# Is olive oil hard to find in some states? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085 "2003-02-19T06:29:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/21 "2003-02-19T15:38:55Z")
I don’t know, I thought it would be fun to search on “plasma olive oil”. ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/22 "2003-02-19T15:56:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Philster \* > \*\*I don’t know, I thought it would be fun to search on “plasma olive oil”. \*\* Have you seen the rest of that site! It’s full of every kind of suspect ideas imaginable. Everything from [mind control](http://educate-yourself.org/mc/) (Yes, the gubbermint is controling you!) to [Free Energy](http://educate-yourself.org/fe/) and [chemtrails](http://educate-yourself.org/ct/). It’s worth a visit, but do wear your tinfoil hat! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mermaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@The\_Mermaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mermaid)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/23 "2003-02-19T16:55:41Z")
There are many varieties of olive oil available at any grocery store here in Ohio and the really expensive stuff is offered at some delis and specialty stores as well. But for me, nothing beats [Bertolli’s](http://www.bertolli.com/canadese-e/bertolli_cae.asp?country=CAE&lang=EN). ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/24 "2003-02-19T17:12:29Z")
Olive Oil is easy to find. Just head for the commotion caused by Popeye and Bluto fighting, and there she is… ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/25 "2003-02-19T17:13:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Philster \* > \*\*Olive oil is available throughout the USA, but is extra pure virgin olive oil easy to come by? \*\* AHA! An opportunity to clear up a misconception! Extra virgin olive oil is not “pure”; it’s the least refined, the first pressing, the one with all the olive stuff left in it. After additional refining, you get “light” olive oil, which is more suitable for everyday use, much lighter in flavor, and yet still has all the health benefits people seek from olive oil. You can find it in the supermarket, next to the green stuff. Extra Virgin olive oil is probably easier to find, though, because it’s more distinct from other vegetable oils than light olive oil, and is thus more popular. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/26 "2003-02-19T17:18:35Z")
From Olive Oil to Mind Control. Only in a SDMB thread. Life’s more fun with the foil hat off. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/27 "2003-02-19T17:28:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Captor \* > \*\*Olive Oil is easy to find. Just head for the commotion caused by Popeye and Bluto fighting, and there she is… \*\* That dame is [Olive Oyl](http://www.mtcnet.net/~bierly/olivereg.htm). ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/28 "2003-02-19T17:33:23Z")
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil is the nectar of the gods. I frequent a green grocer who has a very nice selection of olive oils. Of course, the Philistines in my household couldn’t tell one from the other, but I enjoy the different nuances between the different growing areas. I’m rather fond of an organic Napa Valley variety, of all places. ---
**Author:** ![Nuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea666f/32.png) [@Nuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuke)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/29 "2003-02-19T18:36:32Z")
Olive oil is available here in the midwest, but it is significantly more expensive than on either coast by my experience. When I visit my parents in New Jersy, I always pick up a couple of cans of Bertolli’s from their local Wegman’s supermarket. $8.99 for 3 liters in New Jersey vs. $16.99 in Omaha. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/30 "2003-02-19T19:25:17Z")
I had a professor once who insisted that olive oil was hard to find when she moved to North Carolina in the mid-1980’s, although it’s certainly a common enough staple now. (It should be noted that the prof in question is a bit of a flake, so I’m leaving this for other longtime North Carolinians to corroborate or contradict.) ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/31 "2003-02-19T19:42:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nametag \* > Extra virgin olive oil is not “pure”; it’s the least refined, the first pressing, the one with all the olive stuff left in it. After additional refining, you get “light” olive oil, which is more suitable for everyday use, much lighter in flavor, and yet still has all the health benefits people seek from olive oil. I am afraid not. [http://www.cerespain.com/tiposdeaceite.html](http://www.cerespain.com/tiposdeaceite.html) says virgin means no chemical process, only pressing, and “extra virgin” adds that acidity be below 1º whereas simply “virgin” can have acidity up to 2º. Both come from the pressing of olives. After the first pressing further oil can be extracted by solvents and this is “refined” olive oil. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/32 "2003-02-19T19:55:03Z")
I’m Italian. I want the first cut, first press…whatever! ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/33 "2003-02-19T20:33:55Z")
Sailor, are you under the misapprehension that you’ve contradicted me? There’s nothing in what you said that isn’t exactly what I said. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/34 "2003-02-19T21:34:26Z")
Wal-Mart even has it’s own brand of olive oil, so its safe to say that it’s everywhere! ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/35 "2003-02-19T23:06:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nametag \* > \*\*Sailor \*\*, are you under the misapprehension that you’ve contradicted me? There’s nothing in what you said that isn’t exactly what I said. I guess we interpret things differently then. You said > [@](#): > > Extra virgin olive oil is not “pure”; it’s the least refined . I say that is wrong. All olive oil is “pure”. And the word “refined” when referring to olive oil does not mean “more pure” or anything of the sort. “Refined” olive oil is not more “refined” according to the common meaning of the word. It is strictly a marketing term. It means “extracted by chemical means” as opposed to “virgin” which means “extracted by mechanical means”. Virgin olive oil is always considered better than “refined” olive oil. ---
