What's Your Olive Oil Personality?

QUIZ
OLIVE OIL BON APPETIT!
WHICH OLIVE OIL
IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

By Cal Orey

Olive oil judges from coast to coast and around the world recognize award-winning olive oils, but not all of them may be a suitable match for you and your lifestyle. For instance, if you don’t like mushrooms, porcini olive oil may not be your cup of oil. You may love to cook, but extra virgin olive oil may not give you enough pizzazz. Like to bake but don’t want to be stuck using only canola oil (one healthful oil) for your breads, cakes, and muffins? You may be limiting yourself with your oil of choice.

No matter what kind of oil lover you are, take this quiz, excerpted from my book The Healing Powers of Olive Oil (new mass market edition, January 2009) to get to know your personality and your real taste in oil before you choose the oil(s) for you.

Oils For Life

What’s your lifestyle? Take this short quiz to find out. Discover what your fave flavor reveals about your real personality.

1.A typical morning for you includes:
A.Family chaos, with the dog joining in.
B.Breakfast in bed.
C.A 2-mile run.
D.Computer work.
E.Brunch at an ethnic restaurant.

2.When you cook, you’d like to:
A.Feed a fun-loving crowd.
B.Feed a loving mate or friend who’ll enjoy your meals.
C.Make a meal to take on the run.
D.Make a low-maintenance meal.
E.Work in a kitchen chock-full of exotic treats.

3.Your idea of a perfect vacation is:
A.Grabbing the family and visiting relatives.
B.Going to a secluded park for picnic.
C.Hitting the mountain trails.
D.Enjoying an at-home movie fest with a few friends.
E.Flying to a foreign country.

4.When the weekend hits, you can be found:
A.Enjoying a family event with the in-laws, spouse, kids,
cat and dog.
B.Busy with your hobbies.
C.Jogging through the neighborhood.
D.On the couch, cuddled up with you know who.
E.Attending an out-of-town social event.

5.A meal to you means, in one word:
A.Fun.
B.Wholesome.
C.Quick.
D.Healthy.
E.Exciting.

TALLY UP
Once you understand your cooking and eating styles, you can use the knowledge to select oils that are compatible with them. This, in turn, will enhance your olive oil experience. See how you scored below. I’ve made a few oil-wise choices for you to get started or to add to your current olive oil repertoire.

Mostly A’s: The Extrovert:
Your Style: You are well-rounded, fun-loving, and people-oriented. You want an oil that is versatile, and good for kids and animals. An all-purpose olive oil is ideal. An oil that will not be too exotic during family get-togethers is best.
Best Oils: Extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, roasted garlic olive oil, and citrus olive oils.

Mostly B’s: The Introvert:
Your Style: You are the intellectual, an independent individual who may live alone. You’d probably enjoy an olive oil that is good for you and versatile, as opposed to strong-flavored olive oils.
Best Oils: Extra virgin olive oil, basil olive oil, and citrus olive oils.

Mostly C’s: The Outdoor Health Nut:
Your Style: You are a physical person, ready to hike in the summer, hit the gym in the winter. An active individual with a sense of adventure as long as it’s healthful.
Best Oils: Light olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, and porcini olive oil.

Mostly D’s: The Indoor Hermit:
Your Style: You are a sofa spud, with one hand on the remote control and the other in a bag of wholesome doggie treats. An afternoon of baking is up your alley.
Best Oils: Extra virgin olive oil, and homemade flavored olive oils.

Mostly E’s: The Adventurer:
Your Style: You are ready to travel for work or play. Trying new foods is what life is all about. You enjoy tasting new foods and flavors wherever you go and “bland” is not in your vocabulary.
Best Oils: Pepper olive oil, porcini olive oil, rosemary olive oil, and oregano olive oil.