The Book of Cheese

A Financial Quandry

I checked out a book about cheese from the library. A very useful book--the one I've been referring to in these pages, in fact. Well, that damned book was due back to the library two days ago, and I logged on to the library's web page to view my account, and next to this book it said "NOT RENEWABLE." Crap! And here I was, planning to take this marvelous volume with me to Seattle for a week. Now: public library fines here are pretty steep--I think something like $0.50 a day. And that book is pretty useful; I was going to rope my dad into my cheese exploration project, but I needed the book, so I could point theatrically at a page and say something like, "Look, Dad, we MUST to get this boursin!!" and he would say, "But of course, ma cherie!", and off we would rush in our silver Volvo sedan to the nearest fromagerie, book still in hand so we could compare the actual product with the closeup photos, puzzling over how aged the pate looks, or how off-color the rind, preferably doing all of the above loudly in thick French accents.

Well, I'm still going to do all that. The question is, should I hang on to the library book and accumulate fines, or should I return it posthaste and buy a copy? Which is more cost-effective? Or better yet, shall make Daddy Dearest buy it? Yes, that, friends, is the Answer.

The reblochon and morbier went over quite well at my book group last night.

One of these days I'm going to review

Soya Kaas or some other vegan "cheese," but not today.