Fat

The French force-feed (gavage) their goose to add buttery texture to its liver (foie gras). The Japanese massage their Wagyu cow whilst feasting it with warm sake and soothing music to improve its appetite and peace of mind, thus produce more tender beef (Matsusaka). Both technique comes down to the ultimate purpose - to fatten.

Who says the Asian people are more ruthless?

And I write this while dreaming of the endearing embrace of Otoro around my palette.


Fat in its purest, most beautiful form.

Thao's Guide to Tasting Cheese

"Age is something that is of no importance, unless you are a cheese"

- Billie Burke

Location: Le Beaulieu, Sofitel Metropole Hanoi

This is a rudimentary photographic guide to tasting cheese. Cheese should be tasted at room temperature, from centre to rind, tasting starts from mild to strong, soft to hard - within the same category.

Sniff your cheese:

The nose is the best detector of flavor. Different types of cheese provide a variety of aroma that contributes mainly to how the cheese tastes like. Smell can evoke visualization of flavor from grassy to earthy.

Heat things up:

Take the cheese and rub it between your thumb and index finger to warm the cheese and release its aroma. This is also to evaluate the moisture of the cheese from semi-soft, semi-hard to hard.

Peruse the texture

Appearance is also an indicator of the cheese condition. Hard cheese should have a smooth interior with occasional holes but mold-free. Soft cheese is at its peak when it's sagging and ripened.

Taste

Pick a small dollop and put it on the tip of your tongue. Don't chew, taste! Listen to the cheese and savor, work the cheese throughout your taste buds. Press the cheese against the roof of your mouth and exhale through the nose to bring the scent through your nasal passages

Enjoy.

Thao Bach, C. M*

* cheese monster