From yesterday's trip to Whole Foods: well, olive oil is one product that Mrs. Gioconda (see Mona Lisa is really Mrs. Gioconda) would have been familiar with at the time she sat for her famous portrait. I'm not going to try this new brand of oil. Why? Because recent scandals about the Italian olive oil industry have convinced me to choose Spanish, French, California, or Greek olive oil. In fact, Spanish olive oil often has that really delicious fruit-tinged flavor that I associate with being near the actual Mediterranean, while many Italian varieties no longer seem to have that quality. Maybe because they are adulterated with cheaper oils -- too bad.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Mona Lisa Everywhere
From yesterday's trip to Whole Foods: well, olive oil is one product that Mrs. Gioconda (see Mona Lisa is really Mrs. Gioconda) would have been familiar with at the time she sat for her famous portrait. I'm not going to try this new brand of oil. Why? Because recent scandals about the Italian olive oil industry have convinced me to choose Spanish, French, California, or Greek olive oil. In fact, Spanish olive oil often has that really delicious fruit-tinged flavor that I associate with being near the actual Mediterranean, while many Italian varieties no longer seem to have that quality. Maybe because they are adulterated with cheaper oils -- too bad.
I think I'm starting to see the Mona Lisa as the Shakespeare of art. She fascinates and fascinates... And where is the Giaconda brand from?
ReplyDeleteHi Jen,
ReplyDeleteMrs. Gioconda is Mona Lisa's married name. In fact, scholars recently found new evidence about her and her husband. I guess the difference with Shakespeare is that you can find a huge variety of quotes for every context, while if you want to use Mona Lisa, you have to invent your own context. (I've been posting a lot more about Mona Lisa at my other blog, maetravels.blogspot.com ...
As for the new Whole Foods olive oil, it's Italian -- no Mona Lisa refs in the brand name. Click on the photo to see an enlargement with a legible label.
Mae