Today, the boys and I ran a few errands. One of our stops was at Whole Foods. My kids love all the free samples they have. We just needed one thing, so I told the boys it would be a quick stop. It wasn’t. While we were there, the store employees told us that they were going to set a world record by having 720 of their stores in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. break open wheels of Parmesan Reggiano all at the same time.
Now, as world records go, cheese isn’t exactly the most exciting thing. But we stood and watched as the cheesemonger demonstrated the traditional Italian method of breaking into a huge wheel of cheese. He said it weighed about 40 kilos, which is around 88 pounds. The wheel was worth about $1800!
There are five traditional knives used to break open this type of cheese. One is used to cut into the ½ inch rind, other knives are used for wedging and cutting. The entire process takes about half and hour. We didn’t watch the whole thing, but saw the last ten minutes or so. As the wheel broke, the fifty or so people gathered around cheered. We all got to sample the cheese. It was delicious, and the boys said they were glad we stayed and watched.
We learned a little about cheese today. I never knew that Parmesan Reggiano is aged for 24 months. Or that its production is regulated by government and artisan tradition. In fact, I’d never really considered cheese an art form. In our speedy world, it’s really amazing that someone still makes cheese that takes over two years to complete.
Besides learning about cheese, I also think we learned a little about slowing down. And maybe something about taking advantage of opportunities when they find you.
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