Chicago Shops, Nebraskan Farms, Exotic Animals

For our first week of World According to Cheese on the Road, we find ourselves in the beautiful city of Chicago, known for its ocean-like lake and fatty foods. I had no doubt I would come across great cheese, but the experience I had at the downtown 
Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread and Wine surpassed my expectations: I was greeted by a huge selection of both international and regional cheeses, and a master cheesemonger named Adrienne who knew cheese better than the back of her hand. 

chicagonow.com

I know I've come across a true cheese fanatic when her face lights up while describing cheeses, employing her own creative adjectives such as "toothsome" and "pillowy". She shared stories of Pastoral field trips to nearby farms and her meetings with the makers of the various cheeses, making me wish that I too was an employee at Pastoral. I highly suggest a stop at this shop the next time you're in Chicago- You will be truly satisfied by the delicious cheese selection and fantastic education from the staff.

I chose to feature a small, unassuming cheese that Adrienne introduced as a rarity: a cheese hailing from a small town in Nebraska, rarely sold outside the state. It is produced by a lady named Charuth Loth, who began her cheesemaking at Dutch Girl Creamery a few years ago and now milks 70 goats on her family farm. 

Fun Fact: Charuth names all of her french-style goat cheeses female names, because she has three sons and therefore has deemed her cheeses her "daughters". This cheese is named Natalie, appearing as delicate and feminine as the name her mother gave her. She weighs practically nothing, and tastes both sweet, tart, and creamy: a delightful mixture.

Oh Natalie, I hereby crown ye Cheese of the Week.
*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*


Here's to a week filled with cheese and stories that are dreamy and delightful, but filled with a toothsome and molten interface.

Msnbc Photoblog

Dreamy:
Adrienne described the rind of this cheese as "pillowy"- it seems so soft that you could fall asleep on the surface and begin a great dream. The dream of this billionaire is to give us the gift of space vacations, and it seems now that this dream may be close to reality (if you can pay the hefty price).

Branson and NM Officials Dedicate Space Terminal (BusinessWeek)

Delightful:

I am simply delighted by the story of a small town farmer like Charuth Loth making it big in the cheese world. Rivaling the level of delight is this story of a laugh-for-peace that took place at a clown conference in Mexico this week.

Mexican Clown Convention Holds 'laugh for peace' 
(Seattle Pi)

Toothsome: The flavor of this cheese is reminiscent of the small animal-filled farm where it is made, complete with the snarly bite of the animals that roam the pastures. We heard a story this week of a farm full of much less fortunate animals, whose toothy nature led to their sad demise. It's hard to find a positive spin in the story of these exotic animals' release, but at least a few were saved and transported to a nearby zoo.

Rescued Animals from Ohio Farm at Columbus Zoo (Msnbc Photoblog)

Molten Interface: 

The word molten, assigned to this cheese by  the people at Pastoral, brings to mind a volcano billowing with smoke. The viral video that made its rounds this week is also reminiscent of a volcano: a seemingly out-of-this-world image of an object hovering in space, shedding layers of steam in its wake.     Superconducting Magnet Floats in Place (Gadget Review)

Now go out and eat some cheese.