---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unscrupulous vendors turn the situation…"
description: "\"“Unscrupulous vendors turn the situation to their advantage. In China, nouveau-riche status-seekers are spending small fortunes on counterfeit Bordeaux..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/mary-roach-635_olive-oil_unscrupulous-vendors-turn-the-situation_2505051.png"
---

#  Unscrupulous vendors turn the situation to their…

![“Unscrupulous vendors turn the situation to their advantage. In China, nouveau-riche status-seekers are spending small fortunes on counterfeit Bordeaux. A related scenario exists here vis-à-vis olive oil. “The United States is a dumping ground for bad olive oil,” Langstaff told me. It’s no secret…” quote by Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/mary-roach-635_olive-oil_unscrupulous-vendors-turn-the-situation_2505051.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/mary-roach-635_olive-oil_unscrupulous-vendors-turn-the-situation_2505051.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/mary-roach-635_olive-oil_unscrupulous-vendors-turn-the-situation_2505051.png)

> ““Unscrupulous vendors turn the situation to their advantage. In China, nouveau-riche status-seekers are spending small fortunes on counterfeit Bordeaux. A related scenario exists here vis-à-vis olive oil. “The United States is a dumping ground for bad olive oil,” Langstaff told me. It’s no secret among European manufacturers that Americans have no palate for olive oils. The Olive Center—a recent addition to the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, on the campus of the University of California at Davis—aims to change that.””

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Consumers often buy cheap, low‑quality olive oil, unaware of its inferior taste, while producers assume Americans lack discernment.

**In simple terms:** People buy bad olive oil because they think taste don’t matter.

Key Takeaway

Improve consumer education on olive oil quality.

Themes

consumer behavior food quality misinformation market dynamics

Mood

informative critical

Type

analytical persuasive

When to use this quote

- grocery shopping
- restaurant sourcing
- culinary school curricula

Key Concepts

taste perception cultural bias food fraud

Questions to Reflect On

- What influences your choice of olive oil?
- How can education shift market preferences?

A Different Perspective

Changing tastes takes time and may face resistance from cheap‑oil producers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bad Olive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-olive-1099194/) [Counterfeit Bordeaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfeit-bordeaux-1099193/) [Oils Olive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oils-olive-1099195/) [Olive oil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olive-oil/) [Olive Oils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olive-oils-1099192/)

## Related quotes

> [“Our final challenge is a ranking test: five olive oils of differing degrees of bitterness. This proves a challenge for me, as I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/our-final-challenge-is-a-ranking-test-five-olive-oils-of-differing/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“Regular users of butter had no significant change in their risk for dementia or Alzheimer’s, but people who regularly consumed omega-3-rich oils, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/regular-users-of-butter-had-no-significant-change-in-their-risk-for/)

[David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/)

> [“People come to me and say, ‘My wine stinks. What happened?’” Langstaff can read the stink. Off-flavors—or “defects,” in the professional’s parlance—are clues to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/people-come-to-me-and-say-my-wine-stinks-what-happened-langstaff-can/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“We will be evaluating some nasty oils. You will have to put them in your mouth.\* For the good of science. For the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/we-will-be-evaluating-some-nasty-oils-you-will-have-to-put-them-in/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“Olive trees grow in the same climate and soil conditions as grapes. The olive oil people have been up in Napa Valley all along,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/olive-trees-grow-in-the-same-climate-and-soil-conditions-as-grapes/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“recipe. 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1 by ¼-inch strips 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/america-s-test-kitchen/recipe-6-tablespoons-extra-virgin-olive-oil-1-red-bell-pepper-stemmed/)

[America's Test Kitchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/america-s-test-kitchen/)

> [Home-made bread rubbed with garlic and sprinkled with olive oil, shared-with a flask of wine-between working people, can be more convivial than any feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-gray/home-made-bread-rubbed-with-garlic-and-sprinkled-with-olive-oil/)

[Patience Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-gray/)

> [“we favor: 6 small eggplants cut into cubes ½ cup olive oil ½ cup chopped onion 4 garlic cloves chopped (you might use less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-freed/we-favor-6-small-eggplants-cut-into-cubes-cup-olive-oil-cup-chopped/)

[Lynn Freed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-freed/)

> [“Next, 'baccala marechiara,' codfish with a sauce of tomatoes, capers, olives, garlic, and parsley, a lighter version of her puttanesca. She laid out fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-o-reilly/next-baccala-marechiara-codfish-with-a-sauce-of-tomatoes-capers/)

[Brian O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-o-reilly/)

> [“It's a recipe for agrumato," he says, sounding surprised. I roll the unfamiliar name in Italian around on my tongue. "Agrumato? What's that?" Nicolo's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-linden/it-s-a-recipe-for-agrumato-he-says-sounding-surprised-i-roll-the/)

[Rachel Linden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-linden/)

> [I found olive oil and grated cheese all over my bed. I picked up my comforter, and it was on my sheets, my pillow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-pivarnick/i-found-olive-oil-and-grated-cheese-all-over-my-bed-i-picked-up-my/)

