Gift from the sea

When I was in middle school, I did a book report on Anne Morrow Lindinberg's Book from the Sea. My mother, the quintessential English teacher, suggested it to me. I found it uplifting and bright; it still reminds me of my mother.

Lindinberg wrote the book while on vacation in Florida, where coincidentally, my parents spend their winters. She collected shells while she contemplated the American woman's experience.

The ocean soothes us and clears our thoughts because it is full of magical things.

Moons, tides, vastness.

Even beyond the meditative benefits, there is enchantment in the sea. The oldest people in the world always live by the sea; in Canada, they're situated along the East Coast. Picture a Mediterranean village with its salt air and fish diet. People live forever.

I believe nutrition is combination of things we know, like vitamins, and magical things we don't fully understand. I feel this way especially about the sea and its many fruits.

I always feel a little witchy when I eat this dark-coloured salad, partly because it looks menacing and partly because of that magic nutrition .

Wakame Salad

50 g dried wakame seaweed (whole or cut)
1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Granny Smith apple, cubed small
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted (I use them very liberally)

1 tablespoon wasabi horseradish

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cut wakame into bite-sized pieces. Soak seaweed in enough warm water to cover for five or ten minutes. Drain; squeeze out excess water.

If desired, heat honey gently to liquify it. Stir together vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, wasabi, pepper flakes, ginger and garlic in a bowl until honey is dissolved. Cube apple into small pieces and add to dressing with seaweed, scallion, and cilantro, tossing to combine well. Sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds.