The Oil Spill Situation.

Hearing the constant news about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, I was reminded of a conversation I had recently with my friend, Patrick. As we were going to the deli right down the street from school, he was complaining about the tart and tangy taste of vinegar and how the taste of it makes him nauseous. I immediately responded by saying how absurd that statement was (in my opinion) and began to rant on and on about how much I live for the taste of vinegar on almost any sandwich I eat, or anything else vinegar goes with.

At that point in the conversation, I started saying which seasonings I would drink in large quantities and vinegar had been one of them. Vinegar, especially balsamic, has a very unique taste that people work for years to create, age, and bottle. Thinking of this, I know that so much effort had gone into creating that taste that I love and makes me happy when I taste it.

Making my way back to the title, it really has nothing to do with the fact that there is an oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, it has nothing to do with crude oil at all (this is a food blog for God's sake). I'm talking about olive oil. Without a doubt one of the best things that vinegar pairs with is olive oil, which holds a very powerful flavor in a very contained consistency, enough that I would as well drink it on its own. Olive oil would be the only one though, all of the others like peanut and vegetable oil are meant for frying (and they're good at what they do), though don't have that great of a flavor on their own.

Returning to the conversation I had about drinking seasonings, that afternoon, I just felt the need to do so; plus, I had the craving for the taste of oil and vinegar anyway which I haven't had in a long time. I poured equal amounts into a small glass, mixed it a bit (since they don't mix on their own), and drank the whole glass within a few seconds. I have to say, I greatly enjoyed the taste of it and it had quite a powerful and advanced flavor.

I recommend trying it for people who think that they can handle it, but don't do anything absurd like drinking a whole gallon of oil or a whole bottle of balsamic vinegar, that'll make you sick. Remember, I only drank a small amount and that was good enough to satisfy my flavor cravings and it kept me full for a few hours.