to share it with you! Mineral-rich, soft and delightfully salty, you won’t want to be without it either!