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Elisabeth.....
Wally World

Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

an olive oil tasting on Skid Row

English answer:

an olive oil tasting on Skid Row

Added to glossary by Mohamed Fouda
May 21, 2020 13:05
3 yrs ago
37 viewers *
English term

an olive oil tasting on Skid Row

Non-PRO English Art/Literary Cinema, Film, TV, Drama
(Man 1)
I'm supposed to take Diana out Saturday
and I need a killer second date.
(Man 2)
Well, evolutionary biology says that women are highly attracted to men who are steady in the face of danger.
(Man 2)
Therefore I recommend an unsafe environment.
(Man 2)
Maybe a dive bar on the wrong side of town,
(Man 2)
a picnic near an insane asylum
or an olive oil tasting on Skid Row.
(Man 1)
Diana has some social anxiety issues.
Maybe we could start with something simpler.
11.(Man 3)
Why don't you take her to Wally World?
Responses
4 +4 an olive oil tasting on Skid Row
4 unsafe place
3 +1 sampling various types of olive oil in a seedy/run-down part of town

Discussion

Mohamed Fouda (asker) May 21, 2020:
@Becca Resnik, I get it now. Thanks!
Becca Resnik May 21, 2020:
I watched a stand-up comedy sketch by a comedian from an extremely poor area in Africa. He said that cooking shows amazed him. It was amazing to him that, in the Western world, we have so much food that we have entire shows and contests to see who can cook all that food the best. Where he's from, you get a meal every couple days and savor it. Conceptually, it's a similar idea. Tasting the differences between high-quality olive oil is something reserved for the rich, high-class types. So a bunch of rich people next to a bunch of people who can't afford to clothe or nourish themselves properly (i.e. Skid Row) would presumably be dangerous (practically asking to be robbed).
Becca Resnik May 21, 2020:
No, not quite. I guess that would technically be true, but it's a cultural thing (apparently more so than I realized). Western, high-class culture. Different olive oils taste very different, but it's so nuanced that if you have the time and money to devote to sampling olive oils, you're likely well-to-do. People gather to taste olive oils, wines, and cheeses. But outside of the wealthy (or at least middle class), that's not something people can afford to do.
Mohamed Fouda (asker) May 21, 2020:
Are you saying that olive oil is for the rich and that it's unlikely to find it among homeless people, hence the experience would be unusual to the girl in question?
Becca Resnik May 21, 2020:
@Mohamed, as to why it would be dangerous Not sure if you saw my response to this from below: Skid Row is capitalized because it is an "official" place of sorts. It's formally known by that name. As for why it would be dangerous, I think it might help to picture a stereotypical oil-tasting. A bunch of well-dressed, rich people gathered around wonderful food. Now picture that next to hundreds a people who've been homeless for...well, sometimes their whole lives! Not a safe situation.
Mohamed Fouda (asker) May 21, 2020:
yes, but why could an olive oil tasting be dangerous if tasted on/in Skid Row?
David Hollywood May 21, 2020:
is there a hidden meaning to "olive oil tasting" Phil (just curious)?
philgoddard May 21, 2020:
Hi Mohamed Have you Googled Skid Row? You presumably know what an olive oil tasting is.

Responses

+4
2 mins
Selected

an olive oil tasting on Skid Row

An example of something really unsafe. Skid Row is the largest population of homeless people in the US, so doing something fancy that "rich" people do, like an olive oil tasting, would be dangerous.

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Note added at 10 mins (2020-05-21 13:16:00 GMT)
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Skid Row is capitalized because it is an "official" place of sorts. It's formally known by that name. As for why it would be dangerous, I think it might help to picture a stereotypical oil-tasting. A bunch of well-dressed, rich people gathered around wonderful food. Now picture that next to hundreds a people who've been homeless for...well, sometimes their whole lives! Not a safe situation.
Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skid_Row,_Los_Angeles

Note from asker:
And why would olive oil tasting be dangerous for some people? I just don't get it. The whole sentence is confusing a little bit. Wha confuses me, even more, is the fact that Skid Row is capitalized in the text.
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard : Skid Row doesn't necessarily refer to Los Angeles. It can be any area where homeless people congregate, and to be "on Skid Row" means to be down and out.
1 hr
agree Sheila Wilson
1 hr
agree Tina Vonhof (X)
1 hr
agree Björn Vrooman : Like your d-box posts. As an "American in Rome" says: "Much in the same way you would taste wine, there is a specific way to taste olive oil..." https://anamericaninrome.com/wp/2019/03/olive-oil-tasting-bu... Also, Phil's on skid row is not capitalized.
5 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you all so much!"
1 hr

unsafe place

the area they may choose is full of danger
Something went wrong...
+1
14 mins

sampling various types of olive oil in a seedy/run-down part of town

Skid Row refers to a run-down part of a town frequented by vagrants and alcoholics.

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Note added at 19 mins (2020-05-21 13:25:08 GMT)
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I think the contrast of an "up-town" (exclusive and posh) activity in a "down-market" and potentially dangerous environment (Skid Row) is the idea here

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Note added at 25 mins (2020-05-21 13:31:01 GMT)
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there may be a hidden meaning in "olive oil tasting" but I think it's just used to convey the idea of an exclusive activity reserved for the privileged elements of society and this is set against a background of a seedy environment such as Skid Row

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Note added at 29 mins (2020-05-21 13:35:13 GMT)
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the desired effect is in the contrast between something exclusive and something totally non-exclusive and potentially dangerous

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Note added at 1 hr (2020-05-21 14:29:12 GMT)
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Putting "Skid Row" in capitals is simply for effect. It conveys the idea that this is a real place, whereas it is more generic and refers to "any place" in which down-and-outs congregate...

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Note added at 1 hr (2020-05-21 14:31:26 GMT)
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a sad but true depiction of examples of human misery...
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M : Yes, on 1 level it is the incongruity of a pretentiously middle-class activity in a poor area (which per se might make it dangerous); like you, I wonder if there isn't a hidden meaning, maybe to to do with Italians / Hispanics?
1 hr
thanks Tony and always appreciate your comments and analysis :) I often think that our answers are also a great medium to share ideas as well as providing help... the mind-share is what might save us
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