Cheeses of the World
Camembert: A Revolutionary Cheese
How a Chance Encounter During the French Revolution Led to a Wonderful Cheese.
Last year, I was fortunate enough to dine at the Monsieur Paul restaurant. The legendary chef Paul Bocuse opened this restaurant, and the Bocuse family still owns it. The excellent seven-course meal included a cheese course before dessert.
During the multi-hour service, we got to know our waiter very well. It helped that we spoke French—and that our waiter was from Normandy. He felt the effects of speaking only in English for far too long. He smiled the second we said Bonjour without an Anglophone accent.
When we got to the cheese course, our fantastic waiter knew we were foodies, and we loved talking about food as much as eating it. He decided to have some fun.
He laid out the plate, and rather than beginning a lengthy description, he looked at us and said, “Well, what are these cheeses?”
While my wife seemed puzzled, I sat up straight and smiled.
I started with the most obvious. I pointed to a foul-looking, strong-smelling bit and said, “Well, that’s a blue cheese!” Arthur looked at me disappointed and said with a fake “snooty-French” tone, “Come on now, would you let me…
