Appreciating Roquefort Cheese

My humble Wisconsin origins have not sufficiently prepared me for the smell and the taste of some of the sharpest, most pungent of French cheeses. Sure,  I've tasted ash-lined and algae-layered varieties; I didn't regret eating the raw milk cheeses, nor has the odor that comes with nearly all French cheeses stopped me from enjoying the dietary richness of such cheeses as the Camembert de Normandie.

Roquefort is another story: it is literally moldy. The cheese owes its existence to a boy leaving cheese in a cave only to return some months later to find it "deliciously" moldy (read the Wikipedia article). It has a distinguishing look, a strong taste and, not surprisingly, a pungent odor beyond any of the other cheeses I've tasted. 

Enjoying cheese is an essential part of French culture, I've observed; the French really enjoy the nearly 300 varieties of cheese for which their country is known, so I cannot live here without at least appreciating a cheese that I have until know avoided eating at dinner parties, at family gatherings, etc. 

My new year's resolution is to... appreciate Roquefort cheese. I will probably never love it, but the least I can do is eat it from time to time.

Les Cadeaux de Noël

The Ritz

I wasn't the only non Francophone for Christmas this year. In years past, I spent traditional Christmas nights in Germany and in France, but this year I learned a bit about Italian culture while partaking in a traditional French Christmas ripe with froie gras and champagne.

In Germany, I discovered red sauerkraut, a delicious surprise that I find very little of in France. The family with which I dined on that Christmas day served a simple, satisfying meal. In France, there's the famous farce, froie gras, smoked salmon, perfectly cooked poultry, plenty of wine and champagne and, of course, an abundance of conversation (above all, politics, society and culture) and cheese.

Language had previously been a barrier. I speak French and know a lot more about French politics this year, so the entire evening's conversation was open to me. We talked political strategies, who will vote for whom, why and under what conditions... It was interesting, something I think we do very little of in the US.

When Adrian, the son of Anthénaume's mother's paramour brought his Italian girlfriend over to introduce the family, the spell was broken: we had to speak in English. She had lived in London for three years and thus had been forced to learn English; she spoke very little French.

I might have been disappointed, but we continued to speak French throughout most of the evening, as Anthénaume and Adrian were the only others who could speak English. Needless to say, there was a lot of confusion in between Adrian and his Girlfriend and even Anthénaume (I never said that they spoke English well) and among all of the strictly francophone guests, but we nevertheless managed to produce a beautiful exchange on Culture.

In Italy, I learned, each of the regions have kept their particular language and culture--especially the cities front Rome and southward, where men still treat women as inferior objects. Adrian's girlfriend explained a lot about the divisions between north and South, between Sardinia and the continent, etc. Having heard this, I am really glad we chose to book a flight to Rome in order to see the Italian capital. France has a strong, centralized culture that does not tolerate very many culture divisions between regions... and Germany simple seemed a bit too globalized. Italy will be more of a cultural experience that I had imagined!

We exchanged gifts (bottles of wine, books, chocolates and perfumes for the ladies), and ended the night at roughly 3 in the morning! A night of lively conversation, polite company and a lot of cheese and champagne--my Christmas 2011 in France was above all a pleasant experience.

« Pays des 300 fromages »

I found a small booklet entitled "Prenez la route des fromages" in my apartment today. Inside, there is a list of cheeses from important regions such as Normandie and Auvergne, two regions I enjoy very much. I know nothing about their cheeses, even after having eaten them.

In our refrigerator, we have some Tomme Noir, a smooth cheese originating in the Alps. It is good on toast, in sandwiches or even alone. The fact is that I know so little about cheese after having lived in France for over a year is now starting to bother me. I must now be resolved to learn how to distinguish between the 350-400 cheeses comprising 8 or so categories. I must eat more cheese.