admitted (p 53) A late medieval compendium of maxims and recipes for the middle-class household, known as Le Ménagier de Paris, includes this formula “To recognize good cheese”: Not at all white like Helen, Nor weeping, like Magdalene Not Argus, but completely blind, And heavy, like a buffalo Let it rebel against the thumb, And have an old moth-eaten coat Without eyes, without tears, not at all white, Moth-eaten, rebellious, of good weight But these rules wouldn’t work for young goat cheeses (white and coatless), Roquefort (with its pockets of whey), Emmental (eyefull and light), or Camembert (which should give when thumbed) As always, the proof is in the tasting These days, the most important thing is to understand that bulk supermarket cheeses are only pale (or dyed) imitations of their more flavorful, distinctive originals The way to find good cheeses is to buy from a specialist who loves and knows them, chooses the best and takes good care of them, and offers samples for tasting Cut to Order Whenever possible, buy portions that are cut while you watch Precut portions may be days or weeks old, and their large exposed surfaces inevitably develop rancid flavors from contact with air and plastic wrap Exposure to light in the dairy case also damages lipids and causes off-flavors in as little as two days; in addition it bleaches the annatto in orange-dyed cheeses, turning it pink Pregrated cheese has a tremendous surface area, and while it is often carefully wrapped, it loses much of its aroma and its carbon dioxide, which also contributes the impression of staleness ... who loves and knows them, chooses the best and takes good care of them, and offers samples for tasting Cut to Order Whenever possible, buy portions that are cut while you watch Precut portions may be...understand that bulk supermarket cheeses are only pale (or dyed) imitations of their more flavorful, distinctive originals The way to find good cheeses is to buy from a specialist who loves and knows them, chooses the best... weeks old, and their large exposed surfaces inevitably develop rancid flavors from contact with air and plastic wrap Exposure to light in the dairy case also damages lipids and causes off-flavors