O(il)lives for life

Economist lifestyle magazine 'Intelligent Life' (summer 06) carries an article about EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and all other Olive Oils(OO). Olives declared as 'the richest gift of heaven' by Thomas Jefferson are being used quite popularly by a lot in food. While searching through the plethora of competing bottles in a supermarket alley, its confusing to make a pick with the labels- 'Extra Virgin'? 'Cold pressed'? 'Hand picked'?. Here is some useful information-

*Better oil if olives pressed within few hours of picking (lowest level of acidity/oleic acid). EVOO has limit of 0.8% oleic acid per 100 gm of oil. Above this limit is virgin, then ordinary virgin and finally lampante virgin (good for lamps only).
*Refined OO means that taste and acidity is chemically produced.
*Cold pressed is good since second (heat) pressing degrades some delicate flavor but increases yield by taking off that extra little oil from olives
*Hand picked means care has gone into production when the mechanical tree shakers generally get it done faster

Wisdom

When I have ceased to break my wings
Against the faultiness of things,
And learned that compromises wait
Behind each hardly opened gate,
When I have looked Life in the eyes,
Grown calm and very coldly wise,
Life will have given me the Truth,
And taken in exchange -- my youth.

Sara Teasdale

Shadow lines

This novel by Amitav ghosh set in a period of post partition Bengal switches back and forth in time and places and is mainly interweaving of reminiscence, fiction and fact. It earned him the Sahitya Academy award. Ghosh indirectly talks about the shadows (or secrets) we want to keep from others and the shadows that we cast (or reflection) and want to show to other people..both may or not be the accurate reflection of us. The nonlinear time switching reminded me of the William Faulkner novel 'The Sound and the Fury' I read back in college.