The other night, during our home Happy Hour, we enjoyed a selection of cheeses as we often do. On offer was Gorgonzola, a bit of Brie and a chunk of our locally made, Gunma Prefecture Edam. The Brie was a tad bit past its prime, but the others were quite tasty. We enjoyed them with a variety of crackers (carted up from Tokyo but European in origin) and beverages, including the local seltzer water which we deemed acceptable for country use but sub par for city consumption.
I did not really like the idea of the Edam so I hesitated to buy and try it -- Japan does not exactly have a great cheese making tradition. Not to mention, I was slightly put off by its milky white color and, measuring only about 1.5 inches square, it seemed overly precious. In terms of flavor, I was not entirely disappointed. But the slightly processed texture suggests that Japanese farmers ought to stick to things they excel at, such as rice or tomatoes.
The best part of this cheese was its accompanying, multi-functional tool. Totally blogalicious! I regret that I did not snap a photo of the package before we tucked in so you are just going to have to use your imagination. It consisted of twin, shrink-wrapped compartments: one for the cheese (which was swaddled with a secondary layer of plastic wrap to ensure freshness, I presume) and the other for a clear, plastic tool sealed in its own little cellophane pouch. The excessive wrapping was way beyond the call of duty and far from praiseworthy. But this little tool, a mini fork-knife with tines at the end and a serrated edge on the side, was very clever. And if it actually works, cheese enthusiasts can cut and spear in one blow! Why didn’t I think of that?
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