Saturday, February 9, 2013

Cheese


To list my weaknesses, the priority would be chocolate and cheese. A Cheesychocaholic would be an apt title. Not that I would eat cheese smeared with chocolate, although cutting cheese with a jammy knife as a child gave me a liking for jam on cheese. That even extended, for no particular reason, to marmalade on bacon.

My father was a great fan of Gorgonzola—a much sharper edition of blue cheese and I loved it, so I can consume blue cheese of any variety. One of the advantages of a trip to New Zealand, apart from a touch of summer in the Canadian winter, is the price and variety of cheese. Many cheeses can be bought in one kilogram blocks for about $7 to $10 Canadian.

On a trip to the local market last Saturday morning I found a stall selling 250 gram rounds of a variety of brie, Camembert and blue cheeses $6 for three. When I went to make a purchase, the Camembert was sold out, so I ordered three brie and blue cheeses. It was not till later when I opened the brown bag the girl gave me, I discovered four cheeses: no doubt an apology for no Camembert.

I guess I know that man cannot live by bread alone, so cheese makes a palatable alternative. In fact, a bread and cheese sandwich is my default for most meals I have to prepare for myself. Of course, I know it would be cheesy to say cheese is a substitute for the Word of God, but it’s still a useful fallback if I can’t turn stones into bread.

You may be reading this a day early, and we are a day (less about four hours) ahead of you. So I guess I’ll just have to enjoy a cheeeeeese sandwich while you catch up!