Dearest Olive,

We wanted to share the great appreciation of the WIS community for you. From your flawless texture, to your complex flavor, you bring light into the dark world of the IB. Some of us appreciate your grandeur more than others, but you are more special because the doubters that criticize your greatness will never bring you down. They will forever live in shadow, sinking under the weight of textbooks and tears, while those who truly appreciate you will shine on.

Upon conducting interviews regarding why people admire you, one of the most sophisticated responses came from none other than Don Boehm. With passion and integrity, he exclaimed,

“I don’t know, great variety, ah…they’re great for a snack?? They can be used in a variety of different ways, great variety of types like, you know, black and green and grey and oil-cured and flavoured.”

Students seemed to be less enthusiastic, but one phenomenal standout was Patrick Hallaert, who excitedly proclaimed, “They have a nice salinity to them and they’re not too overpowering.”

Many of the interviewees recognized that you are a great team player, working quite well with dozens of other types of food. Lisa Holden admired that you “pair well with wine” while Allie Wilding emphasized that you “can have very complex flavors. And … pair well with a lot of different things, different foods, … sort of enhance some of the flavors.”

Any celebrity comes across a few skeptics, one of them being Tom Heilman. He commenced his response with a suspicious question responding, “Olives? I hate olives.”

Marcos Yoc-Bautista was even more extreme, declaring, “Olives are the worst thing I’ve ever had in my life.”  

Some were more indifferent to your glory, Ela Kalra muttered, “They’re OK, I don’t love them, but I would eat them.”  

To conclude this letter with an ending that evidently represents your prominence in our lives, we will finish with extremely valuable opinions, those of James Bourke and Meredith Moore, true fans of your abilities. Meredith Moore professed, “Ooooohhh… um. The salt. And…. the, not just the brine, but I think also the texture”, while James Bourke divulged, “Depends on the type of olive, I like some olives more than others, and I guess I like salty things?? Yeah…”

Love,

Holden Davitian and Marta Maliszewska