Thursday 31 December 2009

Day thirtyone....

Have a bleu nue year

With two thousand and nine drawing to a close there are firework spectaculars all round the world. And with this being the cheese blog to end all cheese blogs I thought i would leave 2009 with two videos that combined should be all cheese lovers way to send in the year.





Works of fire. Combined with cheese. Beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL!!! See you next year.

Wednesday 30 December 2009

Day thirty

Long live the Resistance!!!


At the turn of last year a disgruntled Bush administration imposed a 300% import duty on Roquefort. The French were incensed. They were being treated unfairly, for the EU banning imported US hormone treated beef. But this is not the first time these bickering nations have fallen out over their precious delicacies.

Hormone treated meat, a delicacy? Well considering spores of the fungus Penicillium Roqueforti are used to help make Roquefort, why can meat not use hormones, which are artificial versions of some of our own natural hormones, to enhance its taste etc. Maybe if beef had a nice romantic story like Roquefort then maybe it may be more acceptable.



Not exactly a revolt of olden days but the French know how to breath out a stench. This is Che Guevara wannabe Jose Bove. He even has suitable accents over letters in his name, which is always important to the modern day revolutionist. This is after USA placed a complete ban on Roquefort in 1999, Jose Bove led his followers to a soon-to-be Ronald Mac emporium and dismantled the not completed building. Mcdonalds never recovered.

"You are what you eat, where you live and what you do. We are peasants and citizens, not shareholders, not servile slaves at the mercy of agribusiness."

"If you tremble indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine."

Leaders of (Wo)Men

Tuesday 29 December 2009

Day twentynine.....

Cheesart

"If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all."

A view that seems to be held by all the great Michaels. I wasn't the first to utter these words and I wont be the last. He may of had the statue of David, and all I have is this but these are nothing in comparison to these works of art.

http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Food/8-Cutting-Edge-Cheese-Sculptures.html


These sculptures contain strength, wrath and many more virtues of a powerful piece. I am now currently working on an Edam sculpture of the earth. It shall be red to encapture the angry of the world and highlight the dangers of global warming.


Work in progress....

Monday 28 December 2009

Day twentyeight...

Curds and Whey



"Cottage cheese, cottage cheese, it's the only cheese that's guaranteed to please"

A bold statement made by Mr Vic Reeves and Mr Bob Mortimer, but it is one of the most common types of cheese, as well it is the most common cheese people would produce themselves. It would have been made in small colonial American cottages, with the milk left over from butter making, and that is how it is believed to have got its name.

Cottage cheese is a curd cheese. This means as the curds and whey are separated, the whey is then drained off. But it is not pressed so doesn't harden like a cheddar and that's how cottage cheese gets its consistency.

Without knowledge most of us are aware of cottage cheese from a young ages as a certain miss Muffet was a big fan of cottage cheese. This contemporary piece shows her love of the curds. We are never too far from curds and whey.


Sunday 27 December 2009

Day twentyseven....

Immortality

n. Endless life or existence, enduring fame. These according to thefreedictionary.com are the definitions of immortality. People for years have been debating whether achieving immortality can be physically achieved.


This is the only known organism that is physically that can claim to be immortal. The Turritopsis nutricula.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_nutricula

But this is not onemanandhisjellyfish.blogspot.com. Can cheese be immortal? Don't forget that cheese is, in its own way, alive. This rind of cheese being a mold is testament to this. But a different view on this come from one Clifton Fadiman.


"A cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naive, it may be over sophisticated. Yet it remains that cheese is milks, leap towards immortality."

Cheese is the fame, the statue, the legacy of the milk that will live on. The milk with its tragically short life has no hope only to be swilled down by the human. Not even in its full regular form. But semi-skimmed or even with its dreaded red, for danger cap, full skimmed milk. How it much weep at night. But in cheese, there is so much potential. Wars are fought over it, debates rage, even raw milk cheese is so edgy it is banned from being imported by the largest consumers of cheese. If this is not evidence of lasting fame, the fact it is now mentioned in these pages is proof that cheese is now immortal.

