An Orb

I was struck by this beautifully shaped salt sphere while we were walking through the farmers market the other day.  I had not seen perfectly round pieces of salt before.  We have worked with blocks and chunks, though there is just something about a perfectly round piece of salt that appeals to my senses.  My first thought for the salt sphere was to use it for a striking presentation of salt grated table side.  I hope other people are equally excited about perfect shapes created from irregularly shaped objects and ingredients.  A round ball of salt is unexpected.  I like that.

While our first idea is interesting, I am wondering about other uses.  Actually, Aki's first idea was not to buy a round piece of salt when an irregular shaped block would do.  She wondered what the point was in having a perfectly shaped piece if I was just going to file it down into something irregular in the process of its use. That is why I am looking for other ways to utilize this orb of Himalayan salt.

Unsurprisingly I was less enamored by the sphere. I found the jagged chunks on the table with their craggy edges and irregular veins more appealing than the smoothly polished orb. Certainly there is room for both kinds of salt in our pantry. On this day I was more struck by Alex's pleasure and fascination than I was by the salt itself. I'm sure he'll find a way to put it to good use.