I like Sur la Table, but this is just dumb.

They're selling extremely expensive imported Extra Virgin
Olive Oil past the date on the bottle. I don't have the
name of the stuff, but the packaging is distinctive. It's
in a bordeaux wine bottle (the kind with the shoulders)
with a brown paper label that has handwritten dates on it.

They're also selling a new brand called Marca Verde
Azienda Oliera de Chianti that has a number of things
printed on its back label that are translated in a variety
of languages. But one of the things it says is only
in Italian, and as best I can make out it says that the
markings, pictures, and names on the bottle do not indicate
the region of origin of the olive oil inside. The website
admits that greek olives are included with the Italian
ones, but looking at the bottle in the store you have
no way to tell.

Now, neither of these things says that either of these
oils are bad. The post-dated oil may be good for a couple
of years. But it has already have lost the distinctive
portion of its flavor that got it priced so high. And the
cheaper stuff should say where the olives were grown and
not hide the disclaimer behind a language barrier it
crosses to tell us other things.

On the other hand, they had 250 ml cans of turkish EVOO
with expiration dates in late 2007 on the clearance shelf
marked down from $7 to $3. And I got one. So I still
like SLT. Mostly.

--Blair

On Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:53:05 GMT, Blair P. Houghton > wrote:

>I like Sur la Table, but this is just dumb.

snip

>They're also selling a new brand called Marca Verde
>Azienda Oliera de Chianti that has a number of things
>printed on its back label that are translated in a variety
>of languages. But one of the things it says is only
>in Italian, and as best I can make out it says that the
>markings, pictures, and names on the bottle do not indicate
>the region of origin of the olive oil inside. The website
>admits that greek olives are included with the Italian
>ones, but looking at the bottle in the store you have
>no way to tell.

Wasn't there a discussion about Spanish olives being used in a lot of
Italian olive oils?


jim

ensenadajim > wrote:
>On Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:53:05 GMT, Blair P. Houghton > wrote:
>
>>I like Sur la Table, but this is just dumb.
>
>snip
>
>>They're also selling a new brand called Marca Verde
>>Azienda Oliera de Chianti that has a number of things
>>printed on its back label that are translated in a variety
>>of languages. But one of the things it says is only
>>in Italian, and as best I can make out it says that the
>>markings, pictures, and names on the bottle do not indicate
>>the region of origin of the olive oil inside. The website
>>admits that greek olives are included with the Italian
>>ones, but looking at the bottle in the store you have
>>no way to tell.
>
>Wasn't there a discussion about Spanish olives being used in a lot of
>Italian olive oils?

Spanish and Tunisian mostly, but some Greek, and iirc
a little Turkish. They blend them all together, slap
a "Packed in Italy" label on it, and ship it to the
United States of Gullible.

Unfortunately, labels that actually say what's in the
bottle have gotten more rare this year for some reason.

One other interesting sighting at the SLT: French evoo.
I didn't buy it. Not low enough in price to be a whim.

--Blair