The topic of yesterday’s discussion was digging and drilling oil. Specifically, the petroleum kind. But whenever I hear the word “oil,” the first thing that springs to mind is olive oil, and then, I jump right to Olive Oyl.
But first. Olive oil.
I guess I should not be surprised to find out that there are “cooking oil experts” in the world. Everybody has a TV show, podcast, or book these days. At any rate, they all agree that olive oil is one of the most “versatile and healthy” oils to cook with and eat. But they also all say it has to be extra virgin.
Now. Maybe I’m not totally clear on how things work in their world, but around here, you are either a virgin or you aren’t. I’m not quite sure what would make you an “extra virgin.” And if you walk down the grocery aisle, you will see that not only are there “extra virgin” olive oils, there are “extra, extra virgin” ones lurking about.
I know. I know. It means that the olive oil is not refined. Again. Another matter of concern when it comes to their terminology. If a person is refined, they are cultured, polished, and discriminating. I guess things may be different in the world of olive oil.
At any rate, the reason they are so good is that they contain a large amount of monounsaturated fats and some polyunsaturated fatty acids. Supposedly, many studies have linked it to better heart health. But if you need to cook something with high heat, you should pick another oil, as olive oil has a relatively low smoke rating. It’s best for low and medium-heat cooking.
Oh. And one more thing. Just because a gal says she’s an “extra virgin” doesn’t necessarily make it so. The National Consumers League tested 11 different olive oils and found that six of them failed to meet the standards that classify them as extra virgin. That’s more than half. So, when your meeting your bottle of oil in your grocery, beware. Appearances aren’t everything.
Speaking of appearances, who could ever mistake the grand dame of the cartoon world, Olive Oyl? We all know her as the love interest of Popeye the Sailor Man. We first saw Popeye and Olive on January 17, 1929. They were the most popular characters in E. C. Segar’s comic strip called Thimble Theatre.
Here’s the thing. Popeye and Olive Oyl were real people who lived near E. C. Segar’s house in his hometown. While watching them, he got the inspiration for his comic strip characters.
And here’s another thing. The real people behind the voice of Popeye and Olive Oyl, Jack Mercer, and Margie Hynes, ended up getting married to each other.
But in the story, Olive is always escaping the advances of Bluto. And Popeye often comes to the aid of Olive Oyl with his enormous strength that he gets from eating spinach. But. Before discovering the magical power of spinach, Popeye derived his powers by rubbing his head on the feathers of a magical white hen. I’m not lying.
Popeye’s love for spinach helped in boosting the sale of spinach across the US. It impacted kids deeply. “Eat your vegetables, and you’ll get strong, like Popeye.” Not many parents used the magical white hen approach to keeping their kids healthy.
Regardless, Olive Oyl had her own special style. She wasn’t your typical bathing suit beauty, but she had a beauty all her own.
All of us have that, you know.
Our own incredible beauty.
Today, let it shine. Like olive oil shines when you hold it up to the light. The extra virgin kind.
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That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more. ― Popeye
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I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. ― J. Wellington Wimpy
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I yam what I yam and that’s all what I yam. ― Popeye
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Like a virgin. Or so it says.
