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Cheese Blog Posts
November, 2008
October, 2008
- What kind of world would you live in?
- It's Cheese & Wine Party Time!
- Blue Cheese Stuffed Olive Martinis or Cheese Sushi
- You can't take my cheese from me!
September, 2008
- Cheese, Peanut Butter & Pickles
- Does that come with cheese?
- String cheese, hula hoops and lunch boxes
- Who doesn't love a grilled cheese sandwich?
August, 2008
- What's a healthy lifestyle without cheese?
- Wouldn't you rather have the cheese plate?
- Whether your cheese is blue or orange, can't we all just get along?
- Ode to the Cheesemonger
July, 2008
- Cheese-Wine Pairings
- The cheese stands alone, Hi-ho, the derry-o, the cheese stands alone
- The best cheese is MY cheese
- What's for breakfast? lunch? dinner? Cheese!
- Which Cheese are You?
June, 2008
How to Serve Cheese
Serving a variety of cheeses before dinner, after dinner, or as horsdoeuvres, makes an elegant and tasty snack. With very little preparation, a chees...More
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Ode to the Cheesemonger
2008-08-06
Did you know that burgermeister (actually "bürgermeister") is a real word? It means "mayor" in German. I just never believed it was an actual, real word that people used because it sounds so silly to me! And how about antidisestablishmentarianism? This extremely long word of 28 letters and 12 syllables is often brought up as the longest word in the English language, but did you know it actually means something? It refers to a political philosophy in 19th century England.
And then, of course, there are other great funny sounding words like "cheesemonger," which are in fact real words! In the case of "cheesemonger, we asked our cheese site readers the following question, requesting specifically that they not look anything up.
What do you think a cheesemonger is?
Julie from Washington D.C. says, "I took the cheese quiz on your website and I've already forgotten. A person who makes cheese for a living?" Strah9 from Boston guesses, "An artisanal cheesemaker who sells cheese." Taryn from Atlanta states, "I assume it's someone who sells cheese? Along the lines of a fishmonger?"
Julie's answer is pretty typical. Before I discovered the wonders of really good gourmet cheese and started to learn the lingo, I probably would have guessed the same thing. It seems logical that a cheesemonger would be someone who has their hands in the cheesemaking process. Cheesemonger sounds to me like a medieval profession, along the lines of a blacksmith or tanner, close to the salt of the earth (or in this case the milk of the animal?).
Strah9 comes a bit closer, knowing that a cheesemonger is in fact someone who sells cheese, but still falls prey to the notion that it's someone who makes cheese, artisanal cheese in this case. The mention of artisanal cheese, to me, indicates that she may hold the notion that perhaps a cheesemonger is a specialist of some kind, as artisanal cheese is like a specialist among cheeses.
Finally, Taryn comes up with the right answer, that a cheesemonger is someone who makes cheese. She was one of several people to get at the right answer by way of knowing what a fishmonger is. Those are some good SAT/GRE skills right there! And don't even get me started on the humor of the word "fishmonger!"
Once you put all the answers and analysis together, you may realize that a cheesemonger is not just someone who sells cheese, but that they are super knowledgeable cheese experts who sell cheese. If ever you have cheese questions you can't find the answer to here, it's always a good idea to ask your local cheesemonger. Most of them are a veritable cheese encyclopedia!
And next week, come on back as we explore the question, "What's your least favorite type of cheese?"
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