We had books in our library already on this art. That meant we could do research in our own collection.

I directed '36 Views' (last spring at the Huntington) and we did tons of research on Japanese art and the art world to prepare for that play. But for 'The Real Thing' that isn't necessary. Everyone brings their own experiences because this play is about relationships and figuring out what is the real thing in love.

Every potato that we eat is the product of years of research, and so this one has been in the works for 10 years. We think besides having a taste test, it's a good way to educate people on what it takes to bring a variety to market.

Our goal is to do fair, accurate and balance research. Not a lot of companies are doing critical research because of the type of harassment that they get as a result.

But more research needs to be done to show the techniques are safe and effective.

I've done a lot of Internet research and read a lot of books about oils. It's my personal thing,