Saturday 26 December 2009

Day twentysix....

Cheesey Chocolate

There have been many strange combinations in the past that people said would never catch on. The obvious one coming to mind is my Kay's, garlic bread.

"Garlic bread, it's the future, I've tasted it"

But now I definitly have seen the future. Chocolate cheese. I like chocolate, I like cheese put them together its got to be a winner. But it wasn't me who saw the future, it was an American band from New Hope, Pennsylvania called Ween.



But sweet cheese has been around for years. The Norwegians love the stuff. They have Gjetost, which is a goats milk cheese which is a dark brown almost fudge like appearance and does have a sweet caramel taste. They eat this for breakfast and I thought these Americans were strange.

This is the sausage McStuffin', or a sausage McMuffin with jelly donuts.

Friday 25 December 2009

Day twentyfive...

Merry Christmas Everyone

"Snow is falling all around me, children playing having fun, it's the season, love and understanding, Merry Christmas everyone"

These the words of the Michael Barret, or as most of us hear in Northern Ireland know him, that guy who assaulted the photographer in the Tullyglass Hotel. He is in fact Shakin' Stevens. And he is in fact up in Ballymena court on assault charges. He however is not the only famous man to have been up in front of the judge in Ballymena court. A certain famous writer has too. In retrospect though who would want to be photographed in the Tullyglass.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/shakin-stevens-faces-assault-charge-1837559.html

But what the caganer has this got to do with cheese? Well with the festive season about to start I found myself humming the aforementioned song, but as I am one with cheese, changed the lyrics to;
"Cheese is falling all around us"

Ridiculous you say? Think again...



I defy you not to have this song embed in your mind for the whole 12days of Christmas. The words in English are actually quite touching and maybe some of you may relate to them as I do.

I was bored and quite depressed,
There was nothing to do, and nothing on TV
All of a sudden, everything changed,
I fell in love with his taste

PA PA PA PA PARMIGIANO
RE RE RE RE RE RE REGGIANO
PA PA PA PA PA PARMIGIANO
RE RE RE RE RE RE REGGIANO

I was bored and quite depressed,
There was nothing to do, and nothing on TV
All of a sudden, everything changed,
I fell in love with his taste

PA PA PA PA PARMIGIANO
RE RE RE RE RE RE REGGIANO
PA PA PA PA PA PARMIGIANO
RE RE RE RE RE RE REGGIANO

I was bored and quite depressed,
There was nothing to do, and nothing on TV
All of a sudden, everything changed,
I fell in love with his taste

I am alone, and very sad
I need some company
I want a companion for my future
One that smells good, that’s for sure

PA PA PA PA PARMIGIANO
RE RE RE RE RE RE REGGIANO
PA PA PA PA PA PARMIGIANO
RE RE RE RE RE RE REGGIANO

Unexpected things come out of the blue
In this story, and this is the good bit,
I met someone brilliant
And he really is original.

PA PA PA PA PARMIGIANO
RE RE RE RE RE RE REGGIANO
PA PA PA PA PA PARMIGIANO
RE RE RE RE RE RE REGGIANO

Merry Christmas, may it be filled with love and cheese.

Thursday 24 December 2009

Day twentyfour.....

Cheese eve


On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me twelve gold rings,
eleven gold rings,
ten gold rings,
nine gold rings,
eight gold rings,
seven gold rings,
six gold rings,
FIVE GOLD RINGS,
four gold rings,
three gold rings,
two gold rings,
and a perfectly ripened brie.
With it dawning onto Christmas day it made me remember this great song. But what are the 12 days of Christmas? It looks like everyone is in on something I am missing. For the past week we in Arcadia have being selling copious amounts of cheese. The old tradition of the 12 days must be returning. In the past the 12 days of Christmas were filled with merry making, dancing and continuous feasting. But due to work demands this shortened over time. The Christmas season used to last until the 2nd of February but the people wanted the peasants back to work so it was shortened and ended on the 12th night. And now it is shortened to almost just one or two days. How is one to ensure ones soft-ripened cheese is at its peak within these two days?

"Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?"
Book of Job 10:10

With now such a short break a brief reminder of the less fortunate and a check on ones person is called for. We shouldn't look for excuses, or complain, or use the term "the good old days". Enjoy Christmas for its shall be another year until such an excuse to eat such an excessive amount of cheese will arrive. Merry Christmas.


Wednesday 23 December 2009

Day twentythree....

The allergy, the allergy, the allergy is the future.

Skin rash? Upset stomach? Swelling? Constipation? Itching? Anaphylaxsis? If these are your symptoms it could just be you are one of the few unlucky people who are allergic to cheese. This is hardcore stuff compare to those lucky lactose intolerant. They can snack upon some cheese as long as they are chugging some Lactaid. The difference being the allergy attacks the immune system whereas an intolerance works into the metabolism. I found this educationally video to explain.



Many peoples lives have been ruined by allergies so count yourself very lucky. Next time you chow on some gluten, or slug some lactose think of the peoples lives affected every days by thing you and me take for granted. This story is a bit blue so if your offended please leave me an angry message.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/world/763143-wife-discovers-allergy-to-husbands-sperm-on-wedding-night

Excuse the obvious give away in the link. Its the work of metro, not myself.

Tuesday 22 December 2009

Day twentytwo....

Eseehc

After reeling through tens of jokes about cheese the eve prior, I passed over the most famous of all cheese jokes. What cheese is made backwards? Edam. How could I have left this beauty out, especially at a time of year when thousands will be reciting that joke from a cracker in 3 days time. Edam has over the years became the butt of many a joke, not only because of its handy name(which was actually given because of the harbour where it was sold the most) but because it has given up on itself. From the 14th to the 18th century Edam was one of the most popular cheeses in the world. It was a much harder, more robust cheese, which sailors would take to sea. Even tales of them being used as emergency bullets from the cannon. It's round shape was made using round wooden cheese forms, which were in turn used as helmets during riots. From this the Dutch got the endearing tear as cheese heads. Here is an example of some cheese heads.



Allan and Jenny Gray. Genius or lazy. They are the inventors of the Cornish Yarg. They came up with the idea of using a Caerphilly recipe but then covering it with the leaves of nettles. Also recently wild garlic is also used. So with such detail going into the cheese, was it lazy or a stroke of inspiration for the Grays just to reverse their surname and the Yarg was born.

A tribute to backwards cheese...


Monday 21 December 2009

Day twentyone...

It's Not Your Cheese

I am being accused of having no sense of humour and whit. They say this blog is too serious, to educational. There is no joy its just learn BOOM fact BOOM classic quote BOOM. So this evening I would like to relax with some fine fromage jokes I picked up from around the interweb. Get the needle and thread handy to sow up them sides;

Why did the cheese lose a fight with a stone? Because the Roquefort back. What do you call cheese from Israel? Cheeses of Nazareth. I used to work as a cheese monger, but I Camembert it any longer. And for my piece of resistance...


Sunday 20 December 2009

Day twenty....

The Art of Cutting Cheese

From this......
To this....

But Parmesan Reggiano is a temperamental we bugger. So how can one portion up a cheese that is a brick on the outside and crumbly on the inside. Not unlike one of them there dime bars or armadillos. There is an art to this as the natural layers of the Reggiano should break away perfectly. Here is the perfect technique.



Beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL. Of course another classic method of cutting cheese is the old pull of the finger...



However the undertone of this advert is coarse, disguisting, unsocial. So i was glad to stumble across this educational game. Finally it is our time. Stand up cheesemongers of the world, for we are no longer staff, prolitariate, wage monkeys we are ARTISTS!

http://www.4kids.tv/games/play/cut-the-cheese

Saturday 19 December 2009

Day nineteen...

The Creamery for You and Me

Most of the cheese that will pass through our mouths will be produced in a creamery. A creamery? A creamery? A creamery? Yes a creamery. A creamery is the gathering place of milk. They love it there. All this milk makes its way from the cows in many fields in a region to one wee factory. There just wouldn't be enough room in the factory you see. And then this happens...


