Gres des Vosges and Nihilist Mints: Lunch Boys and Stinky Cheese
Dear Food Diary:
Some of my coworkers are total foodies, which makes lunch time super fun. Last week, the boys bought some Gres des Vosges from Murray’s Cheese. The most pungent thing my nose and senses ever encountered. Of course it had to be French. It’s made with pasteurized cow’s milk, traditional soft-ripened, washed rind cheese. It is carefully matured for at least 3 weeks in humid cellars, in the vineyards of the Alsace region. According to cheese aficionado Peter, they were illegal to import until last year or so, which isn’t surprising, something that pungent and powerful should be handled very very carefully. Here was my first experience:
PREP WORK PRE STINKY CHEESE: “GRES DE VOSGES”
WHAT DOES STINKY CHEESE “GRES DE VOSGES” SMELL LIKE?
TAKE A DEEP BREATH, NOW IT’S MY TURN TO TRY THAT STINK
Originally I just wanted to watch the boys eat and video tape their experience, but they convinced me and I gave it a shot. Surprisingly it was very rich and creamy once you get over the odor. Similar to eating Stinky Tofu, you learn to appreciate it once your able to get pass that initial sniff.
Frank from Overnightscape Underground (a late night broadcast) sat in the office the whole time, with the pungent aroma dancing around him. I was shocked he stayed put the entire time, without having any, I mean, it’s one thing to eat it and another just to smell. Kudos to him!
JUST SMELLING “GRES DE VOSGES” but can’t have any
That’s my lunch plate. It definitely helped to have the stinkiest cheese I’ve ever eaten with good prosciutto, and homemade quince membrillo. It freshened the smell, giving the smooth, creamy cheese a sweet and savory note, and the cheese crackers added that crunchy texture to it all. Good but I’m not a big fan of stinky cheese in general, so I won’t be running to Murray’s Cheese anytime soon, but if you are, you’ll love this for sure, it’s really spreadable, if your thinking having it over bread.
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The Nihilist Flavorless Mints
After all that pungent smell we needed some contrast, so Frank took out his Nihilist Flavorless Mints… interesting… this was one of my most interesting lunch hours for sure.
check out the film i heart huckabees for nihilsm etc