Cheese please

Last year, I started a tradition with Andrew. Every Sunday, he and I go the the cheese market to purchase cheese that he will take as a snack to school. Before I go further, I have to tell you that Andrew has always (or almost always) had an adventurous palate. He loves olives and beans of all sorts. I have been very lucky that he is not a picky eater. It makes planning meals much easier.

Anyway, he and I go every Sunday to choose his snack cheese for the week. The people at the cheese shop are super nice and will give customers a small taste of a cheese if requested. This is an essential part of our tradition. Andrew points to a cheese and politely asks for a taste. We get a taste and he proclaims that he either likes it or not. If he does, we purchase enough for a week's worth of snacks. He, true to his adventurous nature, does not stick with the simple cheddar cheeses of the world. Nope, has tried everything from Wesleydale (with a variety of fruits inside) to some strong Dutch cheese, that most adults can't handle. He has had dozens of world cheeses and has liked them all. I really need to remind myself to keep track of all of them.

Today at the market, he declared that he wanted brie for lunch (oh, okay, twist my arm) and that for snack, he wanted a French cheese, that he had NOT tried before, that also contained no wine. I thought the ladies behind the counter were going to bust a gut. Then, he asked me to read the signs that were at the top of the display case. He did not wish to hear about the Canadian cheeses nor the Quebecois cheeses. The next sign said French and this was our stop. I read through the list and nothing caught his attention until the last one- Chaumes. It was of course, the most expensive French cheese available. We tried it and it was lovely, so I dug in my pocket and bought 6 ounces, along with some fancy crackers. I have a feeling that my kid is the only one in his class to not bring string cheese to school and I am way beyond okay with that.