This is the viewing area in a creamery. This being one of the most exciting moments in cheese making. The cutting of the curds. But such a flamboyant method to do something simple. Maybe as this is the viewing area they were under pressure to put on a show and maybe that's why in so many factories in the 80's they used to whizz the product around like it was coming off a newsreel. All this technology and it wouldn't look as impressive going in a straight line. Subject below is another example, albeit non cheese but great song nonetheless.



These are far removed from even some of the artisan cheeses being produced though out the world, but non can sure complete with the highest cheese factory in the world.


This cheese factory is on a plateau just before the GanJa-La Pass in the Himalayas and produces Yaks milk Cheese. A feast for belly and eyes.

Friday 18 December 2009

Day eighteen....

Smoked Cheese

One always wanders how do pairings come together? Fish and chips, lamb and mint, pork and apple, a burger and a pint for a fiver. I wander if this was the origins of the cheese so aptly named smoked.



Not this said incident, but I wander if Homer when casting his eye on the cheeses of the Greek mountain caves thought.

"I like cheese, but this feta just crumbles, its salty, and stereotypical of me as a Greek man to succumb to such stereotypes, how can i make it better? I know set it on fire,"
Or
"Fire, dum dum da, I take you to burn, dum dum da. Oh fire, dum dum da, I take you to learn, dum dum da, I'll see you burn."

The second one being the more likely quote for the epic poet.

Whilst smoked cheese is very big in Europe, with England, producing Smoked Apple wood, plus the Bavarian smoked from Austria and Germany, and not forgetting that the Swiss can smoke their Emmentaller, it doesn't seem to have had such wide spread appeal in Japan. This one girl just craves some answers. But in a world of hidden truths will she ever achieve smokey fromage bliss.



Thursday 17 December 2009

Day seventeen....

Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend

Cheese on toast. Queso en tostada. Fromage sur le pain. Kase auf brot. сыр на хлебе. Whichever way put it is a classic combination. Be it a sharp cheddar, a nutty Jarlsberg or even a creamy chevre its something that just is. So how come the welsh are accredited the name. Well it is actually an insult. Even in 1725 they knew what irony was and could cut a nation down with it. The poor in England were associated with rabbit and the notoriously poor Welsh had cheese. Some believe this was the beginning. However Francis Grose thought otherwise and believed that rabbit was a corruption of rarebit and the public ate this up, like the Welsh did crumbs of cheese.

















"A dictionary of buckish slang, university wit and pickpocket eloquence"

Many words used today originate from this publishing. Ginger people will not be big fans as this is the first noted use of the slang for them as carrots. Other gems include an apple dumpling shop, which is a Lady's bosom. And not forgetting the classic bum fodder or shit tickets as 21st century equivalent www.urbandictionary.com supplies. Grose would go on midnight walks through London's notorious drinking dens and add interesting slang to his "knowledge box". A tough life he lived but someone had to do it and I couldn't but maybe I'm just being "mealy-mouthed".

One of the only other uses of the word rarebit was in this comic strip made by Windsor McCay. A surreal comic that resolved itself by the protagonist Rarebit Fiend waking up and blaming his actions on a nightmare induced by cheese. Don't get me started McCay!!! (ref day 12)

Wednesday 16 December 2009

Day sixteen....

I Love Camembert.

Who doesn't? Spread on a cracker, melted on bread, baked in oven or bread crumbed and deep fried it doesn't matter just as long as it goes in my mouth, delectable! But I feel as though my love for this cheese just isn't enough. When we first met tastes, I yearned for it like no other but as time passed on we got comfortable. I neglected it. Never told it how much i enjoyed it. We got complacent in out relationship and then one day I heard this lullaby wafting from the nearby alley.


Pascal Assy, or in English according to google translate Assy Pascal, wrote a sonnet to steal my beloved. Damn him and his guitar. Why is it they always go for the boys in the band. Who can compete. His website states...