[Angelina Pivarnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-pivarnick/)

> [“Shopping at the Dandelion Co-op made me feel European. Very Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina in Paris (that movie played a few weeks ago in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-genevieve-tucholke/shopping-at-the-dandelion-co-op-made-me-feel-european-very-audrey/)

[April Genevieve Tucholke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-genevieve-tucholke/)

> [Maybe some people will not agree, but I like to eat sardines in the morning for breakfast. I think some people will have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/maybe-some-people-will-not-agree-but-i-like-to-eat-sardines-in-the/)

[David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/)

> [Growing up in England I've lost a bit of my Greek-Cypriot essence, but it's there in my obsessive use of lemon and olive oil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-demetriou/growing-up-in-england-i-ve-lost-a-bit-of-my-greek-cypriot-essence-but/)

[Jamie Demetriou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-demetriou/)

> [“Sunny Bean Burgers Serves: 2 ¼ cup sunflower seeds 2 cups cooked kidney or pinto beans, or canned no-salt-added or low-sodium kidney or pinto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-fuhrman/sunny-bean-burgers-serves-2-cup-sunflower-seeds-2-cups-cooked-kidney/)

[Joel Fuhrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-fuhrman/)

## More by Mary Roach

> [“Rawson points out that although snakes can’t taste, they have a primitive sense of smell. They’ll extend their tongue to gather volatile molecules and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/rawson-points-out-that-although-snakes-can-t-taste-they-have-a/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“As the number of Inuit who hunt has dwindled, so has the consumption of organs (and other anatomy not available for purchase at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/as-the-number-of-inuit-who-hunt-has-dwindled-so-has-the-consumption/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [For the most part, if somebody approaches me and says, 'I'd like to interview you,' who am I to say no, when I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/for-the-most-part-if-somebody-approaches-me-and-says-i-d-like-to/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [To me, death is dark, pain, grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/to-me-death-is-dark-pain-grief/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“If you look at survivable crashes, it’s rare that even half the emergency exits open,” says Shanahan. “Plus, there’s a lot of panic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/if-you-look-at-survivable-crashes-it-s-rare-that-even-half-the/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“…he was doing a breath hydrogen test. If you know the amount of hydrogen someone is exhaling orally, it's a simple matter to extrapolate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/he-was-doing-a-breath-hydrogen-test-if-you-know-the-amount-of/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“Viagra isn't the only drug being prescribed off-label for women with arousal problems. Los Angeles urologist Jennifer Berman told me some doctors are prescribing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/viagra-isn-t-the-only-drug-being-prescribed-off-label-for-women-with/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [Sharing a room with a cadaver is only mildly different from being in a room alone. They are the same sort of company as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/sharing-a-room-with-a-cadaver-is-only-mildly-different-from-being-in/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [Every now and then, someone will tell me that one of my books has made them laugh out loud. I never believe them because:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/every-now-and-then-someone-will-tell-me-that-one-of-my-books-has-made/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“panel applicants at the initial screening were asked not only to describe the cat foods but also to rate them according to how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/panel-applicants-at-the-initial-screening-were-asked-not-only-to/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“\* Kissing is a less aggressive form of bacterial transplant. Studies of three different gingivitis-causing bacteria have documented migration from spouse to spouse. Periodontically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/kissing-is-a-less-aggressive-form-of-bacterial-transplant-studies-of/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“Nirlungayuk reached a similar conclusion. I tracked him down, seventeen years later, and asked him what the outcome of his country-foods campaign had been.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/nirlungayuk-reached-a-similar-conclusion-i-tracked-him-down-seventeen/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [Astronauts are like these mythic legends, but really, they are just regular people, people who wear chinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/astronauts-are-like-these-mythic-legends-but-really-they-are-just/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“Olive trees grow in the same climate and soil conditions as grapes. The olive oil people have been up in Napa Valley all along,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/olive-trees-grow-in-the-same-climate-and-soil-conditions-as-grapes/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“A patient on the way to surgery travels at twice the speed of a patient on the way to the morgue. Gurneys that ferry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/a-patient-on-the-way-to-surgery-travels-at-twice-the-speed-of-a/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

[Explore all 435 Mary Roach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

## More Olive oil quotes

> [“Sunny Bean Burgers Serves: 2 ¼ cup sunflower seeds 2 cups cooked kidney or pinto beans, or canned no-salt-added or low-sodium kidney or pinto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-fuhrman/sunny-bean-burgers-serves-2-cup-sunflower-seeds-2-cups-cooked-kidney/)

[Joel Fuhrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-fuhrman/)

> [Growing up in England I've lost a bit of my Greek-Cypriot essence, but it's there in my obsessive use of lemon and olive oil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-demetriou/growing-up-in-england-i-ve-lost-a-bit-of-my-greek-cypriot-essence-but/)

[Jamie Demetriou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-demetriou/)

