Another Multi-National Question - Pass the Salt, Please
By Marie Anne
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
United States
September 14, 2008 7:17am CST
I think it's safe to say that most of us here in the U.S. have a salt and pepper shaker on our table or kitchen counter and we use it frequently, on most everything we cook and eat.
That got me wondering what people in other countries do. I lived in Japan for a year many, many years ago and and I have visited other countries for short periods, but I honestly can't remember if salt and pepper shakers were standard on the table in restaurants or not.
I know some countries will have a bottle of soy sauce or hot sauce like we would have ketchup, but what about spices that you would put on most everything? Do you have shakers of curry or cumin on your table that you put on everything? Do you just use it in cooking and eat it as it is served, without adding anything else?
Is it an insult to add something to your meal after the cook has prepared it?
myLot is definitely giving me an education, so please share how things are done in your part of the world.
9 people like this
32 responses
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
14 Sep 08
In Germany they have salt and pepper shakers on the table in restaurants. But I don't remember my mom ever putting it on the table, when we had guests, or that it was on the table when I was a guest elsewhere. But hey, kids don't pay much attention to that anyway, lol. It's not an insult to add salt to the food, although, just as here, the cook may be insulted that he/she didn't season it to our taste. It depends on how well they think their cooking skills are.
4 people like this
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
14 Sep 08
Ok, so salt and pepper are the norm there, just like here. I wonder if all of the European countries are much the same?
2 people like this
@Chevee (5905)
• United States
14 Sep 08
I am like your husband, I have a habit of doing the same even though I do have hypertension, I know it is wrong. I don't add salt when I am cooking. I guess I should but then I still will add more. I have a salt and pepper shaker on my table. I have heard that other countries do not use salt as much as the United States people does. I am going to keep a watch on this discussions and see what others use in their country.
4 people like this
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
14 Sep 08
I do add salt and pepper at the table too, but he adds a LOT. I think his taste buds are shot after 40+ years of smoking.
3 people like this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
14 Sep 08
well I am here in Canada so we do pretty much the same thing as you do. In Quebec though we do want vinegar on the table for our french fries
4 people like this
@Shar19 (8231)
• United States
14 Sep 08
Funny the only thing I have on my kitchen table is the salt and pepper shaker but I don't like to use salt. I do however use pepper a lot. I like it on beef, chicken, soups, even when I make omelettes in the morning (with a dash of hot sauce). I also find that BBQ sauce comes in handy for a lot of things. I like to use it in the crock pot for chicken and pork chops. Everyone seems to like that.
I have to say though that I do get a little miffed when I take the time to spice up something like chicken, beef, or pork by using say all purpose spices, maybe some rosemary, paprika or parsely, etc. then someone in my family decides to drown it in BBQ sauce. Oh, how that annoys me. What did I bother going to all the trouble of adding all the nice extras if they're just going to ruin it? Sometimes we just can't win.
4 people like this
@MOMMASAM (1004)
• United States
14 Sep 08
my friend, what a unique discussion.
and on something so every day.. we may see interesting responses !
i prefer sea-salt for taste.
but, i don't use it exclusively as it is not ionized.
i have heard, but not sure, that because sea salt has minerals
and is made in a concentrated form, that it tastes saltier.
therefore, you would use less than traditional table salt.
i love pepper, so i have a mill on my stove, along with my 2 salts.
you may remember, from another site, that my mom is in stage 4
renal failure. therefore, she uses salt sub. in earlier years, this
salt tasted awful. almost metallic. but, now their processing is
much better and i cannot tell the difference.
i'm just thinking, that other countries may be offensive to the cook
(or, their mother) if they add more spices or herbs after the food is
served.
4 people like this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
17 Sep 08
I heard somewhere, some years ago, that it's rude to season something before you've tasted it. I started tasting my food seconds before adding salt to it from then on - I love salt! I don't know about other countries, but I know it's pretty common practice here in the US to season our food before we even taste it.
1 person likes this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
14 Sep 08
I have a salt and pepper shaker too. I keep them on my stovetop. I use them while I am cooking. We hardly ever eat at the table anymore. I have my keyboard at my table. We eat here occasionally when I can get my husband to not want to sit in the livingroom watching tv while he eats.
3 people like this
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
14 Sep 08
So you don't add any to your food after it's on your plate?
My husband has a bad habit of loading his plate up with salt before even tasting it, no matter what it is I've cooked. I guess maybe he thinks I cook bland or something, but I don't. I always use salt, pepper and usually at least garlic salt in everything I cook.
2 people like this
@checapricorn (16061)
• United States
16 Sep 08
H[i]i Ldyjar,
In our Country, some restaurants has only tissue holder and vases in that table and they will bring you those you have mentioned when you asked for it but there are also restaurants that provided salt and pepper in their table!
Unlike USA, you always find it wherever restaurant you will go![/i]
1 person likes this
@aseretdd (13730)
• Philippines
15 Sep 08
Here in my country... it is okay to add something to a meal after a cook has prepared it... some would even intentionally cook the food a little bland so that those who will eat it can add the amount of spices or salt they want... and most restaurants have soy sauce, fish sause, salt... and other spices or hot sauce are available at a table near the counter...
