The Good Life France Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 88

Cheesy Lessons

by Keith Van Sickle, an American in Provence

When my wife Val and I began spending time in France, we knew that we had much to learn. There was the language, of course, but also the customs and quirks of the French. Little did we know that some of our most memorable lessons would be about cheese.

One lesson came when we had our first meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant. It was at Le Cep in Beaune, in the heart of the Burgundy wine country. The meal started at 8pm and went on until almost midnight. Course after course of wonderful food arrived. We were stuffed! And then they wheeled out the cheese cart.

This was our first experience with a cheese course and Le Cep’s cart was enormous. It looked like an aircraft carrier! There were dozens of different cheeses, beautifully arranged. But without labels.

The waiter indicated that we should choose what we would like. We were flummoxed, as our knowledge of cheese was quite limited back then - Monterey Jack, Cheddar and Parmesan pretty much covered it.

Luckily for me, the lady always chooses first in France. I could let Val sort it out and follow her lead.

Val, always clever, explained that we were new to this game and would the waiter please recommend a nice selection?