Issue No. 14

Which he kindly did, choosing seven
cheeses and making a circle of them
around the edge of her plate. He told Val
that she should start with number one
and work her way around to number
seven.
I asked for the same selection and soon
we were happily munching away. The
cheeses were delicious! The first was a
mild chevre and the others got
progressively more full-bodied.
Val eats faster than I do and she was the
first to taste cheese number seven. She
smiled with pleasure and said, “Oh, this is
good. Take a big bite!”
I should have known better.
Have you ever eaten Époisses? It’s
usually described as “pungent” – now
there’s a word! It is so strong that it sears
the inside of your mouth. You can’t taste
much of anything after you eat it.
Yes, cheese number seven was an
Époisses. Definitely not something to
take a big bite of. But as I blissfully went
ahead and started chewing, my eyes
began to water and I urgently looked for a
way to spit it out.
But here we were in Le Cep, an elegant
Michelin-starred restaurant and that’s just
not done. So I wiped my eyes and kept
going while Val covered her mouth and
giggled.
I love Époisses today but let’s just say it’s
an acquired taste. And I had not yet
acquired it.
Lesson #1:
Try it, you’ll like it!
(eventually)