Does Living without the Salt of the Earth taste like Hell?

My 88-year-old dad was told that he would die if he ever ate salt again. This is tough news for an Italian born man who insisted,

"The Romans conquered the world with salt!"

"They didn't live to be eighty-eight," I replied.

They also didn't sell sausages for a living. And who wants to have an empire anyway? It's never worked out for anyone very well before. Sharing is caring!

But for my immigrant father, living without sodium is similar to living in Dante's third circle of hell. Luckily he has his secret weapon: my "mamma mia", Nita.

I ate lunch with my folks last week, and I could hardly tell the salt was banished. As my dad morosely stirred his DeCecco angel hair into his unsalted water, he ventured to a place he had previously considered a capital crime to trespass. No salt in the water? I waited for the impending doom. It was like watching a drunk Pavarotti stumble before showtime.

We sat down to eat our first plate of Pasta al Pomodoro. (This is a tastier way of saying pasta with tomatoes and no salt.) Guess what. Pavarotti still sounds great!

"La vecchiaia è brutta," he said after our first twirl. I noticed a slight tilt of his head as we slowly took our first bite.

"Dad, old age is not ugly," I said, and I wasn't humoring my old man. "This is fantastic! You're dong great!"

When Dad's cardiologist banished sodium from his diet, I decided to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. (At least when I am not at the pub.) To my great surprise, I began to taste a vastly complex world of flavors that had previously been hidden from my salt-a-holic diet. I could sense the boldness of broccoli, the sharp shine of onions, and the earthiness from the minced mushrooms. And oh, those sweet, rich tomatoes!

My mom's favorite top tips?

• white balsamic vinegar in soups, salads, boiled veggies
• marjoram is her mother's secret ingredient for ground chicken meatballs
• Mrs Dash gets Grandma Nita's seal of approval!
• cook Jasmine rice with a teaspoon of turmeric for depth of flavor
• turmeric tablets also helped relieve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms

According to The Times of India, pairing pepper with turmeric increases its healing properties. "It contains a compound called piperine, which, when combined with turmeric, increases the absorption of curcumin by up to an astonishing 2000%." Diversity leads to better outcomes in food, health, and wellness!

I do feel for Dad. He doesn't have the opportunity to take the occasional night off and head to Doc's Victory Pub in Elmhurst for the Renata Special: cheeseburger, fries, pint of Guinness and Jameson back. But the old man has had over fifty great years of Enzo's Italian Sausages.

The salt of the earth is in retirement. However, the man is still quoting those spicy Dante stanzas whenever the opportunity arises. He's salty enough without the shaker!

Please visit my website, www.RenatasKitchen.com for more recipes, stories. I'd love to hear your family stories from the kitchen table!

Who is your salt of the earth?