According to this piece from the venerable Daily Mail, it seems that the English are opting for more exotic and cheaper foreign varieties. A strategy that can be adopted in life and love too I guess! Cheddar cheese sales crumbling
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Up Hill and Down Wensleydale
So this week just past I turned 42. Apparently 42 is not just the number after 41. It has “pop culture” significance. It is the angle of degrees at which a rainbow appears. The three best-selling music albums – Michael Jackson’s Thriller, AC/DC’s Back in Black and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon – last 42 minutes. Titanic was traveling at a speed equivalent to 42km/hour when it collided with an iceberg. The world’s first book printed with movable type is the Gutenberg Bible which has 42 lines per page. On page 42 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry discovers he’s a wizard. And of course….In…
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The Long Whey Round
I usually don’t buy the conception of “it’s not the destination, but the journey”. Given my short attention span and inability to sit still (I am what is called, fidgety) and aversion to walking long distances, I usually choose the shortest possible route. However, on my recent European sojourn, I deliberately took the slow boat/train/plane. This resulted in me being more frazzled that usual (I love traveling, hate the process) but I did manage to see four countries in 12 days – UK, The Netherlands, Sweden and finally Oman. If it appears this journey was chosen by randomly throwing darts at a map of the world, you would be close.…
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Date With Destiny
One of the interesting things about living in the Middle East is that literally there is never a dull moment. Last week, Doha alone saw the President of France and the US Secretary of State visit. Then there was the opening of the Taliban (you read right) office. These guys are such bad neighbors. Not a single invite to tea and it has been a week. More exciting has been something that regardless of your background, you may only witness once in a lifetime. That is, the abdication of a ruler. It happened recently in The Netherlands, and now, just yesterday, it happened in Qatar. Qatar’s Emir to Transfer Power…
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When is a Cheese Not a Cheese? When it’s a “Cheese Food”
My lack of pretension about food and in particular, cheese is well known. I have always been in the “if it tastes good…don’t ask questions” school. But while researching something food-related for my real day job (which is in PR by the way), I came across this interesting piece about the facts and the science behind processed cheese. 10 Things to Know About Processed Cheese When I say “processed cheese”, apparently what I really mean is “cheese food”. As it can’t actually be classified as “cheese”. “Cheese food” is a food product made from normal cheese and sometimes other unfermented dairy ingredients, plus emulsifiers, extra salt, food colorings, or whey.…
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Rolled Gold
I knew I should have headed to the UK last weekend…I missed this of all things. Already booking next year’s tickets and trying to find a random child to assist me in winning… Stilton Cheese Rolling Festival
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Cheddar the Class
Cheddar. The but of many jokes, yet one of the most versatile and loved cheeses in the world. I had meant to do this earlier, but didn’t want to resort to generic, supermarket brands. Finally, I stumbled across this beauty at the soon-to-close (perplexing as that is) Dean and Deluca in Doha. Hailing from Glastonbury, the home of that rain-soaked celebrity spotting music festival each year, this smoked cheddar is a thing of beauty. Made by Greens of Glastonbury it has a strong, powerful flavor which is the result of 12 months of aging. Perhaps my new heros, the Green’s have been making cheese for four generations on the Somerset…