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Two Days in Bra, Italy

It turned out to be two hectic days in Bra. But up until I arrived in Bra, it was a long and tiresome journey that ended well in spite of some Italian lack of structure along the route. I flew in to Turin and must admit it’s not the center of the world. There is a bus service from the airport to the city center, but it also serves as a local buss service, but actually did call on the train station where my train to Alba was parting from. I don’t speak Italian and the Italians don’t speak English; it’s not much more you can do other than fold your hands and hope for the best. Arrived in Alba in good shape and walked the ten minutes it took to my Bed and Breakfast where my arrival came as nothing less than a surprise. But I had my confirmation, so who had to move out, I do not know, but I moved in. Thee was a wait while everything was arranged, during which I was cordially served both wine and a bite. One happy family, but again, no English spoken. Not that I expect everybody to speak English just because I happen to speak it, but I find it somewhat practical, after all. Douce Maison is absolutely recommended if you are happy with a fair standard, clean rooms and a central location across the street from the main church in Alba; ready to be woken up by the church bells at 7 am every morning.

A stream of people at Cheese 2017 in Bra.
A stream of people at Cheese 2017 in Bra

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Murray’s Cheese – New York Grand Central Terminal

The train from Brewster, upstate New York, arrives at Grand Central Terminal, in the “midst” of New York City; i.e Midtown East. As we arrived the family had different needs, those hooked on Harry Potter were of course searching for platform 9 and 3/4, while I was looking for Murray’s Cheese. This day I was the lucky one. Grand Central Terminal is impressive, but also quite crowded, at least at the time we arrived; 9:30 in the morning. From the Central Concourse the escalators take you half a floor up to a sort of ledge at the side of the terminal facing the Lexington Avenue, where you will find Grand Central Market. A lot of tasteful delis to shop for there, but I was after the cheese and Murray’s of course.

Murrays
Murray’s Cheese, Grand Central Market, NYC

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Summer with American Cheeses on the Plate

Summer holiday is approaching and perhaps against common practice, I will not recommend any summer cheeses this year. However, you have ample opportunities to find out yourself by looking around at OstePerler.no You will find a lot of recommendations and various cheeses for any occasion. And wine to go with it. Spend some time, you will gain a little bit of cheese knowledge along the way, as well. I will spend the summer diving into American cheeses. I am quite fascinated by the topic, but my knowledge suffers from shortcomings.
American cheese is so much more than single wrapped “cheddar” slices from Kraft Foods, or Philadelphia which, by the way, is fine for bagels and making cheese cakes. As the story goes, Cottage Cheese came to Europe from America, but some insist it originally came to America with European immigrants.
The USA is the world’s largest manufacturer of cheese, in case you did not know. A lot of it very industrial, I must say, but more artisan cheese made there than most of us would imagine.

american cheeses
Mt. Tam, pasteurized, but my first real encounter with American cheeses.

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Le Saulzais – Le Brebis de Berry

Something of a specialty this cheese. Not because Le Saulzais is made from raw ewe’s milk but because it hails from the Berry province in the Loire, France. If there is one thing the Loire valley is not famous for, it is ewe milk cheese. Subsequently Le Saulzais is a small scale production, farmstead as it is. From the farm Les Bruyères in Saulzais-le-Potier. Along the A71 from Bourges in the direction of Clermond-Ferrand further south. Interesting road trip this, Clermond-Ferrand has a lot to offer. The Berry province is way more famous for their chèvre such as Crottin de Chavignol and Valençay to mention a couple.

Le Saulzais
Le Saulzais; ewe milk cheese from the Loire.

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