"Pascal Assy makes you humor in July and August"


Look at him, half Billy Bob Thornton, half Jonathan Richman. Dairy products follow second to women in tales of pursuit. Enjoy another craftsman at his work as I tearfully browse old photos of le rustique and remember the good times.


Tuesday 15 December 2009

Day fifteen....

Not even Wendsleydale?

"One by one I made out most of our grey villages with their thin pall of smoke. And as I watched the evening train creeping up the valley with its pauses at our three stations, a quaint thought came into my head and it was that there was hardly a man, woman or child in all those villages of whom I did not know the Christian name and with whom I was not on terms of intimate friendship. My wife and I say that we know most of the dogs and, indeed some of the cats"

These are to words of one Will Pickles, as he describes Wendselydale. A quaint place. Humble Yorkshire town and home of a great regional cheese. Wendselydale started its life back in 1156, when Cisterian monks settled and with it brought the knowledge of Penicillium Roquforti. This is the mold that makes cheese bleu(not a mistake). But what's that I hear you cry? I know! Any person who has seen this classic will know that Wendsleyday is not blue but it is a crumbly, pure white cheese.
Wallace and Gromit saved a cheese that was on the brink of extinction. The new Cisterian monk, Wallace has a holy air of calm about his person and Gromit his disciples. Nick Park stop with all this subversion and come out with it!
Recently at Arcadia a delivery of 7 box loads of cheese arrived, and I felt privileged almost selfish, when thinking of pool old Henry Wendsleydale.....


Monday 14 December 2009

Day fourteen....

The Worlds Largest Cheese

When our cheese order arrived at Arcadia last week, in one of the boxes was our usual standard wedge of Comte, and it is described as one 18th of a wheel. This got me thinking what size is the whole wheel and from that wondered what was the largest cheese? Of course it is very impractical to have a giant cheese, as when cheese is maturing it needs to be turned regularly for the moisture to escape evenly, so who would be stupid enough to create a cheese that would need a specially built mold and a lot of heavy machinery to turn the cheese. The answer is these people....
The Spainish, yes I do mean Spainish.

You wouldn't think they would have found the time with all the tomato throwing, and European Cup winning, but guess again. In a small town in Galicia, called Arzua they made quite the portly cheese. Using 8,000 litres of milk they made a cheese weighing in at one tonne.



It was to be divided up into 5,000 portions to be shared amongst the people, however there were reports of a shady character lurking menacing. Police have but out this photo....


Sunday 13 December 2009

Day thirteen....

Holy Cheese ii

Holy cheese indeed, but how, why, why is there holes in cheese? Well it is "gassy bacteria". Propionibacter shermani to be precise. Once this is added to the cheese and warmed it creates bubbles of carbon dioxide and viola holy cheese or as the Swiss so funny call it Emmentaler. But where is the fun of that? So the great story tellers of yester year dreamed up that a cute little mouse creating the holes would be far more appetising. Starting two myths in one. In fact mice are indifferent towards cheese, even a 18 month matured in a cave, pong blue de ougne. They would much prefer a nice square of Cadburys. Years of media followed this with rhymes such as the Farmer in the dell referencing the mouse takes the cheese, the mouse takes the cheese and Tom trying to entice Jerry with slices of cheese, did he not realise after years of failing cheese wasn't the right trap for intended purposes. But it wasn't until 1993 that the men in the studios realised how to sell us on the truth.....



Biker Mice from Mars, and who were there arch enemies??? Laurence Limburger, Lord Camembert and Napoleon Brie. There has always been an undertone of cartoon creators pushing their subliminal messages upon the child masses but this was a bit obvious.





Saturday 12 December 2009

Day twelve.....

Cheese Dreams



This is the sort of nightmarish vision that would appear to me if I were to have a slice of mimolette on my toast before slumber. Or so maybe I would think I would have, should I say now there is minor proof that there is little or no connection between eating cheese and having nightmares. If anything eating cheese can enhance your dreams. With different cheeses giving different types of dream. Red Leicester gives rose-tinted nostalgic dreams, with Stilton comes the bizarre, and plain old Cheshire gives plain old dreamless nights.
It is said it is around this time of year that the connection between nightmares and cheese began back when Charlie Dickens penned;

"Because,'' said Scrooge, "a little thing affects them. A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheats. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!''

