Iowans Clear Streets with Garlic Salt

Iowa lies in the center of the United States. It is known for its political caucuses, its ability to grow corn, and its fine public educational system. It is not known for its pizza, which is more a Chicago and New York thing. Yet, as one drives across the Des Moines suburb of Ankeny, one might detect the aroma of Italian cuisine. This week, the road crews spread garlic salt on the streets to improve driving conditions.

Spreading salt on the roads is one of the basic services of local government in most part of the US. The salt melts ice and snow and makes the driving conditions safer. Midwesterners are a patient and tolerant bunch, but woe be unto any mayor who doesn't get the salt spreaders out ahead of a major snow storm. That particular failing has ruined more than a few political careers.

The use of salt for this purpose merely shows how rich the human race has become. In parts of the ancient Roman Empire, salt was valuable enough to be used as currency. Legionnaires were paid in salt, their salarium. From this word comes the English term “salary” and from that the Japanese “sarariman.” Today, American throw tons of it on the roads during the winter to melt snow.

Of course, using tons of salt often causes a shortage of the stuff in the local reserves, especially during a very stormy winter. So when a local official can pick up a few tons for free, he'll jump at the chance. Tone Brothers Inc., a top spice producer headquartered in Ankeny had 18,000 pounds (9 short tons) of garlic salt that was passing its sell-by date. Thus, the garlic salt would wind up in the local landfill. Instead, someone at Tone Brothers realized that garlic salt is just 1/8 powered garlic and 7/8 table salt (NaCl for the chemists reading this). That means that chemically, garlic salt will melt snow just fine. The company offered to donate the stuff to Ankeny.

This week, the work crews spread the garlic salt, which was mixed with the regular street clearing salt, along the 400 miles of road in Ankeny. Public Works Administrator Al Olson said the mixture did its job as expected. The Des Moines Register reported, “Olson admitted to the city's storage facility smelling of garlic for a time, but he said the donation saved the city about $1,400. Ankeny typically goes through about 2,000 tons of road salt every winter.” Some workers said it did make them a bit hungry.

The lesson is clear – one can recycle anything. And the episode brings a new meaning to the term “street pizza.”

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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