I have heard several times that when someone has used too much salt in cooking or that a dish comes out too salty, that the chef is lovestruck or verliebt. Can anyone elaborate on this saying?

It's possible that they are distracted and don't know how much salt they are adding (due to thoughts about the new love of their life).

More realistically it is probable that the chef is a smoker which kills the taste buds to an extent where they overdo the salt in order to be able to taste it.

I thought of that possibility... being distracted, not that the chef is a smoker with dead taste buds :P But that made me snigger a little

Following your thread title I have a complain why most of ready soups are so salty!
I generally like soups but though normally in CH, foods are not that salty, but ready soups are quite, so I take them much less due to that.
Any reason behind? easier maintaining it for long period? or do they think people don't have salt at home to add if they wish!?

Macchiato, by "ready soup" do you mean packet soups? Cos they're generally quite salty no matter where you go. I don't buy heat and ready to eat eat foods often anyway. Cook your own soup, it's healthier anyway

Maybe because Swiss people like their salt? Normally the taste of pre made foodstuffs is adjusted to the regional preferences. For example, Coca Cola is sweeter in Portugal than in Spain.

The reason why the soups are in general salty (in particular the light calorie ones), is to disguise lack of taste or after taste. If it is salty it tastes of nothing but salt...... In any case, making your soup would be a more healthy option. Just by looking to the labels you can see how much stuff is in there that is not normal on a soup - like starches, flours, flavor enhancers, fats...

lucy_sg, good observation. flavours and tastes are adjusted from region to region, I find Coca-cola here less sweet than in NZ, which is fine for me.

No one else has anything to contribute about how someone is lovestruck if they cook food that's too salty?

As far as I know Sandgrounder's correct and it stems from the expression common in German "ist die Suppe versalzen, ist der Koch verliebt," or when the soup's too salty, it's because the cook is in love and too distracted to get the measures right .