Cheese, Glorious Cheese (1986)

[pikkewyntjie.livejournal.com]

Wanna know why I could never be a vegan? This. 



Of these, I have never had port du Salut or limburger (which earns this post the "odors" tag). My ethnically German grandfather loved the stuff, but I wouldn't go near it when I was a kid. 

ETA: This is American Cheese Month! 

Comments

[jocelmeow.livejournal.com]

If you buy only one cheese book, I'd suggest it be Max McCalman (http://www.maxmccalman.com/Home_Page.html)'s Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Cheese-Lessons-Connoisseurship-Fromager/dp/0307406482/ref=pd_sim_b1). Brown's book is a fun read, but believe it or not, the cheese world has changed a great deal since it was written in the 50s, and Max will have you right up to date (and drooling on the pages).

[pikkewyntjie.livejournal.com]

I think the cheese world has changed just in the last 10 years, at least in the U.S. I remember seeing a program about advertising back in the late 90s or early 2000s which explained that marketing studies showed that in every part of North America (I assume they mean they were including Mexico and the Caribbean) that people see cheese as a dead thing. Therefore, cheese ads would show cheese in plastic bags in the refrigerator similar to body bags in the morgue. Yurg! I was surprised they were so honest. On the other hand, in France, people think of cheese as a living thing so ads show cheesemakers handling the cheese.

Lately, however, I have seen American cheese ads that are similar to the French ads. I think the foodie culture has had a lot to do with changing American views of cheese. This Sargento ad is a good example:

[jocelmeow.livejournal.com]

No doubt it's changed a lot, although, despite the imagery, I know Sargento and anything else pre-shredded in bags loaded with starch to keep it from clumping together gets packed in a facility that looks just like that. Also, what they shred likely comes in blocks up to the thousands of pounds, and not the couple-hundred-pound wheel you saw that guy draw a piece out of with a cheese iron (http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/File:Cheese-iron-cache.jpg).

I cheesemongered from 1995 to 2000, and I know there are plenty of things that have come on the scene since I took my whites off for the last time. I miss having it all available to me, although I don't mind not smelling like cheese all the time!

If you love cheese, you might be interested in the facebook page of the American Cheese Society (http://www.facebook.com/AmericanCheeseSociety) - they're the organization dedicated to advancing the cause of the sort of farmstead and artisan cheeses that are the most interesting being made in the States today.

And most cheesemongers love to share their knowledge with interested people - and cut pieces for you to taste. So don't be afraid to loiter about the place reading signs and asking questions - except maybe in the week before Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Eve, when cranky cheesesellers have been known to launch a kilo Brie Frisbee-style at the 57th person in a row who approaches the counter and says "I need three cheeses for a party." (What can I say, some of us love food in general more than we love people in general. ;D)

[pikkewyntjie.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree with you about Sargento. That's just marketing (false advertising is more like it).

I'll check out that FB page. Thanks!

[misstia]

have totally joined that facebook page!! :D

i love my local giant eagle since they expanded and added a cheese shop---i know it's not like a cheese store cheese store, but they have educated on cheese employees there and about 600 different types of cheese......i LOVE going there and sampling!!!

[pikkewyntjie.livejournal.com]

I joined, too, and I found it it's American Cheese Month! As in, celebration of cheeses in America, not just American cheese. I'm adding that info to my post! :)

[misstia]

i just joined the group and haven't been back yet (trying to eat, do 20 things at once as usualy....)....i didn't know this month was ALSO american cheese month...i knew it was cookie month....i am celebrating that by having cookie dough for dessert! :)

i guess tomorrow i'll have some of my blueberry cheddar i have in the fridge for cheese month!! :D