Indeed it was valuable...that's why a good guy was the "salt of the earth" and there was a phrase, "below the salt," which indicated a less than ideal seating position at the shorter table where the commoners sat, as opposed to the big table where important people sat. You just weren't as important if you were seated "below the salt."
My uppity aunt, while assigning place cards for a dinner party, used to say things like, "I can't seat her THERE, below the salt, or I'll never hear the end of it."
Next week's lesson from old people, "coals to Newcastle."
That said, those of us with CHF and pedal edema do better with less salt than is consumed when, for instance, you eat out three meals a day. Now, will you pass the salt.
