The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-09-23
,imis: It must be Olive OIL!

once upon time. and not hundred
years ago, a certain promoter, who
is now millionaire, took me into con-
fidence concerning the tricks of the
trade" Said trade at that time, was
the education of the great American
public into the manifold merits and in
Vulnerable uses of the product, the
name Of which stands at the head OF
this page. He was the originator and
hacker of a firm which advertised
Genuine Oil of Lucca." The phrase,
borrowed from Sydney Smiths cele-
brated recipe for salad dressing was
Haunted conspicuously in their circu-
lars.
The spoon with Oil of Lucca crown"
made a taking trademark.
The speculation was booming fast
and loudly when 1 had my talk with
the parent thereof. If his advertise
fenced in every olive orchard in the
pretty Italian town famed for its oil.
Every drop offered for sale was ship
ped direct to his warehouses on this
side of the Atlantic, and thence diStrl-
buted to every city in the Union.
A Scheme Unmasked.
have wondered since if the pro-
moter had not a glass too much of
heady champagne that evening, but his
brain seemed steady and his speech
coherent. Something. perhaps conf
dence in my appreciation of innate
cIeverness. had loosened his tongue. He
confessed. with never flicker OF
blush. that "Lucca' was to borrow
from the Irishman's excuse for the
frozen pies he hawked as hot Just the
name of EN-" All the olive oil that
filed bottles with the foreign trade
mark came from California.
And every whit as good as the Ital-
ian," he averred. But the public must
be gulled with the foreign name. We
really use fair percentage Of genuine
salad oil. The rest, say One-half, is the
best quality of cottonseed oil And
why not? 1t is a pure vegetable pro-
duct, and harmless, and, l dare say,
nourishing. Bless your heart, my dear
madame, the grocers know it, if the
consumers do not We put a we'll
favored oil, with all the earmarks of
the bona -fide Lucca,' within the reach
of of the people Of limited means.
And" rising into cOmplacent anima-
ton. I'VE are public benefactOrs when
YOU come down to the solid bottom
fact. Time was when none but the rich
could afford to eat salads every day"
Find an Honest Grocer.
To prove the excellence of the coun-
terfeit. he sent me a bottle of italian
oil" bearing the illuminated admoni-
ton to crown the spoon with oil of
Lucca" To do his justice, it was not
unpleasant to taste or smell. 1t lacked
the slight greenish tinge, scarcely per-
ceptible except in a strong light, and
the faint but unmistakeable nutty fra
GRANGE by which the connoisseur iden-
titles pure olive oil. | dare say that he
harmless. Cotton is a vegetable pro-
duct
Let that pass, With our Ingenious
promoter and his works Return we to
our starting point. Take the pains to
get real olive oil. The pure-food laws
make this easier now than in the day
when our Spectator with the elastic
conscience took compassion upon my
ignorance of business methods. Don't
be beguiled into buying cheap brands.
what you want. Honest grocers are
not so hard to find as some would have
YOU think. Real. unadulterated olive
oil may be had and at reasonable
prices. My grocer keeps it in half
gallon cans sealed, and warrants it
pure. 1t comes cheaper than the bot
ties bearing the same brand.
In southern Europe, where olive trees
are more plentiful than cotton plants,
oil is used for frying to an extent that
would seem incredible to the American
housemother who calls upon the but
ter tub or the lard can for the same
purpose There is absolutely no greasy
smell about omelets and croquettes
fried in French and Italian kitchens
the oil, being lighter in weight than
butter, does not interfere with the airy
puffiness of beaten eggs and batter
If one be disposed to doubt the differ
ence between the quality of the oil sold
in foreign markets and that for which
we pay twice as much on this side OF
the water let this fact be the test