An interesting read on SALT

[bouche]

Salt city beneath Detroit

The early Chinese used coins made of salt and in Europe many Mediterrean people used cakes of salt as currency. Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt. The word "salary" comes from "sal," the Latin word for salt.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

I bought this, Salt: a World History , for my dad, a big history buff, a couple of years ago. Salt is pretty big stuff, for such little stuff. Who's really worth his salt, anyway?

Gandhi was said to have toppled the British empire with a pinch of salt.

Salt Satyagraha

[d_rawk]

I've wanted to read that book. I've heard mixed reviews about it.

Salt is definately big stuff. Demonized, for many reasons (most of which are frustratingly oversimplified), but essential big stuff. Mind you, the refined, aluminum-laced (so that it is free flowing), iodized table salt variety is probably best thought of as a poison.

I'm tempted here to throw in a "salt of the earth" reference, but I remember what you told me about the roman soldiers :laugh:

[boiler]

I've read that book. it's a definatley interesting read. He proposed a theory, that North America was "discovered" because of salt. ie. Before refrigeration salt was used to preserve fish on boats. This allowed fishermen to go further and further to sea searching for fish until they eventually reached the Grand Banks and discovered so much cod they could almost walk across the water.

He basically said, all societies were centered around the discovery and or production of salt. We need salt to live. Salt was essentially the first traded commodity.

This was one of those books that has really stuck in my mind for a few years. It's really interesting.

I read that one around the same time I read a book called "Equillibrium" which talks of the delicate balance our world is in, e.g. a small movement of a rock in an ocean could be enough to upset the "equillibrium" of tetonic plates, wit h the potential of earthquakes occuring.

So those to books in a couple of weeks was a heady experience for sure.

[zero]

TimmyB with his encyclopedic concert reviews and Dr. Mouse with his scholarly musings have all but invalidated any contribution I might need make around here.