Today we had a field
trip to visit the Rockford Cheese caves and the Rockford sheep farm. My group
started the day touring the caves which
house 11 stories of ripening cheese! The caves where formed after tectonic plates
shifted creating this naturally cool and humid environment that is perfect for
fermenting cheese. We learned about the companies history including the Myth of
Rockford (some Sheppard was eating in a cave but then got really distracted by
a beautiful lady and left his lunch of cheese and bread there as he chased
after her. He never was able to reach here and several months later, he was out
tending his flock and was hungry. He remembered the cheese he had left a long
time ago in a near by cave and went to see if it was still good. He found it,
ate it, and decided the cheese was the best cheese he had ever had.) The caves
where really cool but also super cold. We got to learn about the process of
growing the bacteria from bread to put into the cheese which gives it its
flavor and texture. The only ingredients used to make this famous Bleu Cheese
is whole sheep milk, bacteria, and salt. The tour was very interesting and
informative…. Also only in French! We got to try three of the bleu cheeses they
make and I cannot say I am a fan. They where all super salty and extremely
strong and bitter.
11 floors of fermenting formage!
The sheep farm was a
different experience all together…. First off, there were flies EVERWHERE. It
was actually awful. Also, the farmer that showed us around (who runs the farm
with his brother when they took over for their parents) only spoke French so thank
goodness for my Lebanese classmates that are fluent in French and English and
were patient enough to translate. We learned a lot of specifics about how they
take care of the sheep and such which mostly went over my head not being of any
ag background. It was still interesting to learn and it is always good to learn
where exactly your food comes from. This whole week of classes is dedicated to
animal production and the European system for the animal welfare. We also got
the chance to observe milking time which I found very intriguing. I really
liked the efficiency of the system.
Milking time!
One big culture
difference I have been noticing (and really had to deal with today) is the
French view on lunch. Today we spent an hour and a half eating lunch today. We
had three different courses of sandwiches and chips and apples, cheese and
wine, and dessert. It was all equivalent to what I could eat for a lunch at
home, yet I would eat it in about 15-30 minutes. It takes a lot for me to stop
thinking about how much time we are wasting and could be getting stuff done.
Instead, I am trying hard to look to the French view of using this time as a
break to relax and to deepen friendships. It’s very different and I know it is
even going to be more different when I get to my host family so I am trying to
use this time now to get into the right mindset.
Tomorrow we are
heading into the city for French class to talk to locals for a scavenger hunt….
Wish me luck as I try to not completely butcher this language!
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