**Author:** ![lite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@lite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lite)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/36 "2003-02-19T23:27:47Z")
Jesus h Chrst. I can’t comprehend an olive oil debate. BobT, I live in North Dakota and can go to at least 5 grocery stores to get Italian olive oil, virgin and otherwise. Shut up and go away you just made my PAB list, get personal on me, I hope you can take it, when we’re done go ahead and attack other Americans. You’re WORTHLESS!!! This is as bad as a debate over which French wine is the best(I just know there’s going to be a debate over this). If you can tell the ingredient of an oil based on taste alone, you have WAY too much time on your hands ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/37 "2003-02-20T00:19:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lite \* > Shut up and go away you just made my PAB list, get personal on me, I hope you can take it, when we’re done go ahead and attack other Americans. You’re WORTHLESS!!! I guess this is related to [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3019064#post3019064). With only five posts you’re making quite a splash already. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/38 "2003-02-20T00:33:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lite \* > \*\* You’re WORTHLESS!!! > \*\* Who, precisely, the fuck are you and when did you get a moderator gig? Kid, there’s a “report this post to a moderator” button at the bottom of every single post on this message board. You got a problem, you press that button. You do **not** tell people how to act on this board and you do **not** refer to your fellow members as worthless in this forum. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/39 "2003-02-20T01:26:03Z")
I wrote a bit for a television review explaining the nature of olive oil pressings, in the form of a translation of a damsel-in-distress scene from an Italian police melodrama: The scene begins with a man and a woman strolling innocently in the park, discussing last night’s dinner. Man: You know, the dressing on my salad was not so fresh. I wonder if it was actually extra virgin olive oil in it. Woman: It was not extra virgin. Man: Ordinary virgin, then? Woman: No, not really. Man: Well, first pressing at the very least… Woman: Nope, not first pressing. Man: What do you mean, not first pressing? Woman: Well, the price was great, but it WAS fourth pressing. Man: (Berserk with rage) FOURTH PRESSING!!! (MAN grabs WOMAN, puts knife to her throat.) Man: I am so enraged by your slovenly olive oil that I don’t know whether to cut your throat with this knife… Man: … or shoot you with this gun! Woman: Oh, you make me so hot when you do stuff like this! Why don’t you tie me to a bed or something and chew me out for my poor olive oil purchasing decisions? Woman (gleefully): I am such a bad little olive oil buyer! Man: Fourth pressing! That’s so low, I don’t even know what it is… (Seizes woman’s cheeks and presses them together.) Man: You will tell me what the fourth pressing is! Woman: Make me, you brute! Man: Very well, you leave me no choice! Man (leaning forward to place his mouth on Woman’s stomach): If you do not tell me what the fourth pressing is, I will blow on your stomach and make disgusting noises thusly! (Man does so, causing woman to writhe furiously in her bonds.) Woman : Stop! Stop! I will tell! Man: All right then , I knew that would break you utterly. Now tell me all about this fourth pressing… Woman: OK. You know the extra virgin olive oil is when nuns go out to the olives in the fields dressed in thongs and perform the lambada and the paso doble in the groves until the olives break out into a sweat, and they scrape that olive sweat from the olives. Woman (continues): And the virgin olive oil is when the town’s beautiful virgins come out to the fields and gently squeeze the olives with their soft, red lips, collecting what oozes from the bottom of the olive. Then there is the semi-virgin olive oil, collected when the semi-beautiful, almost virginal girls come to the fields and work the olives with their knowledgeable lips and tongues, collecting what spurts out of the olive. Man: I have bought the videos on occasion … Woman: Then you know. The first pressing is when the olives are dumped in the vat and the beautiful girls come and crush them with their soft, delicate feet. The second pressing is when sweaty, burly guys with hammers bash the olives flat. For the third pressing, the olive mash is laid out on a tarp and oxen are led over it, trampling it further. And the fourth pressing is what comes out from between the pads when we squeeze the ox’s hooves together periodically. Man: AAAARGH! That is too disgusting for words! ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085/40 "2003-02-20T06:59:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sailor \* > I guess we interpret things differently then. Yes. I interpret them _correctly_ > [@](#): > > You said > > > [@](#): > > > > Extra virgin olive oil is not “pure”; it’s the least refined. > > I say that is wrong. All olive oil is “pure”. :wally I was responding to **Philster’s** post – which I quoted to make that fact more clear for the (ahem) less observant among us – in which he used the expression “ **extra pure** virgin olive oil.” There is, of course, no such thing as “extra pure virgin olive oil”; it’s “extra virgin olive oil.” Which is, indeed, the least refined of olive oils, since it is only pressed once, and never chemically refined. > [@](#): > > And the word “refined” when referring to olive oil does not mean “more pure” or anything of the sort. I didn’t say that it does; I was merely defining “extra virgin.” > [@](#): > > “Refined” olive oil is not more “refined” according to the common meaning of the word. It is strictly a marketing term. Bullshit. It’s a **industry term** , meaning, obviously, that it’s been refined. Period. YOU are the only person in this thread who thinks “refined” means – I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking, “dainty” or something. > [@](#): > > It means “extracted by chemical means” as opposed to “virgin” which means “extracted by mechanical means”. ALL olive oil is extracted by mechanical means. “Virgin” means “not refined beyond pressing.” > [@](#): > > Virgin olive oil is always considered better than “refined” olive oil. Again, bullshit. Virgin olive oil is **more flavorful** than refined olive oil, and if that’s what you want, then it’s better. Most people who buy olive oil for cooking do want the flavor, so they buy virgin or extra virgin. However, there are uses for which strongly flavored oil is inappropriate, and for such uses, light olive oil is BETTER. Light olive oil is refined from virgin oil that isn’t suitable for sale, so in that sense it’s inferior, but by the time it’s been refined it’s of satisfactory quality for its uses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-olive-oil-hard-to-find-in-some-states/156085.md?page=3)