The best part of the job was that I attended every class I organized, thus getting a free education in wonderful cheese. The best was the Master Class for Cheese Professionals, three days of seminars and lectures and giant tastings of cheeses. I took pages and pages in notes. More

In response to Ed's post "Is Artisanal, Handmade Food Really Better?" the Gurgling Cod brings up a good point. Ed basically says that just because a farmer raised a pig doesn't mean he or she necessarily knows how to make bacon from it. Says the Cod man: True, and worth pointing out, but part of a larger question, which is the temptation to confuse the experience with the product. To put it in a different context, just because the waitress calls you 'hon don't mean the grits ain't from Sysco. It is a good point, and probably not a one of us isn't guilty of doing it at some point—romanticizing a place for its nostalgic charm or the curmudgeon with... More

Just because a conscientious, responsible pig farmer decides to make bacon doesn't mean the bacon is going to be good. More