Hi,
I'm JP. Originally from the tropics but now living with my small family here in cold cold Toronto, Canada.
My first encounter with cheese was at a family farm back home when I was about 4yrs old. I will never forget that homemade cheese called "
kesong puti" which literally translates to "white cheese". As a kid, I've probably eaten lots of different kinds of cheeses before my first taste of "
kesong puti" but what makes it unforgettable is the fact that the milk that was used to make the cheese was from a carabao (water buffalo) that was also the family pet that also happened to be the farm helper that tills the land. Without that carabao, we cannot fertilize the land, will not be able to sell our produce and we will starve (unless we eat the carabao itself but let's not go there). Anyway from that day, I was deeply inlove with cheese.
Sadly, like any usual love story, my love affair with cheese withered over the years of me being unfaithful- letting different blocks and jars of cheap processed cheese desensitize my tongue. Years have gone by and I slowly forgot what real cheese even taste like.
Fast forward to Toronto, Canada. I was strolling around the grocery when I chanced upon a slice of cheese that kinda reminded me of the "kesong puti" from my childhood. It's also white and kinda soft but this one has bluish greenish veins. I bought it and I took it home excited that I'm gonna have "
kesong puti" one more time. I took a bite. And then I puked. It was the most appalling thing that I ever put in my mouth! How could they sell me rotten products! I was mad. And then I did some research. And I learned a lot of things about blue cheese. And I tried another bite again and I appreciated it. I actually liked it. I learned a thing about myself that day- no matter how weird the food is, as long as it comes with an interesting background story I would definitely devour it.
So I'm inlove with cheese again. One that stands out for me is Brie. But lately I've been craving a lot for Italian cheese but finding a good product here is a little challenge. My wife is not particular with cheese but she enjoys her wine and so we decided to put up a website called
www.italiancheeseandwine.com last week. The site is not complete yet and we still have to fill it with content (we only have articles that we lifted from wikipedia at the moment) but anyway, we intend to compile the best list of online sellers of Italian Cheese and Wine and also to educate the public about this wonderful food and drink!
Anyhoo, my post is getting too long now. I hope to learn more about cheese in this forum. See ya!