I didn’t know I had a cheddar problem until I moved to Italy. You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, but you do know you’re an addict when you’re begging your visitors to illegally lug two-pound chunks of that extra-sharp awesomeness on their transatlantic journeys.
While working at a cheese shop with an extensive international selection of cheeses, I had had the world at my fingertips, or rather, in my mouth. I worried that as a full-time graduate student I wouldn’t be able to maintain the diet of cheese, cheese, cheese, and then more cheese, to which I had become accustomed.
I needn’t have worried. Italian Cheese Therapy (as recommended by Cheddarholics Anonymous) has filled the void, and in the process, expanded my waistline. In order to satiate my desire for that elusive extra-sharp (or French favorites, which are few and far between here), I’ve just been forced to seek out beloved old Italian standbys and discover new cheesy delicacies. Italian Cheese Therapy is tough stuff, but somebody’s got to do it.
ICT isn’t limited to UNISG students, however. ICT is just as tasty and positive-mood-inducing whether you’re watching The Godfather in New York or meeting a real godfather in Sicily.
To see my guidelines on how to put together your own perfect Italian cheese plate wherever you may be, check out my blog entry on the The New Gastronomes.