Marketing Manias

Uh-oh. Tuscan Sun of Salem, Mass., sells extra-virgin hemp oil (tastes like rancid almond oil) and clear balsamic vinegar (a sweet-sour vinegar with no balsamic aroma).

And just when we thought the celebrity-endorsed food phenomenon was gone for good, Famous Fixin’s Inc. plans a whole line of them “from salad dressings to barbecue sauces.” We don’t know quite how famous the celebs are going to be--the first products out are Olympia Dukakis’ Greek salad dressings, and her son is a vice president of the company.

On the other hand, 7-Eleven’s claim to be “Your Holiday Store” may be a stretch, and chef Michael Antonovitch’s collection of holiday meal side dishes you could make out of goods stocked by 7-Eleven seems a little desperate, but sometimes one is just plain desperate. A 24-hour store that’s open on Christmas Day (as 95% of 7-Elevens are) will doubtless be the salvation of many a holiday gathering.