Zoe's not-so-secret hobby

This post is dedicated to Tricia Maze, who I've never met, but who requested this post topic. My apologies if you really just wanted to hear from Emily on the topic - but I was inspired. 


So, does it still count as a secret if I've never actually told anyone (before right now), "I collect salt shakers," but plenty of people know that fact? I have such a collection that my grandfather, carpenter extraordinare, hand crafted a display case for them all. The collection has grown too big even for the likes of my beautiful case. 

Favorite set: middle row, far left -
My sister recreated the house we grew up in,
in the form of hand made salt shakers.

Once upon a time when I was a wee little Zoë, I was a super picky eater. It wasn't even so much that I demanded a narrow range of dishes (my mother would never stand for such a limitation on her culinary creativity) as that I simply did not eat. Ah, the days of being able to wrap my hands around my waist and see my fingers touch. I had only one friend skinnier than me, and I think she was more of an elvish-midget than a human. But something happened when I hit sixth grade, probably hormonally related. I can vividly remember being on a school trip to this camp called "Mo Ranch," eating with one of my best friends Marie, and the two of us discovering how miraculously edible the camp food became when we added salt to it. And so it began. 


I also remember Marie's father introducing us to Salt and Vinegar chips and that she had a salt lick at her house that we would taste. Mmmm, salt licks, the gateway . . . spice? Yeah, I was weird. But I also never grew out of the sudden addiction. I gave it up for lent successfully one year, but I like myself some salt, so my usage came back soon after. If you eat enough meals with me, it is impossible to ignore - especially if we're out for Mexican food - as I tend to salt each individual tortilla chip as I eat it. 


This has become such a core part of my identity that for my bridal shower, my aunts chose the theme "salt." Bet you never attended one of those before, did ya? This is where I received my salt shaker display case. There were lovely salt shakers all around the food table, which also had flower vases that were yellow rain goulashes - like the girl on the Morton's salt shaker wears. 

Perhaps calling it a hobby is going to far. I've never actually bought a set of salt and pepper shakers [or in the case of my house, two shakers that both contain salt] for myself. Every pair is a gift that a friend has picked up from somewhere special. I can't even claim to be sophisticated about my addiction like people who buy fancy flavored salts from special regions. But my shakers come from all around the world and symbolize dear friends and family that I love. Can cherishing them count as my hobby? What do you say, Lobsters?