Happy Olive: The Benefits of Quality Olive Oil

The DiCaprio Scandals

BY COURTNEY BAKER '25, Staff Reporter

DiCaprio acts in the 1999 film Romeo and Juliet. [CC]

Leonardo DiCaprio, a 47-year old famous actor, has been stirring up the media with his recent relationship choices. During the early 2000’s, DiCaprio was one of the most eligible bachelors after the release of Titanic, in which he starred as Jack Dawson. As time passes, fans are beginning to notice something strange about the women throughout DiCaprio's dating life. All of the women he dates are actresses or models. Despite this “type, ” these women have another thing in common. They seem to, almost always, be inching to the line of half of his age. This age gap only grows as DiCaprio ages closer to 50. One of the first affairs that caused concerns was his five-month relationship with Blake Lively. During this relationship in 2011, DiCaprio was 37 while Lively was only 24, giving them a 13-year age gap. As time passed, the age gap continued to grow.

In early 2017, DiCaprio moved onto Lorena Rae. Though the two refused claims that they were dating, they were spotted several times cozying up and meeting each other in private places. DiCaprio was 42 while Rae was only 23, around a 19-year age gap.

More currently, one of DiCaprio’s recent relationships that lasted four years was with actress Camila Morrone. There has been a constant 23-year age gap between them. They recently broke up this past summer, and DiCaprio already has his eyes on another young model. For the past few weeks, there has been scandal involving Gigi Hadid, young model of 27, and DiCaprio who have been spending unsolicited time together. They were spotted sneaking out of Paris Fashion Week together two days ago. Hadid’s and DiCaprio’s age gap is tallied at around 20 years. It has not yet been said that Hadid and DiCaprio are official, but a relationship is in the works. Will DiCaprio ever leave this constant moral turpitude?

DiCaprio attends the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. [CC]

Happy Olive: The Benefits of Quality Olive Oil

BY LIBBI MELENDEZ '23, Staff Reporter

[Comer]

Located on the bustling street of De La Mare Avenue in charming Downtown Fairhope, The Happy Olive is the prime location to gather unique goods for your culinary adventures and home. The heart of the shop, however, is centered around an extensive variety of olive oils and vinegars. Some who are not involved in the world of oleology, the study of olive oil, may ask themselves, “What are the true benefits of ‘premium’ olive oil?”

The Happy Olive imports all of its oils from its distributor, Veronica Foods, in Oakland, California. These oils are freshly harvested and crushed from varying species of olive trees from different countries all over the world before they are shipped to California where they are packaged and sent to individually owned olive oil distributors throughout the United States. The time of year and seasonal weather conditions determine the hemisphere from which the oils are harvested and distributed. The oils that Veronica Foods receives are tested for a DAG score, a system that tests the overall freshness and quality of the oils from the time it is pressed to when it is put onto the shelf on a scale from 1-100. Professional olive oil sommeliers determine the notes, fragrance, and intensity of the oil. The intensity, contrived from the pepperiness and bitterness of the olive oil, is dependent on the amount of biophenols. Biophenols are proteins found in olive oil that act as antioxidants, helping to remove excess oxygen from blood cells in your arteries and heart, which is why they are one of the healthiest oils for people to ingest.

Fresh extra-virgin olive oils are full of healthy monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, and antiinflammatories. According to the Harvard Medical School, “Among people who replaced butter, margarine, or mayonnaise with olive oil, the death rate was as much as 34% lower than that of people who didn’t substitute olive oil for those fats. ” Studies from Harvard Medical School

[Veronica Foods]