>> Something tells me that if you *do* have access to fancy salts, the black Hawaiian lava salt would go well (it compliments beef wonderfully, and also has a certain *zing* (knowing look))... <<

We have it. I don't tend to cook with it, because I don't like the taste of charcoal. I do like iron, hence using red and pink salts. I favor the red for pork, and the pink for beef or chicken.

>> I'm surmising you have access not so much to big upscale supermarkets but more to little ethnic tiendas that happen to carry interesting stuff... the only thing there I wouldn't expect to see in your average carnicería y tienda *is* the pink salt.... easy peasy to get here, but then this *is* Seattle... <<

Locally there's not much, but if we drive a bit then we can get to better supermarkets, international stores, health stores, and a farmer's market actually worth getting up for. The international one has the selection of a couple dozen salts.