Thursday, September 27, 2007

Why Cheddar?


My first entry should address two questions: why Cheddar and why a blog?

If you discovered my blog because you are mad about cheese or you are an enthusiastic foodie, you must be thinking to yourself that there are plenty of other cheeses that I could or should devote a blog to. Why Cheddar, and why not a more "gourmet" cheese, like Camembert? The reason is that no other cheese has as rich and international a history as Cheddar. Cheddar has traveled the world and taken it by storm. It's the world's most popular cheese type. Camembert can't boast that. Cheddar is a jet-setter, keeping homes all around the world, just like a professional tennis player, who might own a Spanish-style villa in Florida to practice with the Williams sisters, an apartment in her hometown in Serbia to keep it real, and a residence in Monaco to avoid heavy taxes. This tennis player is so international and multilingual that one easily forgets where she's from. Likewise, Cheddar has so comfortably incorporated itself into the cuisines of the Anglophone world (chiefly,
the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the British Isles) that people forget its country of origin—England—and claim Cheddar as their own. Case in point, my friend who writes a wonderfully insightful and humorous blog from Berlin, lists Cheddar as one of the basic American foods that she misses in her new hometown. (I am sure she knows that Cheddar is English—she knows a lot about food. The point is that she regards the English cheese as fully American.) It's almost like an English woman in Berlin yearning for French Camembert.

So, why pollute cyberspace with another blog? Well, I want people to know about Cheddar's obscured history and to know more generally about how the foods we eat end up on our forks. The more we know about the food we eat, the wiser and healthier we are. And, from a more selfish point of view, Cheddar allows me to travel the world, from Tasmania to Modesto, Calif., and take you with me.

7 comments:

Stony Grunow said...

Hello Diana! I'm happy you ARE polluting cyberspace with your blog. I look forward to reading it. Did you ever see the BBC special when they did a DNA test of Cheddar Man? I know he has nothing to do with cheese, but I just thought of that.

Anonymous said...

thesis, blog, book movie, political party coup EMPIRE..
the Juggernaut is now in motion..

what is going to stand in the way... FETA? Polly-0 Brie Cheese whiz Mexican string cheese???

It is so funny these little girly man cheeses....

And to those of you who do not bow to cheddar----- esp. the lactose intolerant... be afraid there is no escape and resistance will have terrific consequences.

Dominion is inevitable.

BOW DOWN YOU FEARFUL MINIONS BEFORE

LORD CH E DAR!

On this theme I could go on forever... just wish I had the first comment

anne said...

Cheddar Bound: The Story of a Jet-Setting Cheese. I'd buy the book! Congrats on the launch. You are bookmarked, and will be faithfully read!

Anonymous said...

Looks great, Diana. I am craving some cheddar right now. And I'm glad you were able to squeeze in a mention of your other love, tennis.

Unknown said...

Cheddar in Modesto is the best! Keep it Chee-Z!

Anonymous said...

so excited to read your cheddar missives. congrats on the launch!

Anonymous said...

Hooray, Diana! The world definitely needs your smart opinionated views on cheddar to elevate the overall discourse (can you tell I go to NYU?) on all things cheese. You've stoked a craving-- I'm off to Murray's for a fix. As Anne said, I've got you bookmarked and look forward to checking in as your blog grows.... Congrats! --Meryl