Say Cheese!

This is my favorite quote from the book I just finished, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," by Barbara Kingsolver.

"A lot of human hobbies, from knitting sweaters to building model airplanes, are probably rooted in the same human desire to control an entire process of manufacture. Karl Marx called it the antidote to alienation. Modern business pyschologists generally agree, noting that workers will build a better car when they participate in the whole assembly rather than just slapping on one bolt, over and over, all the tedious livelong day. In the case of modern food, our single-bolt job has become the boring act of poking things in our mouths, with no feeling for any other stage in the process. It's a pretty obvious consequence that one should care little about the product. When I ponder the question of why Americans eat so much bad food on purpose, this is my best guess: alimentary alienation. We can't feel how or why it hurts. We're dying for an antidote."

So THAT'S why I don't feel like doing anything but canning and cooking these days! Actually this part of the book is all about making your own cheeses, and I got SO excited reading it. I had been talking to Eric about wanting to make my own yogurt, but now I am keen to try both. It's kind of funny that we feel less alienated when we are completely in control of something that we do alone.

Anyways, with the holidays (and my birthday) approaching, I thought I would add this book to my wish list. For anyone else who's interested in making their own cheeses, it's considered the ultimate reference!

*All pictures are from the New England Cheesmaking Supply website.