Packed like Sardines
By Rosario Mariani, http://www.europebychoice.com
Last week, I was forced to take a subway in New York City to avoid getting stuck in traffic and reach my destination on time . As the train approached the station, a fellow commuter said out loud .. “ Boy! the cars are packed like sardines”.
Wait a minute I said! Let’s give credit to the Italians for this nomenclature.
Sardines are known as Herring or Pilchards and are quite abundant in the Mediterranean and the Sardinians made good use of them by packing them tightly in cans to preserve as a great source of food with lots of protein, vitamins, phosphorous, Omega 3 fats, calcium, iodine and more.
The canning process for Herring or Pilchards was developed in Sardinia hence the canned goods were called Sardines and Napoleon Bonaparte helped popularize them. Napoleon made good use of canned Sardines especially when he was planning to feed his army during his difficult Russian campaign.
Sardines are a super food now and “La Scolatura” from the pressed sardines are a great source of Omega 3, which is a panacea for good health.
However, Next time you are packed in like a Sardine in a subway car remember that there is no health benefit whatsoever when riding like one…you need to eat them quite often.
Rosario Mariani is the owner/CEO of Europe By Choice, which promotes travel to Italy and other select European countries. He has more than 40 years of experience in the travel industry, previously serving as Director of Italy Product for Italiatour and Club ABC Tours, and also in other positions with EuroFly, Alitalia and Air France.
Benvenuti to the NIAF Pensieri Blog 