sucking cheese

Needed to shake off some early winter blahs, so I dropped by the Toronto Gourmet Food & Wine Expo at the Metro Convention Centre Friday night. Some days I feel like one of the characters in SimPeople. Too much work, not enough fun, hence the drop in my Happiness score. I'm such a geek.

My favourite event was the wine and cheese matching, which was an hour-long workshop conducted by a sommelier and a cheese expert (can't recall the proper term for the latter, sorry). Comparing the different wines was fun, though I admit things got a tad fuzzy after the third glass; my alcohol tolerance has always been pretty low.

Really enjoyed the commentary by the cheese expert, who explained the proper way to enjoy cheese. Most people just chomp and swallow, she sighed, and instructed us how to savour the experience. First, break off a small piece and enjoy the fragrance. Then take the piece and put it in your mouth, let it rest against the roof of your mouth. Chewing once is allowed. Then...

"SUCK YOUR CHEESE first!" she said with great enthusiasm. Dutifully, we sucked.

I felt a bit silly at first, but can see the wisdom. Too often we munch on food whilst chatting or watching the tv or hurriedly before rushing off to the rest of our day. No wonder we tend to eat things that are bad for us, or eat too much. Cheese is just one example: many cheeses may be high in fat but when slowly savoured, a smaller piece may satisfy just fine.

And now I'm hooked on two-year-old Chevre Noir, one of the tiny samples we were given in the workshop. Best cheese I've ever had; my mouth is watering in lustful memory even as I type this. MUST FIND MORE. I plan to check out St. Lawrence Market later this week. I'm sure it's decadently expensive with a soaring fat content, but I figure a very small piece will do, especially if I use the suck-and-savour technique.

Finished Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair, thoroughly enjoyed it. Great premise, spunky heroine. Now I've started on the second book in the series, Lost In A Good Book, and am also reading Anne Sexton: A Self-Portrait In Letters. Also went to see Finding Neverland after reading Allison's review in her Livejournal; loved this movie! Wished I brought more Kleenex.

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