La Tourangelle Regenerative - Koroneiki Olives

Have you heard of La Tourangelle? Before last year I would have said, 'Why, yes!" La Roue Tourangelle is a bike race in France! In fact, it was just a month ago. Clément Venturini of the Unibet Rose Rockets won. If you watch the finish, it is absolutely a sprint to the end. Second was Martin Marcellusi, followed by Matys Grisel. These men are strong. When I watch the sprint at the end, all I can think of is Champion and his grandma and dog Bruno from The Triplets of Belleville.

La Tourangelle is also an olive oil company, and more specifically, an oil manufacturer that was founded in 1867 in Samur, France in the Loire Valley. They also operate in Woodland, CA, and thus, both are correct. Tourangelle is a term referring to someone or something from the Touraine province in France. The olive oil company says that the term "roughly translates to a woman from the Tours region of France in the Loire Valley." Last week I finished my first bottle, their Regenerative EVOO in a vibrant celadon tin with the outlines of white leaves. 

This is their regenerative oil, and I loved it. This is, by far, the most peppery olive oil I have tasted. It was so strong, in fact, that I would typically mix with other olive oils to tone it down. The oil is made from Koroneiki olives from the Peloponnese region in Greece, however the company is international. In the early 2000s they saw a potential market for nut oils in the United States, and partneeed with the California Oils Corporation. The son of the French makers Matthieu Kohlmeyer came to Woodland, California in 2002 to make it officially established at the age of 23. I am reading they planted the first 10,000 trees in 2021, and the California variant went on sale in 2024. I will go to Woodland to visit, and will try the California variety soon. I have not decided yet if I will make this a bike / camping trip, or more of a road trip. To be decided! Let's take a closer look at the tin.

I think what the text means is that the oil itself is processed from the olives in Greece, and then shipped to the Woodland facility for packaging. That is different from the California variety, where everything happens here. I will verify this when I visit. What I think unlikely would be to ship the olives. The packaging of this brand is distinct because they use a light tin, making the (very fair) observation that even dark glass can let light in and oxidize the oil. Let's take a look at the cap. 

I appreciated the dual spout and controlled means to pour this oil. In practice, I did get little bits around the edges, but the pour was fairly clean. The white, plastic cap snaps on and off nicely too. 

Adventures

I have adventures to attend to, and must cut my history reading on this one a bit short. On the queue for today is to travel into the hills (somewhere) and be my own variant of Don Quixote. Instead of Rocinante, I have my faithful bike and legs. Instead of armor I will wear bright colors and a sun-burned blue helmet. To return to the story, I understand it is absurd. Don Quixote mistakes windmills for giants, and inns for castles. It is astounding how much of the novel is readable despite being written in 1605. It is a satire of romance from an earlier time, and I find myself switching back and forth between enjoying the humor, and feeling immense pity. Don Quixote finds fantastic meaning in the mundane world. His world view is an inflation of reality, and this contrast is where most comedy is derived from. He is laughed at and mocked. The ending is devastating in that he is actually defeated (in a duel) and his spirit dies with that. 

The story says something powerful about imagination. When we are faced with hardship, or even the monotony of day to day life, what next? I think a lot of folks are waiting for something, whether it be a person or a time in their life "when I will finally do that thing." There is a tendency, I think, to choose patterns of behavior and thought that are consistent and logical. In the novel, deviating from that is considered madness. But is having an imagination truly madness? I do not agree with that. I think imagination, when grounded by the roots of what is needed to function effectively in a society, can allow for better appreciation of daily tasks and ability to see beauty in the smallest details. I think this is related to openness to experience. Having curiosity about the world means a craving to immerse in it. Imagination is the story that you write for your life around those adventures. Good and bad things will happen, either way. If I am a tree, I must grow in two directions. Facing the unfamiliar, adversity out of one's control, and experiences that I might be afraid of, is a kind of growth in the dark. We also know how roots work. They give strength and height to the experiences we have, that others can see, in the sunshine above. 

There is something to say for idealism, even if it is technically wrong. I'll finish with a quote by Michael Sugrue PhD. I do not know if it is his, but I appreciated it. It suggests that we must grow from our experiences, but not be defined or controlled by them:

Life still requires affirmation, and hope remains a virtue. Don Quixote reminds us of what we were like, before we succumbed to experience.