> [Maybe some people will not agree, but I like to eat sardines in the morning for breakfast. I think some people will have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/maybe-some-people-will-not-agree-but-i-like-to-eat-sardines-in-the/)

[David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/)

> [“Shopping at the Dandelion Co-op made me feel European. Very Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina in Paris (that movie played a few weeks ago in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-genevieve-tucholke/shopping-at-the-dandelion-co-op-made-me-feel-european-very-audrey/)

[April Genevieve Tucholke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-genevieve-tucholke/)

> [I found olive oil and grated cheese all over my bed. I picked up my comforter, and it was on my sheets, my pillow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-pivarnick/i-found-olive-oil-and-grated-cheese-all-over-my-bed-i-picked-up-my/)

[Angelina Pivarnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-pivarnick/)

> [“It's a recipe for agrumato," he says, sounding surprised. I roll the unfamiliar name in Italian around on my tongue. "Agrumato? What's that?" Nicolo's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-linden/it-s-a-recipe-for-agrumato-he-says-sounding-surprised-i-roll-the/)

[Rachel Linden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-linden/)

> [“Olive trees grow in the same climate and soil conditions as grapes. The olive oil people have been up in Napa Valley all along,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/olive-trees-grow-in-the-same-climate-and-soil-conditions-as-grapes/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [“Next, 'baccala marechiara,' codfish with a sauce of tomatoes, capers, olives, garlic, and parsley, a lighter version of her puttanesca. She laid out fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-o-reilly/next-baccala-marechiara-codfish-with-a-sauce-of-tomatoes-capers/)

[Brian O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-o-reilly/)

> [“we favor: 6 small eggplants cut into cubes ½ cup olive oil ½ cup chopped onion 4 garlic cloves chopped (you might use less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-freed/we-favor-6-small-eggplants-cut-into-cubes-cup-olive-oil-cup-chopped/)

[Lynn Freed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-freed/)

> [Home-made bread rubbed with garlic and sprinkled with olive oil, shared-with a flask of wine-between working people, can be more convivial than any feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-gray/home-made-bread-rubbed-with-garlic-and-sprinkled-with-olive-oil/)

[Patience Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-gray/)

> [“recipe. 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1 by ¼-inch strips 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/america-s-test-kitchen/recipe-6-tablespoons-extra-virgin-olive-oil-1-red-bell-pepper-stemmed/)

[America's Test Kitchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/america-s-test-kitchen/)

> [“Olive Oil Olive oilΔ is made from only the green olive fruit. Olive oil may be made by the pressure applied by hand to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-parker-puckett/olive-oil-olive-oil-is-made-from-only-the-green-olive-fruit-olive-oil/)

[Ruby Parker Puckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-parker-puckett/)

> [If my cuisine were to be defined by just one taste, it would be that of subtle, aromatic, extra-virgin olive oil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-ducasse/if-my-cuisine-were-to-be-defined-by-just-one-taste-it-would-be-that/)

[Alain Ducasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-ducasse/)

> [“All-Natural Furniture Polish Ready In: 10 minutes INGREDIENTS: 1 cup olive oil, 1/ 2 cup lemon juice DIRECTIONS: Add the ingredients together in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-anderson/all-natural-furniture-polish-ready-in-10-minutes-ingredients-1-cup/)

[Jennifer Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-anderson/)

> [“Bolognese Sauce Also called Bolognese or ragù alla Bolognese, this sauce combines vegetables and meat to create the perfect sauce for pouring over spaghetti.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-rappaport/bolognese-sauce-also-called-bolognese-or-rag-alla-bolognese-this/)

[Rachel Rappaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-rappaport/)

[Browse all 252 Olive oil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olive-oil/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Unscrupulous vendors turn the situation to their advantage. In China, nouveau-riche status-seekers are spending small fortunes on counterfeit Bordeaux. A related scenario exists here vis-à-vis olive oil. “The United States is a dumping ground for bad olive oil,” Langstaff told me. It’s no secret among European manufacturers that Americans have no palate for olive oils. The Olive Center—a recent addition to the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, on the campus of the University of California at Davis—aims to change that.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mary Roach"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/unscrupulous-vendors-turn-the-situation-to-their-advantage-in-china/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Olive oil"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/unscrupulous-vendors-turn-the-situation-to-their-advantage-in-china/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/mary-roach-635_olive-oil_unscrupulous-vendors-turn-the-situation_2505051.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/mary-roach-635_olive-oil_unscrupulous-vendors-turn-the-situation_2505051.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/mary-roach-635_olive-oil_unscrupulous-vendors-turn-the-situation_2505051.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Unscrupulous vendors turn the situation to their advantage. In China, nouveau-riche status-seekers are…” — Mary Roach",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Mary Roach",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Unscrupulous vendors turn the situation to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/unscrupulous-vendors-turn-the-situation-to-their-advantage-in-china/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/unscrupulous-vendors-turn-the-situation-to-their-advantage-in-china/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