This is Scrooge riposte, of why he was seeing these visions of Christmas past, present and future, so maybe if you are a mean old hag this isn't the best time of year to start experimenting with your cheese dreams. Humbug.

Friday 11 December 2009

Day eleven

Ye Olde Amsterdam



"Dans le port d’Amsterdam, Y a des marins qui chantent, Les rêves qui les hantent, Au large d’Amsterdam"
As Jacque Brel sang this opening line which is transcripted for David Bowie as;

"In the port of Amsterdam there's a sailor who sings, of the dreams that he brings from the wide open sea."

But why must that sailor dream of beauts from afar when one of the worlds nicest cheeses can be found right on the portstep. Old Amsterdam is blissful, in a world where every cheese blogger and critique, strive to find new strange, quirky, runny, smelly cheese. I'm talking bout you stinking bishop, maybe one day you'll be up here. But for now we shall just bask in the aforementioned cheese's classic glory. Old Amsterdam is a Gouda that has been aged for 18 months or longer. And the 18 months is well worth the wait. With a richly nutty taste and cool black rind what is there not to like. Even the adverts just ooze class.




Thursday 10 December 2009

Day ten...

The Most Dangerous Cheese


Cheese not only is true scrumptious but all, in some cases, dangerous. But isn't that all the fun, for all you thrill seekers looking your next hit I suggest trying to get your hands on some double Gloucester, literally.
"There is no such thing as bravery, only degrees of fear"



Beautiful video, idiotic people, good times. This event is held on Coopers Hill near Gloucester, every spring bank holiday. It has been going for about 200 years now and no one knows of why or where it came from. However if this is hardcore for your tastes, retire, or you can choose the less dangerous option.


Wednesday 9 December 2009

Day nine....

The Worlds Smelliest Cheese

People often complain about the smell of cheese. Comparing it to feet amongst other things, but if your feet were to smell like this next cheese, I recommend seeing a doctor or cutting them off. Vieux Boulogne has been the worlds official smelliest cheese for about the past 5 years. Seeing of other competitors such as Epossies which itself is so smelly it is banned from being taken on public transport in France. This is a soft rind washed cheese, and it is thought it is the reaction of the beer it is washed with, that sets it apart. Lets just hope this never happens to you whilst at a diner party serving the aforementioned cheese....



But a rose by any other name... I don't think Shakespeare ever came across the Vieux Boulonge, but maybe Mrs Dory Previn had as in her song Play it Sam she most beautifully sings....
"A rose by any other name still has thorns du du du."
Go on have a listen....
http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/1611/186/

Tuesday 8 December 2009

Day eight....

Kraft macaroni and Cheese
Here is another beautiful example of the versatility of cheese. Macaroni had long been a European favourite throughout the 1800s, stolen from the Chinese, by that "krafty" Marco Polo.

Looks very shifty, but that's probably the 25 years of travelling can do that to you.
But back to Kraft. It began life as a proper cheese company with the founder James L. Kraft wanting to bring affordable cheese products to America. And achieved this with a product beautifully named "America Cheese".

But it was the war which was the upturn for Kraft. He sold £6million worth of cheese to the army, and on their return everyone had now got a taste for it. The salesmen start trying the powdered cheese to boxes of macaroni. Kraft caught on and Kraft Macaroni and cheese was born.



How could a nation refuse this? I hope with the popularity of American products these days, Kraft relaunch it in the UK, i think an add featuring this tune by these young upstarts would be appropriate....



Thank you and good night.

Monday 7 December 2009

Day seven.....

Say.... "SHEESE"



"Hey Man, I'm drinking dine, eating sheese and catching some gays."

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but if Oddball from Kelly Heroes had being a vegan this is how it would have played out, but we know there aren't vegan alternatives to wine called dine... yet! And I don't think the vegans have a problem with rays. However there is now a vegan cheese on the market call sheese.



