Last week, on the night before an appointment with a new doctor, I
had the following dream: I was at the grocery store comparing different
brands of chicken stock when my doctor came in, weary after working a
long shift at the clinic. She headed straight to the cheese counter,
and I followed stealthily behind. From a safe distance, standing
discreetly behind the bread rack, I watched as she began picking up big
blocks and wedges of cheese, smelling them, smiling, and placing them
in her basket. She seemed especially excited about a Maytag blue, some
raw-milk Taleggio, and Mt. Townsend Creamery’s Seastack. (I know
because, what a coincidence, I love these cheeses too.) From
this dream, there is only one logical conclusion to be drawn: It is
easier to trust people who love cheese.
This weekend presents the perfect opportunity to find potential
confidants as the fourth-annual Seattle Cheese Festival takes
place at the Pike Place Market. For two days, the Market’s cobbled
streets turn into the hallowed (and, be forewarned, crowded) Cheese
Concourse, where you can sample the delicious wares of dozens of cheese
makers. There’s also the annual Truckle Roll; ongoing fresh
mozzarella–making demos from DeLaurenti Specialty Food and Wine
(at 3:00 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, they’ll be making
burrata—über-silky mozzarella with fresh cream); and for the
knowledge-hungry cheese lover, seminars (including the delightfully
named “Do You Taste What I Taste?” and “From Curds to Customer”).
Seattle Cheese Festival, Fri May 16–
Sun May 18, Pike
Place Market. See
www.seattlecheesefestival.com for details and event schedule.
