Homage to Fromage

A melange of French cheeses, Lyon

It occurred to me, when I was telling people I was going to France to taste-test cheese, how universally positive - nay, downright excited - the reaction was. Seemed the opportunity to fly to a foreign country and eat wedges, wheels, slabs, slices and shavings of this particular food was, to most, a dream assignment. I got to wondering, what is this love affair with cheese anyway? Coagulated milk, a soupçon of bacteria, a shot of penicillium. What other food do we lust for that purposely (and preferably) is covered with MOLD? Don't quote me on this, but U.S. consumption is hovering around 40 pounds of cheese per person per annum. That's a lot of fromage, friends. Of course, since I'm half a bubble off, I also got to wondering what the reaction would have been if I said I was going globe-trotting to sample, say, beets or Vienna sausages...