The WORLD'S OLDEST Salad Dressing: Reader Correspondence (1-10)

The following are real email from readers.
  1. Subject: Salad Dressing, Tue 8 Oct 2002
  2. Subject: Vaseline, Mon 18 Nov 2002
  3. Subject: To keep bottle caps from rusting, Mon, 18 Nov 2002
  4. Subject: Salad Dressing Rust Issue, Mon, 18 Nov 2002 15:36:37
  5. Subject: bottle cap preservation, Tue, 19 Nov 2002 03:22:17
  6. Subject: rust inhibiter, Tue, 19 Nov 2002 02:35:14 -0600
  7. Subject: Red Wine Vinegar "FREE", Mon, 3 Feb 2003 09:13:41
  8. Subject: salad dressing - yum!, Sat, 22 Feb 2003 12:23:42
  9. Subject: Seven Seas Salad Dressing -- Russian, Sun, 18 May 2003 21:14:53
  10. Subject: Re: Fwd: Seven Seas Salad Dressing -- Russian, Mon, 19 May 2003 09:33:29
  • More Reader Correspondence (11-20)
  • Back to the World's Oldest Salad Dressing Main Page
    #1
     User-Agent: Micro$haft-Outlook-Express-Macintosh-Edition/5.02.2022
     Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 13:38:40 -0400
     Subject: salad dresssing
     From: "Harriet Rosenbaum" harrietr "at" rosengrp.com
     To: rlaramee "at" yahoo.com
    
     I am located in Baltimore, Maryland.  I have been using Seven Seas Salad
     dressing.  I use the light french onion ranch dressing.  I have not been
     able to get it recently.  I have looked in all of the stores, have you
     stopped making it?  Could you please let me know if it is still available
     and if so where. Thanks for your speedy response. Harriet R.
     --
     Harriet Rosenbaum
     Operations Assistant
     The Rosen Group
    
     3000 Chestnut Avenue, Suite 300
     Baltimore, Maryland 21211
    
     410-889-2933 ext. 263
     FAX 410-889-1320
    
     click here for application:
     http://www.americancraft.com/artist/art_bmac/Forms.html
       
    response: Dear Harriet,

    Unfortunately, I am not the one responsible for producing the salad dressing. I just have the world's oldest bottle of it. Thank you for your correspondence. Don't hesitate to send more questions.

    -cheers, bob

    #2
     Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 06:38:49 -0800 (PST)
     From: "K Boed" romey9us "at" yahoo.com
     Subject: Vaseline
     To: rlaramee "at" yahoo.com
    
     Prevents rust because it repells water. It rubs off
     easily so don't handle the caps after applying.
     Reapply every few months.
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    response: This is not such a bad idea, however, it seems to be high maintanence. This is a long term project. We want to store these bottles for several years without touching them.

    -cheers, bob

    #3
     From: "Jacob Meyer" jacobm "at" frontiergeosciences.com
     To: rlaramee "at" yahoo.com
     Subject: To keep bottle caps from rusting
     Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 07:33:27 -0800
    
     Try coating it in clear acrylic medium.  This can be purchased from any art
     supply store such as utrecht or dick blick.  It is water soluble when still
     wet, but dries to a clear, shiny surface.  Of course, if you've ever seen
     the Antiques Roadshow, you probably know that "altering" or painting
     antiques diminishes their value.
    
     -Jacob Meyer
       
    response: Ah, ha, this is something I did not know. I've never seen the show, but I believe you. What is the name of a good "acrylic medium"? Is its job to preserve?

    -cheers, bob

    #4
     From: "Jim Snell" jimsnell "at" hotmail.com
     To: rlaramee "at" yahoo.com
     Subject: Salad Dressing Rust Issue
     Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 15:36:37 +0000
    
     You want to wipe the bottle caps with a light coating of WD-40. That will 
     keep the rust down. Also you may wish to use some baking soda or other 
     absorbant powder near the bottles to keep the moisture down.
     
     -Jim (Columbia, SC)
       
    response: Is WD-40 really suited for this job? I know it's a good lubricant, but also a good preservative? I hate Micro$haft BTW.

    -cheers, bob

    #5
     Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 03:22:17 +0000
     From: "Tom Robertson" tom "at" dancinman.com
     To: rlaramee "at" yahoo.com
     Subject: bottle cap preservation
    
     You can try using clear nail polish, that should
     do the trick on the bottle cap.
     Tom   
       
    response: Another good idea. Thanks Tom! How long do you think that will last?

    -cheers, bob

    #6
     Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 02:35:14 -0600 (CST)
     From: steveb "at" herd.plethora.net
     To: rlaramee "at" yahoo.com
     Subject: rust inhibitor
    
     dip the bottle tops in wax.
       
    response: Thanks for not wasting too much bandwidth on this one Steve. Say, I think it is a good idea, but it has some weaknesses. One, the wax could easily fall off and, two, wax gets too soft with just a little bit of heat! So far it seems that the nail polish might be the best idea.

    -cheers, bob

    #7
     From: RUTHEE060 "at" aol.com
     Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2003 09:13:41 EST
     Subject: Red Wine Vinegar "FREE"
     To: rlaramee "at" yahoo.com
    
     I used to be able to buy Red Wine Vinegar "FREE" Salad Dressing.  It was the 
     best Fat Free I had ever eaten.  However, for the last 6 months I have not been 
     able to find it on any store shelf.
    
     Do you still make it?   I certainly hope so.
    
     Where can I go to buy it in Oklahoma City, OK?
    
     Thanks for your help.
    
     Ruth Engle
     3512 Marston Circle
     Oklahoma City, OK 73120
     (405) 842-9862
       
    response: Dear Ruth,

    I'm sorry that you can't find your favorite fat free dressing anymore. I certainly don't make the salad dressing. I hope that is not what you were led to believe by this web site.

