By Alison apRobertsNEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
March 20, 2005
SACRAMENTO – Dude, maybe you and that sequoia you've got your arms around should get a room. You could order in some caviar and olives. Or go wine-tasting or barbecue some papaya.
It would be awesome and, like, so totally Californian.
Maybe it's the result of too much sunshine or too many earthquakes, but whatever the reason, a majority of people who live in California actually fit some of those loopy-coast stereotypes – hugging trees, going wine-tasting, saying "Dude."
Maybe we should just call it "California Grown" weirdness, since a survey commissioned for the California Grown marketing campaign provides the proof. The survey's purpose was to test the truth of the stereotypes used to humorous effect in the campaign's ads. The findings were a bit unexpected to the academic who conducted the survey, Dennis Tootelian, a marketing professor at California State University, Sacramento.
"The lifestyles of Californians have been the subject of debate and ridicule over the years, but, surprisingly, we do a lot of those things," Tootelian says. "Maybe they're not as far off as they seem."
Tootelian says the survey put him in touch with his own inner Californian: "I've never hugged a tree, but I love to play with olives, and come to think of it, I've done most of the things (in the survey questions)."
The marketing campaign to encourage state residents to buy California products is run by the Buy California Marketing Agreement, a joint effort of agricultural industry groups and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Survey results, released last week, are based on 500 respondents. Here are some findings:
Surf's down: Only 24 percent of respondents report having gone surfing. Those who live in Fresno (17 percent) and in Los Angeles (18 percent) are least likely to have tried it. If you want to find surfers, your best bet is to head to San Diego, where 36 percent of residents have hung 10 (or tried, anyway).
Little mud-slinging: 21 percent of Californians have had a mud bath.
Pining away: 63 percent of Californians surveyed have hugged a tree. And they're not ashamed.
Udderly surprising: Nearly half (47 percent) of those surveyed said they had milked a cow. More than half – 53 percent – of those who live in Sacramento and Fresno had done so.
Let your fingers do the playing: Most Californians (57 percent) have put black olives on their fingers as kids, and 28 percent have done so as adults. Central Valley residents play the fingertip-olive game most: 71 percent of Sacramento respondents reported doing so as kids, 42 percent as adults.
All fired up: Nearly all – 99 percent – of residents have made or eaten barbecued meat or fish; 83 percent have barbecued or eaten barbecued fruit or vegetables.
Some beluga, baby? More than half of Californians – 57 percent – have tried caviar. San Francisco residents are most likely to have nibbled on it (78 percent) while Fresno residents are the least likely to have tried it (41 percent).
Pour it on: 70 percent of Californians have visited a winery. The whole state's gone "Sideways," it seems.
Talking points: 71 percent of respondents have used the word "awesome" to describe something they've eaten; 67 percent of respondents have called someone "dude" on at least one occasion.
Note from Jess: I think Sean accounts for about 10% of the "dude" saying. Just kidding!
