My daughter Maayan has always loved food. When she was little, she was in the restaurants with me all the time so she grew up in kitchens. One summer, when Maayan was three and a half, we took a family trip to San Sebastian. At some point, I broke off with my mother to journey to Asador Etxebarri, chef Victor Arguinzoniz’s restaurant in Atxondo, Spain, in the foothills of the Basque country. We left Maayan behind with my grandmother. She was furious.

 

The restaurant wasn’t very well known at the time—now it is 4th best restaurant in the world—and chef Victor worked in near isolation, like a solitary water buffalo. His cooking is very elemental, very ingredient-focused. The space itself is not fancy. There were cobwebs in the corners and burned out lightbulbs. But the food was simply beautiful. I knew Maayan would have loved it.

"I thought of Maayan, who loved oysters then and loves them now. When we went out to restaurants, she’d pocket the oyster and mussel shells and slide them into her backpack."

In one course, Victor served us a delicious oyster, served in a giant shell. The shell had been bleached bright white and had its lid still atop it so it looked like a natural jewel box. I thought of Maayan, who loved oysters then and loves them now. When we went out to restaurants, she’d pocket the oyster and mussel shells and slide them into her backpack. (You can tell we didn’t take her to the beach enough.) So I asked the chef for the shell at the end of the meal and he, very kindly, gave it to me. 

That was 12 years ago. Since then the shell has lived in our kitchen as a salt cellar, right by the stove. As it turns out, the shell is a perfect receptacle for salt, which is easily dispersed from its gently curving lip. Maayan is now 14 and a cook in her own right. She loves making eggs in the Spanish style (deep frying in oil then removing them with a spider), lentils and rice. She’s fearless in the kitchen. Now she’s into TikTok and makes recipes she sees on influencers’ feeds, with Kewpie mayonnaise, nori and tuna fish. Over the years, we have given each other many gifts from our travels. Each are little; each are meaningful. But none is as well or often used as this oyster shell souvenir turned salt cellar.