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
14 Sep 08
We have salt n pepper pots in UK, I do not actually own any of them. I buy them from the shops and just use them out of the pots they come in! I do not put them on the table, but when the meals are ready I will salt the childrens so that I can keep an eye on their intake!
I do not have any extra salt on my food, I do add salt if I am cooking anything but not a lot as I know that too much is not good.
2 people like this
@onlydia (2808)
• United States
14 Sep 08
Well, as I live here in the USA. I have salt and pepper and I have hot sauce and soy on my table as I like hot sauce on alot of my food and nobody else does. Plus the soy for me as well. for my veg. they all just go ick. Well that is fine with me. My mother has garlic and onion powder and everything on a small talbe by the big dinning table. I alway's used to laugh about it. But then went to somebody's house no pepper or salt out. I thought I would die. lol They got mad I know how to season my food. OK no problem. LOL. Have a good day your friend Onlydia.
2 people like this
@pehpot (4762)
• Philippines
16 Sep 08
Hello there friend! I am from the Philippines and we usually use salt and pepper for cooking, it is not an insult here to add some spice after the meal is cooked, but here we use fish sauce or fish salt or what do they call it in US? ( an extract from fish and taste salty)and for the spices we use chili (small red ones). When we eat pizza that is the only time we use salt and pepper. I have also noticed that here in my country we don't have salt and pepper shakers on the table, instead we have fish sauce(patis in my native language), soy sauce(toyo), vinegar(suka) and chili (sili) on the table.
I hope you have learned some Filipino words too.
1 person likes this
@lkbooi (16070)
• Malaysia
15 Sep 08
Hi Ldyjarhead, there are always small bottles of soy sauce, chili sauce and raw red pepper slices on our dinner table when we having our food outside. People here in Malaysia prefer spicy food and most of us here like adding chili sauce or raw reddish or greenish pepper slices to our food instead of salt or pepper.
I was told that it would be rather rude if we salt or soy sauce is added straight away to our food without tasting it when the food is served. This means that we never respect the people who prepared the food.
Anyway I don’t have the habit to add any extra items available on the table. I always prefer and happy with the original taste of the dishes prepared most of the time.
posting and take care.
posting and take care.
@lkbooi (16070)
• Malaysia
8 Oct 08
Hi Ldyjarhead, thanks for selecting mine as the best response. This is really a good topic related to the practical habit of lifestyle of people in different places.
After reading your discussion and all the responses here I did acquire a lot of knowledge about what people from different places doing with the small containers or bottles with salt and pepper or other spices on the dinner table.
posting and have a nice day.
posting and have a nice day.
@Carrie26 (1587)
• United States
17 Sep 08
I have salt and pepper shakers too.But I dont put them on the table yet as they are glass salt and pepper shakers and my two little ones might get ahold of them and break them and result in them getting hurt so I keep them out of their reach right now on my kitchen counter.I cook with salt but dont use a whole lot.I usually use more pepper.And I salt my food only if it needs salt.As when we fix foods at times it can already have alot of salt in it.My dad will add more salt to his fast food fries .I try to get no salt fries at times but if they are busy I settle for the salt fries without me adding more salt.My husbands grandma cooks she put garlic in her food sometimes and his grandpa doesnt like it that well.Well on day she put it in the food without him knowing it.LOL.She asked him how he liked the food and he said it was good.And she told us by whispering that she put garlic in it.LOL.So he didnt notice.
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
8 Oct 08
I don't have salt in my house.
We're on a low salt diet.
Most foods already have enough
salt without adding any.
Instead, I use spices, hot pepper
flakes, black pepper, etc.
@schulzie (4061)
• United States
14 Sep 08
I have lived in the United States all my life, but we have always had salt and pepper on the table. I put out different condiments depending on what I am serving though. I put out ketchup if we are having French Fries, or Soy Sauce for Japanese foods, or mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup for burgers, etc.
Have a great day and happy myLotting!!!
Have a great day and happy myLotting!!!
1 person likes this
@mymelodake (1338)
• Philippines
15 Sep 08
hmmm at home we only have one shaker on our table and that's mrs. dash, but we only have it until it runs out. after that we have to wait until one of our relatives from the U.S. brings or sends us another bottle. it's not available where we live :( apart from that though we don't put any other condiments on our table at home. we keep ketchup, soy sauce, salt and pepper in the cupboard.
in chinese culture, it's supposedly an insult if you add something to a meal, but i only knew that after watching "joy luck club," and we don't really mind it in our family.
@mymelodake (1338)
• Philippines
15 Sep 08
i guess it's because they put in a lot of effort and artistry in just perfecting one single dish. probably for them, it's like telling them their masterpiece is lacking in some way or another.
@Cunning_linguist (104)
• Philippines
15 Sep 08
A co-worker told me that it's the same case with those fancy fine-dining restaurants in hotels; if you add seasoning to a certain dish you ordered, the chef who prepared it will be insulted.
@soyporteno (406)
• United States
14 Sep 08
I live in the U.S. too and we always have salt and pepper. I use salt on most everything I eat.
