I still have my website running (https://www.cheesefromage.com/), it is dedicated to help catering professional with the service of cheese. You will find other information as well, all relative to cheese, like taste, cheese serving, and descriptions of different products of high quality readily available throughout the world (or at least it should be). Obviously, I still live in this world, and many things catches my attention, especially these last few weeks. So please read further to see what I think.
A community in an old town enjoying good times.
I would recommend to everybody, and anybody for that matter, to be careful with social media in general. The problem is that you will go full circle and see nothing new nowadays on generic “social media” due to their algorithms recommending you the same topics, again and again. And furthermore, all the articles would have the same angle. One recent example comes from comments that I read about the first anniversary of a terrorist assault. So, there it is: an islamist is not a Muslim.
Both are human, but one is part of the human family and the other want to control it forcibly. By this I mean that a Muslim person belong to a community of faith, he wants to do good as any religious person would, he should be respected for his views and beliefs, he participates to the good of his community. The islamist is a person who has been perverted in his faith and belong to a state or paramilitary organisation, mostly but can be brought to this state by self-indoctrination, and will use force, coercion, and terror to advance the agenda of his patron state or organisation. He does not believe in freedom for everyone and freedom of thought. His mind is fixed on repression and negativity.
And this brings me to the US presidential election which seems so confrontational. From where I stand in the UK, and in politics it is good to have some perspective, it feels like one party represents the “wild west” whereas the other side wants a government taking care of its citizens with these being active citizens, part of their community. For my money, I would prefer to be part of a community. I understand that you want to protect your individual rights, but first some rights are better served when put in the hand of professionals, after all the US have an army? No? 250 years ago, the idea was for the citizens to be armed and be ready to defend the Republic, not to create carnage and misery. And the orange duck is not stable or reliable at all, only in the sense that with him it is only me, me, me … Have you realised that everytime there is something said under his name, what he says can be wrong but it is the way that he is saying it, he is bringing back the conversation to him, it all goes back to him, it is never about the community, the good of all, it is about him, his ego.
So, my take on all this is that one side is for the individual, not to be part of the whole but to benefit from it (and then why should they salute a flag that they do not believe in?), and the other side is for a community of people doing the best they can for all people living in the country, and yes they will make mistake as well but that will be for all people.
Furthermore, I have seen a tv report on the “new feminism” US style. This promotes the idea of women like they were 250 years, and then this is the minimum as they want women to be like described in the Bible, and I think more like the ancient testament than the new. They want women to be used as reproductive agent, to be servile to their husband, they have to like men of course (any other attitude is not even considered), and they have to take care of the babies and create a comfortable home. So, we are back to the Ancient Greeks and their city republics (2500 years ago). There is no freedom of thought for the woman wrapped in this system, she has to agree to the dominant male. But she can vote (strange, no?), and she is supposed to support the individualistic side, another contradiction if there is at least one to see there!
For me, a woman is part mostly of a duopoly within a community. She can have any skin colour, be of any sexual orientation (the last two hardly controllable), she can choose any lifestyle she desires, and she can be of any religion that she select. As for the religion you might have noticed that I make a large distinction between a creed and a state apparatus. I would prefer as well that women be given the same respect and freedom as any member of the human race, even though they have more say, hopefully, on the use of their body for reproduction. In so many countries women are considered less valuable, they should sometimes stay at home or with other women. It is like their voices are not important, their job in life is only primordial. Well, how do you want to create a union if not between equal people. Man and woman should have the same right.
We have to accept that we are in the twenty first century. There are a lot of us on Earth and with a bit of education women should not be abused to have more than 3 or 4 children. When you have a child, it is not the woman who have the child, but the parents. You have to cherish and nurture the child until at least his teenage years while giving him a good education. This requires love and attention and a good deal of disposable wealth or ressources. It is shame that so many poor territories receive huge amount of aid and women are encouraged to produce babies to grow the population. To what end? For what future?
My other concern, and then for some time, is the war in Ukraine. I was happy to hear that the Russian ambassador to the UK recognized that this is a war, this is a war of aggression certainly not a defensive action! It will be 3 years in February since the Russian invasion of the whole border, but this has been going on since 2014. My hope is that the Russian people will make it stop, but this would take way too long for the bear to tire. I have read that an old English Prime Minister is advocating a compromise. Well, I do not see it that way. The Ukrainian people would have to be completely exhausted to accept a compromise with this totalitarian regime, remember: the hand, once given, the arm is going.
You might have noticed a recuring theme. I prefer the work of the community, and then peaceful at that, to the defence of the isolated individual. If I would think cheese, as I do. I would think of signs of quality where the large economic producers try to over-influence the definition of the product of quality.
So, what is this product of quality?
It is a product with a history of quality, mostly made with raw milk, a sure sign of expertise and quality taste. And yes, this requires to know what you are doing, to treat your animal with care in a well looked-after environment, and to take care of your equipment and colleagues. And yes, this requires as well more quality checks, so more money to be spent. And this is where the big conglomerates do not like to go, they do not like to spend money where they could just pasteurise and produce something of an OK grade.
So, we need to protect these products of historical importance, these cheesemakers showing dedication and care to their products, this environment which is treated with respect, and do not forget the animals who enjoy mostly all of it and are well taken care of. A good quality cheese will give you a taste of the terroir, you will feel the environment where the animal graze and make the milk, and then you will realise the work of the fromager who treat this product with devotion and bring it to full flavour.
This is a treat of the senses, this is why it should be protected and encouraged to be made with care and raw milk with the historic knowledge of the local cheesemakers and affineurs.
In the meantime, remember, give life to your taste buds, and above all, enjoy real cheese.
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