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Tuesday, February 7, 2012
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It was wartime and Italy was
an enemy country. Shipments of Italian foodstuffs to Canada were
strictly forbidden. And among
those foods no longer available was olive oil, that precious base
for so much Italian cuisine. Kay DeMarco’s family (owners
of the DeMarco Groceries) was one of those left without a source
of oil so her mother, Anna, had to look elsewhere. She found a
connection in Detroit that supplied her with California oil and,
with the exchange, she could purchase it for $12 gallon. In 1942
$12 was a lot more money than it is today.
And it wasn’t very good olive oil. It was outlandishly expensive.
Anna DeMarco bought it anyway.
After the war ended, Italian olive oil began to trickle back into
Canada. The first available shipment was marketed for the ludicrous
price of $18 a gallon. She paid it.
To Anna DeMarco, olive oil wasn’t something you just gave
up. You don’t just throw in a handy substitute when you’ve
been raised on the rich, golden green liquid. If you’re Italian
or Greek or Spanish, olive oil is a staple…more than that,
it’s an essential like bread or water. Story courtesy Gloria
Galloway, the Windsor Star, July 20th, 1988.
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The
opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada. |
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