Red wine, blue cheese

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From no angle am I "qualified" to write about food whatsoever.

But it's my bloggy and I'll write what I want to. 

One thing I've become passionate about lately is disseminating the idea that only wealthy "snobs" and "gourmands" can enjoy things like beer, wine, cheese, chocolate, or swanky tasting menus.

It's not practical, but practicality is sort of arbitrarily defined by what your needs and preferences are, isn't it? For some people, it's "practical" to rent an expensive apartment in order to be close to their job, and it's "practical" to buy a nice car and be forever updating one's wardrobe in order to appear presentable to superiors and peers. In order to improve the quality of their lives, these people may justify big TVs and seventy pairs of shoes, or racking up an exorbitant tab every weekend at a mediocre bar.

And that's their bag. That's fine.

Me? I'll skip the nice car and new dresses and go for some good food, booze, dessert. I'll even scrimp on my other meals for a few weeks in order to do so.

The last time I was in NYC I bought raw peanuts, carrots, and avocados from a street vendor for most of my trip, and then treated myself to an awesome steak dinner.

Every once in a while I'll buy some nice cheese and that'll be my dinner for two nights. Nice cheese never messes with my stomach the way the cheap stuff [artificially colored and containing ingredients like wood pulp] does. Cheese shops are great because you're not really restricted by price: you can generally ask for a $1-4 piece of any cheese no matter what it costs per pound. 

So, without further ado, I'm going to food-splooge on you. I am not an expert, but I am a raving fangirl.

I tried a bunch of things tonight, but these were my favorites:

Glug, glug:

2012 La Cartuja, Priorat 
70% Garnacha, 30% Cariñena
Spain

  • Sweet, fresh, sort of floral nose 
  • Pleasant tannins [high, but not aggressive]
  • Soft, young-tasting, easy drinking [neither too astringent nor too nectary]
  • Mineralic, but not as much as the label suggests

Nom, nom:

I wasn't a fan of penicillin mold until I tried St. Agur. 
Tonight, wanted to branch out to a couple new blue cheeses.

Bay Blue, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. 
California

  • Whoa, I'm obsessed.
  • Strong but bright and fresh; sharp but not too much of that tangy funk
  • Fresh mineral cave quality, not musty but like clean rocks
  • Makes me think of springtime...and of lemon cookies [there's this vague crisp sweetness, or maybe my taste buds are wonky]
  • Great by itself on:
    • Dave's Killer Spelt Bread [toasted and cut into pieces]

Fourme d'Ambert l'Or des Dômes
France

  • Style of cheese dates back to Roman times
  • Got a slice from the end of the wheel, which is the strongest part
  • Creamier, mushroomy/umami
  • Buttery, buttery, buttery
  • Earthy, kind of peaty
  • Goes GREAT on Dave's Killer Spelt Bread with:
    • Saporina Balsamic Jelly [Malpighi], House of Balsamic, Italy [pricey, but orgasmically good, and a little goes a long, long way]

Tomorrow? Probably homemade miso and cheap produce.