    I don't live in Oklahoma City, so I don't know where you can by it there. Try searching for it on the web or something. Sorry I can't be of more help. Thanks for your correspondence anyway.

    -cheers, bob

    #8
     From: Sean 
     To: rlaramee "at" yahoo.com
     Subject: salad dressing - yum!
     Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 12:23:42 -0500
     X-Mailer: Micro$haft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106
    
     Bob:
     
     I was surfing cruel.com and stumbled across an archived the article about 
     your discovery of the world's oldest bottles of salad dressing.  I always 
     knew the Laramee refrigerator was a vast storehouse of treasures, but this 
     is beyond my wildest dreams!  Can you check for me and see if there's still 
     any leftover sheperd's pie in there?  mmm, mmm good!  
     
     Good to see that your sense of humor hasn't changed!
     
     Congratulations on your discovery and give my best to Tom, Mike and the family!
     
     -Sean (STO) O'Connell   
       
    response: Dear Sean,

    Nice to hear from you again man. How have you been?

    Can you believe that you crossed paths with the world's oldest salad dressing? On several occasions! Thanks for stopping by.

    What's Dick P. up to these days? Do you know?

    -cheers, bob

    P.S. What are you doing using Micro$haft Outlook?

    #9
     Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 21:14:53 EDT
     Subject: Seven Seas Salad Dressing -- Russian
     To: rlaramee "at" yahoo.com
    
     I am writing to you, hoping you could help.    I have been to numerous food 
     stores and cannot find Russian dressing (Seven Seas).  Can you please tell me 
     where they might be sold.  Any thought as to why I am having such major 
     difficulty?  Your help is appreciated a whole lot.  Thanks!
     Jackie
     Bananas619 "at" aol.com   
     
    response: Dear Jackie,

    I called on a little help here in order to answer your question(s). Luckily, my call was answered by my brother Tom. You'll find he tracked down some very helpful information for you in what follows below. (Thanks Tom!)

    -cheers, bob

     Date: Mon, 19 May 2003 09:19:30 -0700
     To: Robert S Laramee rlaramee-yahoo.com, Mike D Laramee mdlaramee-yahoo.com
     From: Tom Laramee laramee-pobox.com
     Subject: Re: Fwd: Seven Seas Salad Dressing -- Russian
    
     hey Guys:
    
     it looks like Seven Seas[TM] salad dressing is a product of the Kraft 
     Corporation:
     
       http://www.nutribase.com/dfm/630.htm 
    
     (By the way, i keyed in the following search into Google:
              +"Seven Seas" +"salad dressing"
     ...and Bob's "World's Oldest Salad Dressing" page came up #1!)
    
     Anyways, a trip to Kraft's home page:
     
      http://www.kraftfoods.com/
     ...and a click on "Product Finder Shop" for those "hard to find" items...
     ..there's a "Condiments & Salad Dressings" item in the left-hand
     navigation ... which has a specific item for "Seven Seas", and,
     (whoops-a-daisey!) Russian dressing is nowhere to be found!
    
     (this *cannot* be good)
    
     however, there is a Russian salad dressing under the "Kraft Salad
     Dressing" link in the navigation, at the very bottom:
    
     
      http://www.netgrocer.com/
    
     i suggest BANANAS 619 contact Kraft directly and ask them
     if Seven Seas Russian was simply discontinued from the
     product line, or whether it became part of the extensive line of
     fine Kraft-brand style salad dressing offerings.
    
     on the Kraftfoods.com page, under "Contact Us", there's a "Product
     Questions" link ... so that's probably a great place to begin.
     
     --tom
     

    #10
     Date: Mon, 19 May 2003 09:33:29 -0700
     To: Robert S Laramee rlaramee "at" yahoo.com, Mike D Laramee mdlaramee "at" yahoo.com
     From: Tom Laramee laramee "at" pobox.com
     Subject: Re: Fwd: Seven Seas Salad Dressing -- Russian
    
     here's my "big picture" question:
    
     how odd/peculiar is it that someone would come across the
     World's Oldest Salad Dressing page on the Turnpike, see
     that the "featured" item is a bottle of Russian dressing
     from 1976, and then conclude that the author of the page
     would know where to obtain a [much] more recent bottle
     of said product?
    
     i mean, *i'd* be worried that the answer might be something
     like:
     
             dude!! my bottle of Russian dressing is 27 friggin
             years old ... maybe YOU can tell ME where to
             find some salad dressing from this century.
    
     (there are many permutations to this [potential] answer,
     but you get the idea...)
    
     :-)   
     
    response: i've been wondering this for awhile myself. i think this is the 4th email i've received where someone has asked me where they can buy the stuff. i have one very weak theory. It goes like this:

    Someone looks at the World's Oldest Salad Dressing web page without really reading it. Then they figure that i am advertising or even selling bottles of Russian Seven Seas Salad dressing. i think this can happen when someone does not interpret the phrase "World's Oldest Salad Dressing" too literally. Perhaps it can be interpreted as "The World's Oldest Name Brand of Salad Dressing" or "The Longest Salad Dressing on the Market". But not literally "The World's Oldest Bottle/Instance of Salad Dressing". Like maybe the company in charge of Heinz ketschup could advertise "World's Oldest Ketschup" meaning "We've been selling it longer than any other brand of ketschup." and not "We've been holding onto a bottle for 100 years." ;-)

    Two weak points are that: (1) the viewer does not look at the pictures very carefully, they don't make very good "advertisements" and (2) they have read the web page carefully enough to find my email address.

    -cheers, bob