| JUNE, 2009
 Stockholm, Sweden
posted by KRASK June 29, 2009 0:37 General comments (0) trackback URL (0)
FEBRUARY, 2009
 Banon Chèvre cheese has been made for a long time. Dating back to ancient
Rome, it is said that emperor Antoninus Pius died in 161BC from eating
too much of it. He must have really liked the cheese.
Besides
its ability to kill, what makes this cheese so special? It's basically
an unpasteurized goat's milk cheese from the Provence region of France.
What's distinct about it is the method by which it's matured. The soft
curd is molded into a ladle, then wrapped in green chestnut leaves that
have been soaked in eau de vie, a clear fruit brandy. The 100 gram
cheese are then tied with raffia.
When young, the cheese is supposed to
be chalky and taste sour. It's best to buy it after it has aged some,
which you can tell by the color of the leaves. Dark green or brown is
best. The cheese we tried was from Fromagerie de Banon and was very
soft and creamy with a slight nutty taste. It was very tasty, but I
doubt one could eat enough to be fatal. It would make a pretty good
last meal though.
posted by KRASK February 23, 2009 8:26 Monday Cheese comments (1) trackback URL (0)
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JANUARY, 2009
 In their last parting shot to the French, the Bush administration has increased the import duty on Roquefort cheese. Four days before leaving office, they raised the tariff from the current 100%, to a whopping 300%. This will effectively make Roquefort cheese unobtainable in the US. Why the change? This is supposedly in retaliation to the EU ban on hormone-treated beef. But why pick on Roquefort? Only 2% of it is shipped to the states, so it's unlikely the increased tariff will force the EU to end their ban. Perhaps the same brilliant minds that came up with Freedom Fries are at work here. Are they still upset that France opposed the US invasion of Iraq? That would explain higher tariffs on some French products, but why Roquefort cheese specifically?
No trade war is good without escalation, so French officials are considering what to do next. One member of Parliament plans on introducing a bill imposing duties on one of the largest American imports, Coca Cola. But things may get more interesting than that.
José Bové, a French farmer and trade activist promises more drastic and certainly more colorful action. Back in 1999, a McDonald's restaurant was set to open in Millau, France. Upset about corporate globalization of food and especially the use of hormone-treated beef, he and a group of union members and other activists set out to make a statement. Arriving just days before the grand opening of the McDonald's, they took their tools and machinery and completely dismantled the restaurant. Down to the ground. They then loaded the rubble on a truck, paraded it through town, and in a final act of defiance, dumped the whole load in front of city hall. For this act he was sentenced to 3 months in prison.
The same year he was involved in the WTO protests in Seattle and some years later was convicted for destroying various genetically engineered crops in Brazil and France, for which he also served time. In 2006 on a trip to Cornell University, he was stopped at JFK Airport and denied entry into the US because of these crimes. The US government certainly doesn't like troublemakers like José.
Unable to enter the US, it will be interesting to see what protest José comes up with. Perhaps he'll go back to his farm in Millau and ponder this question. The same farm where his sheep roam the pastures and José collects the milk to make Roquefort cheese.
posted by KRASK January 30, 2009 6:11 Politics comments (0) trackback URL (0)
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