Yum yum best served with pringles by the looks of things!

I wander how long it took them to come up with the name. Maybe not quite as long as Englebert Humperdink....

Sunday 6 December 2009

Day six....

Cheesus Christ

On such a spiritual day one can only think of one thing. Wonder if there are and holy cheeses? what about emmental or other such cheeses I hear you ask?? IDIOT!! I reply. Had this not being a text based question you reply would have been valid. I yearn for a cheese that not only nourishes my belly but also my soul. After years of trying to burn my melted cheese toasty in a way only crazy Americans can I have finally found my answer. So instead of this....


I will be having some of this smashing nun cheese.....


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_Our_Lady_of_the_Angels

And since you cant have wine without cheese I recommend a nice Buckfast number 17 to wash down the cheese. You will be tasting piney notes as your face falls flat into table.

Saturday 5 December 2009

Day five.....


"The Neglect of Cheese in Literature"

This is a work by G K Chesterson, pictured. A fine man. But wrong.... After hours of research.... pissing about on the interweb i came across this...




This is Timer. He was the advocate for healthy living in 70s America, surprising because I think he is quite the portly fella. But a troubadour non the less. He travelled through America seeking ways to help others live their lives but no sweeter verse has been said so truly about the beauty of cheese. I bid you adieu




Friday 4 December 2009

Day four.....

The War of Vacherin Mont d'Or

Many cheeses have the audacity to call themselves king of the cheeses, such cocky wee upstarts include stilton, a duke at best and brie de meaux, a whiff of a queen, but only the Vacherin can call itself the emperor of cheese.

Banned in the US, riling the ever neutral Swiss and only available for a few months a year. Made on the Jura mountains separating le French from their Swiss buddies, both countries happily made Vacherin Mont d'Or until 1973. Then the clinical Swiss when behind un French backs and arranged an AOC having legal rights to call it Vacherin Mont d'Or. The French continued to make the cheese changing the name to Vacherin du Haut-Doubs, using unpasturiesd milk, Hence the Banned in the USA.

But then the clinicalness of the Swiss faultered, they began to used pasturised milk to exploit US markets, however an unfortune outbreak of listeria resulted in the Swiss Mont d'Or also being banned, aswell as affecting the sales of the French Vacherin.




All the conflict and look at these simple people, this is part of the festival to celebrate the new Mont d'Or season. Lovely stuff. But what is better? Vacherin Mont d'Or or Vacherin Haut-Doubs. Only one way to find out. F...................

Thursday 3 December 2009

Day three....



"Chunks of cheddar make me feel better, slabs of brie will set me free."

Not my words but the words of one Nardwuar the Human Serviette, lead singer of the Evaporators. Luckily there was no slice of gouda to make him sing louder.

If only aul JP Sartre had at hand a nice slab of brie, maybe he wouldnt have been so miserable...

"Man is condemned to be free, because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does"

Wednesday 2 December 2009

Day two....


"The products Fromagerie Boivin offer so fresh they sing in every bite"

This is the opening line from a cheese company website who threw 2,o00 lb of cheese into the ocean to help it mature with the idea of the temperature and pressure being ideal. However this ideal of theirs came to afoot when it was time to retrieve the cheese. Not realising how deep and dark the fjords were and the deep currents running through them, 15 days diving they gave up hoop of rescuing the cheese. Beautiful!!! Guess what they are going to try again!!!!

Tuesday 1 December 2009

Day One.....


The Physiology of Taste by Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

Stumbled upon this text while looking for a quote on cheese only to find plentiful other classics...

"A dinner that ends without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye"

"Obesity has a lamentable influence on the two sexes, inasmuch as it is most injurious to strength and beauty"

"Thinness is a matter of no great trouble to men, It is, however, a terrible misfortune to women, to whom beauty is more important than life, and the beauty of whom consists in the roundness and graceful contour of their forms."

Even to scan down the contents is a joy.

http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/brillat/savarin/b85p/index.html