Somewhere beyond the sea

We all have, "shall we call it an item" without which we cannot leave home. It may be a cellphone, an iPod, or for some who cant live without it, a vanity bag. From now on, for me in the summer months at least, my guilty pleasure is going to be a grammatically-challenged portable Portuguese condiment. Flor de sal. Fascinated?- I think you will be.Why would you carry your own salt and pepper around? For picnics, impromptu sandwiches made on the beach and, perhaps most importantly, as a quick-fix for poorly seasoned batatas fritas delivered to your terrace-table by a fast-disappearing waiter,or a quality alternative to the refined table salt usually found on the tables of unknowing establishments. Looking  for a better quality of life many people have now switched from refined salt to Flor de sal.Fast food from take aways can be a hit or miss,  especially when there's not enough spices to suit your taste. That's why discerning eaters need to arm themselves with portable salt that you can keep in your pocket.I may sound hypocritical here introducing fast food into the equation, when in my other breath I am talking better quality of life, but it is a good example of where food is often not seasoned properly.
Big Mac too bland? Put a little salt on it.Amp up your taste buds with a dash of piquant red chilli Flor de sal. Sprinkle it on your BLT, cod, onion rings,french fries or whatever else you decide to sink your fangs into. What the heck,throw caution to the waves it came from and put a dash in your hot chocolate or coffee if sugar and milk are too conventional for your sophisticated palate.
Despite weighing less than two ounces ( EU requirement) when empty these fun little test tubes are the perfect vessel to pop in your poche before checking in for the long haul.Once on board and fellow passengers see you sprinkling a test tube of green aromatic (parsley and oregano) Flor de sal, tongues will be wagging and and you´ll be the talk of the town,the one you are heading for most likely.
A SMALL CAUTION
Before boarding you may well be asked by security to demonstrate that the salt is really what you say it is by holding samples on your tongue.White crystals/powders understandably attract concerns. Each tube only weighs 7g and the allowance is 100ml for liquids pastes and gels but if you put your test tubes in the requisite litre capacity transparent bag and are up front with your security officer it should be Ok. I challenge you be the first to try,why dont you.
This is truly madly new wave Portugal. I love it, and you too will blossom once you have portable sea salt in your pochette.