My buddy went through the exact same thing, swore it was the salt too. His doctor said it's the sodium and trace minerals, not some magic, but it worked so who cares. Chugging water actually flushes that stuff out, so sometimes you need more salt, not less.

That line about ignoring the humidity in your basement for too long really hits. I see the same thing everywhere, people stick with the hard way because someone told them it was the right way, and then one small thing they were told to ignore, like damp air, wrecks the whole project. Same deal with sourdough starters, cast iron seasoning, all of it. We treat these old methods like religion when half the reason they existed was that people had no other choice at the time. Your 2 to 1 mix is just you being honest about what actually works in your space.

What did your old brunch boss actually say when you called about coming back?