Tasty, but worth it?
One of my favorite stops when I visit Gust Gallucci's on Euclid Avenue is the olive oil and vinegar tasting table. The line-up of bottles, all shapes and sizes, never fails to tempt me to sample a few with the little white plastic spoons provided.
I know I'm not going pay $30 for a bottle of olive oil or vinegar, but the game I play is "Can I taste the difference?"
The best I can say is "Sort of." As with wine, I think I can tell the pretty good from the cheapest. A $15 bottle of wine or $10 balsamic vinegar really does taste better than a $5 one. But how about the more expensive ones?
I'm mostly clueless as to differences once past that initial quality jump. My palate has maybe an elementary school education, it seems. The $30 wine or olive oil doesn't seem worth the price. Or maybe it's just that thriftiness ingrained in me by parents who grew up in the Depression and never forgot what that was like.
