Domestic Cheese, tasted on August 15, 2005 — I have been accused of being a cheese snob by only listing European cheeses that I really enjoy. I claim ignorance not snobbery, as I simply have not eaten nearly as many cheeses as I'd like in my life. The other day I was engaged in one of my favorite past times - standing at the WholeFoods cheese counter trying as many slices of new cheeses as I could shove into my mouth.

The first was Estrella Farmhouse Reserve. It was sort of a cross between Neapolitan ice cream and havarti, but better than both. :) Sheep, cow, and goat milk havarti like cheese is melded together in three multi-color layers. At first you find the texture novel and the flavor mild. But there is this inescapable kick on the finish that made this particular cheese stand out for me. BTW, I say this despite the woman next to me at the cheese counter who also tasted it and made a condescending face when I said I liked it. It was this faux politeness where she tried to give the impression she was holding back her disagreement, but made a face that said how stupid she thought my opinion was. And then of course her opinion came out anyway as how could she not tell the "truth" about her dislike of the cheese. I hope I never see the judgy cheese lady again. Luckily, the next cheese made me forget about her quickly.

Next was the Quillascut UFO goat cheese. This was super ripe and super enjoyable. It compared to some of the strongest triple creams I've enjoyed from France. It was soft, but not liquidy, and strong without having any ammonia qualities. This was a big cheese that deserved a big wine to go with it. I stupidly only bought a small wedge and should have bought way more.

I'm sure there are plenty of other domestic cheeses that are quite flavorful and tasty, and I'm eager to find them. One cool thing is that these two both come from my home state of Washington. So perhaps, my enjoyment of local cheese will make up for my lack of enjoyment of local wine. I'll try not to complain too loudly as I suffer to find out the answer.