Reply #5: Nothing really, BUT

[dolo amber]

I knew this girl when I lived in NYC...lovely girl, came from a HUGE Italian family. They lived in Brooklyn, and as much as it might sound bad to say, were a blueprint for the Italian stereotype. They were loud, melodramatic, boisterous, and always put enough food on the table to feed half of the city. They were a pure joy to be around.

Once when I had the pleasure of being invited to dinner, I accidentally knocked over they salt shaker, and didn't instantly toss some grains over my left shoulder. :o OH. MY. GOD. You would have thought I'd just cursed the name of the Pope. I thought her mother was gonna stroke out right there at the table, and I got *seriously* disgusted and alarmed looks from several other family members. I was so startled I grabbed the entire shaker and threw salt over my shoulder, just to calm everyone down. :D

The whole episode had such a profound effect on me, I NEVER let one single grain be spilled now without reflexively doing the ritual. :D