The Art of War | Part IV | War Seasoning

Let's pick it back up in the Middle with an image of Beauty in the War, and see if it leads us to the Center.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. (Psalm 23:5, NIV)

I've spent the last 7 years Preparing Tables. Beautiful tables, carefully and Intentionally laid out for guests to celebrate a special union between Lovers. We spent hours Mapping out each detail; we considered the table coverings, the china, flatware, and glassware, the napkins, florals and centerpieces, candles, and stationary. A wedding favor sometimes accompanied these place settings - a small gift of gratitude for the guests' presence - and, of course, we made sure to leave room for baskets overflowing with fresh, homemade bread. 

One thing we never set the tables with? 

Salt.

We would provide it when asked for, but our chef preferred guests to experience the food how she Intended. 

There is a Story in The Holy Bible where Jesus calls people Salt.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. (Matthew 5:13, NIV)

Knowing from my years of taking food inventory (and my fascination with food science), those red boxes of Diamond Crystal Pure Kosher Salt do not have an expiration date. You see, Salt never loses its Saltiness. The only time an expiration date appeared on a label was when the Salt contained additives; that is - when it wasn't Pure.

I learned a whole lot about Salt from Samin Nosrat, author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking - a book on my kitchen shelf I return to again and again. Samin helped me understand what Salt is, how it is used, how it was used, different types of Salt, and how it affects food. Here is what she has to say about Pure Salt: 

"Common table salt, or granular salt, is found in salt shakers everywhere...Unless otherwise noted, iodine has been added to it. I don't recommend using iodized salt as it makes everything taste slightly metallic...

The only thing you should be adding to your food when you're salting it is salt! This is one of the few times I'll insist on anything in this book: if you've got only table salt at home, go get yourself some Kosher or Sea Salt right away. 

Kosher Salt is traditionally used in koshering, the traditional Jewish process by which blood is removed from meat. Since Kosher Salt contains no additives, it tastes very Pure."

Let me make an assumption that for most of us today in the U.S., the most common use for Salt is to enhance, or to Draw Out, flavor when cooking. But as we just learned, the Jewish people that Jesus was talking to in His Salt Story revered it as a precious and Life-Giving mineral due to its ability to Draw Out moisture for food Preservation*. Salt was a huge deal! 

Let's recall - our table Salt bears an expiration date because it contains additives that make it Impure. If the Impure Salt in your jar loses its Saltiness, that is - the sodium chloride (NaCl) has been Separated from the iodine (or, as was common in the first century, a mineral called gypsum which is used today for plaster and drywall), all that remain are bad-tasting impurities.

How does Pure Salt get Separated? 

Water.

Sea Salt is what's left behind when Sea Water evaporates. Some of the most Beautiful Salt crystals are Created this way, with a slow and delicate process of Drawing Out Water. When collected, bits of sand and Dirt are naturally mixed in, and it needs to be purified before use. This is also done with Water. The impurities are washed away, and the clean brine is heated to evaporate the Water and restore the Salt crystals. The Dirt is then Thrown Out to be trampled underfoot, and the Salt is ready for Food Preservation. 

These are ancient practices, but we didn't always have the Words for them then. We do now:

Lixiviation /lɪkˌsɪviˈeɪʃən/

[verb] : to extract a soluble constituent from (a solid mixture) by washing or percolation

Leach /lēCH/

[noun] : 1. to dissolve out by the action of a percolating liquid; 2. to subject to the action of percolating liquid (such as Water) in order to Separate the soluble components; 3. to remove (nutritive or harmful elements) from soil by percolation; 4. to Draw Out or remove as if by percolation

While Lixiviation Creates Pure Salt by washing and extracting, Leaching was a threat to Salt stores. Pure Salt was expensive, and many of the people Jesus was talking to in His Story didn't have such a luxury. Before air-tight seals, moisture in the air like rain or humidity could cause salt to dissolve and Leach out of household stores. 

I wonder if Jesus called us this Treasured Crystal because we also have a natural ability to Preserve what is Beautiful and Good. If we don't Separate the Good and Beautiful things in our life and Preserve them for their Life-Giving ability, I imagine over time they are at risk for Leaching away. And that's no Tov. 

I wonder if, too, Jesus called us Salt because He Himself Preserved these things in us, His own Creation and Holy Separation, with an inherent ability to do the same. 

When it comes to War, I have yet to Find anything Beautiful or Good there - except for the Stories (and perhaps the Sauce*). They tend to Inspire when told well, and I think we can all relate to them on some level. There is something alluring about a victorious conquering of an Enemy, especially when aided by the supernatural. They seem to point somewhere bigger than ourselves. 

As Maximus so famously said in The Gladiator, "What we do in life echoes in eternity." That is - our Stories, Preserved and passed down through the ages, contain both Life-Giving essence and Dirt. How imperative it is that we learn to Lixiviate.

*War Sauce 

My husband likes to tell a Story about his favorite steak sauce. It goes something like this (content warning: language). While it's not the whole Story, and only some of it is True (here's another version of this Sauce Story - "As you can see, the '1862' is a bit of a fib, but like most tall tales it’s mostly True. At least in the parts that count."), it always brings a smile to my face, and I've been told my smile is Beautiful.