Another glimpse of the Fancy Food Show
Jan. 25th, 2007 09:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gordonzolaOld Mr. Importer was giving me a tour of their booth. It was a large booth, about sixteen display cases, each one staffed by a European sampling out their products. OMI walked me through each one, introducing me to the people I didn't know and pointing out the cheeses he thought I'd be interested in.
The cheese his company imports are generally large production European ones trying to break into the American market. I don't buy from OMI directly, and I tend to be only looking for more hand-made and small production Euro cheese, but you gotta know what's out there.
About halfway through, there was a pretty good washed-rind German cheese. During their aging, washed rind cheeses are brushed or brined with salt water or booze. The creates bacterial reactions that make the rind pink or orange and make the cheese more strong and pungent. There are lots of different washed-rind cheeses but it's generally the style that gets described as smelling like old socks or yeast infections. This German one at the booth probably wouldn't be too expensive since it was large production and while it wasn't too strong, it had enough stink and stickiness to make newer cheese eaters realize they wouldn't have to be scared anymore. I'm always looking for gateway cheeses.
But the German rep, thankfully not dressed in lederhosen like almost every other working German in the building, was much more interested in selling me loaves of bland cheese with stuff in it. Cheese-with-stuff-in-it, as most long-time readers know, is my lease favorite category of cheese, but if I want some for the store, I certainly don't need to import it from 6000 miles away.
Finally I got the subject back to the cheese I was actually interested in. Imediately he tried to steer me towards buying it pre-cut and wrapped.
"Why would I want to do that?" I asked, picturing sad, shriveling little pieces of cheese below sealine in a cargo hold, crying out "Why did you cut me so young?'" as the last bits of interesting flavor leach into the heavy cryovac plastic, and they die a lonely, unappreciated death.
"Well, the ladies…" I will not try to mimic him phonetically, but read his quotes with a heavy German accent.
"Uh, what about the ladies?" I ask.
"Cheese counter ladies…"he holds up his hands. "They don't like to get smelly cheese under their fingernails. Pre-wrapped keeps the ladies happy."* He gives me a big smile. OMI had the good graces to laugh nervously and try to change the subject. The German cheese rep plows forward talking over him, giving me one of those we're-all-men-here smiles along with a shoulder shrug. "You have to keep the counter girls happy."
"Wow." I say, "I've never really noticed that being a problem, see…"
OMI, a smoother-overer by profession, butts in between us and thanks the sexist German for his time. The German rep nods and scurries back behind the counter. OMI quickly introduces me to the English cheesemaker at the next station. "You'll really like these cheeses," he says nervously.
"What is it," I ask.
English cheese. With stuff in it. Of course.
*much like cuts of Emmenthal keeps the ladies happy I guess.
The cheese his company imports are generally large production European ones trying to break into the American market. I don't buy from OMI directly, and I tend to be only looking for more hand-made and small production Euro cheese, but you gotta know what's out there.
About halfway through, there was a pretty good washed-rind German cheese. During their aging, washed rind cheeses are brushed or brined with salt water or booze. The creates bacterial reactions that make the rind pink or orange and make the cheese more strong and pungent. There are lots of different washed-rind cheeses but it's generally the style that gets described as smelling like old socks or yeast infections. This German one at the booth probably wouldn't be too expensive since it was large production and while it wasn't too strong, it had enough stink and stickiness to make newer cheese eaters realize they wouldn't have to be scared anymore. I'm always looking for gateway cheeses.
But the German rep, thankfully not dressed in lederhosen like almost every other working German in the building, was much more interested in selling me loaves of bland cheese with stuff in it. Cheese-with-stuff-in-it, as most long-time readers know, is my lease favorite category of cheese, but if I want some for the store, I certainly don't need to import it from 6000 miles away.
Finally I got the subject back to the cheese I was actually interested in. Imediately he tried to steer me towards buying it pre-cut and wrapped.
"Why would I want to do that?" I asked, picturing sad, shriveling little pieces of cheese below sealine in a cargo hold, crying out "Why did you cut me so young?'" as the last bits of interesting flavor leach into the heavy cryovac plastic, and they die a lonely, unappreciated death.
"Well, the ladies…" I will not try to mimic him phonetically, but read his quotes with a heavy German accent.
"Uh, what about the ladies?" I ask.
"Cheese counter ladies…"he holds up his hands. "They don't like to get smelly cheese under their fingernails. Pre-wrapped keeps the ladies happy."* He gives me a big smile. OMI had the good graces to laugh nervously and try to change the subject. The German cheese rep plows forward talking over him, giving me one of those we're-all-men-here smiles along with a shoulder shrug. "You have to keep the counter girls happy."
"Wow." I say, "I've never really noticed that being a problem, see…"
OMI, a smoother-overer by profession, butts in between us and thanks the sexist German for his time. The German rep nods and scurries back behind the counter. OMI quickly introduces me to the English cheesemaker at the next station. "You'll really like these cheeses," he says nervously.
"What is it," I ask.
English cheese. With stuff in it. Of course.
*much like cuts of Emmenthal keeps the ladies happy I guess.
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no subject
Date: 2007-01-25 07:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-25 07:27 pm (UTC)That being said, the Welsh cheese with stuff runs about $15-$18 a lb now.
I do like the Bravo Chipotle and Sage Cheddars. and some pepper soft-ripened. I tasted a German mushroom brie (different vendor!) this week that didn't taste like the shrooms came out of a can.