Dairy: America's Food Cyclops of Destruction?

One of my favorite memories of my early cheese days was the pure energy of cheesemongering at the Union Square market in NYC last summer. The hungry, excited, and often sample-greedy crowds. The love of cheese, fresh food, and yes, free samples. The questions: "What cheese is that?!" "Is that soap?!" "Do you have any cheddar?!" bombarding the stall from various indiscernible directions. And the adrenaline of being thrown into a food zoo and having to cut every piece to-order in plain view.

Now that I call NYC my home, I walk through the markets regularly. Though I am still a cheesemonger in my own right (this time in a nice temperature-controlled building), a wave of jealous nostalgia sweeps over me when I see the farmers and producers setting up their stands. Yet, something is not quite the same.

There are several new cheesemakers on the NY farmers market scene, which is wonderful. Nevertheless, the excited energy is somewhat diminished by the neatly pre-packaged cheeses I see at every turn. Even my own beloved Cato Corner is forced to either pre-package cheese (a monumental task for small cheesemakers who are seeing almost 1,000 pounds of cheese traffic per week in markets) or take cheese behind a curtain to a mobile kitchen trailer and cut away from the penetrating view of customers. I sucked at cutting cheese in front of gawking patrons, but that was half the fun for both the mongers and the customers!

New regulations in NYC have stopped cheesemakers from cutting cheese to order for customers at farmers markets. Something something, food safety. Something something, sanitation. Begin ragey rant now:

Cheese and dairy have always been the target of various ludicrous regulations. Then again, what hasn't really? You have to age it 60 days if it's raw milk. You have to store it at 40 degrees even though it ages, often for years, at ambient temperatures of 50-60 degrees. In some states, selling raw milk is like selling heroin. Cheesemakers and mongers have learned to cope with every requirement that's thrown at them. But like I've always said, every food carries a risk. When did dairy become public food enemy #1?

I've gotten food poisoning from a gyro sandwich once, but I'll still eat the hell out of a legit hole-in the-wall kebab stand. Once Applebee's made me sick, but I still go back for their maple blondies. In fact, I might be the most food poisoned fool I know, but I've never picked a category of food to whine about like this no-account Dr. Douche. How this jerkface makes the leap from a tragic E.Coli outbreak likely caused by dirty vegetables -- the leading culprit in many recent mass breakouts of food-borne illness -- to raw milk and juice baffles me.

I'll use pasteurized milk if it's all I can get, and I really enjoy many pasteurized artisanal cheeses. But I also love drinking raw milk. It's easier to digest (beneficial bacteria, as well as enzymes in milk that aid in lactose digestion for lactose-intolerant people, are killed off during pasteurization), and it tastes better. I've never gotten sick from dairy -- and I've gotten sick from a lot of foods. I've even witnessed how the animals are milked. This guy reads one article in the Seattle Times, regurgitates what he learned in his thesis program, and thinks he's an expert on small dairy producers. You sir, impress nobody. Lactating cows on small farms everywhere are crying tears of sorrow at your wholly spurious assumptions.

Sanitation is important, and I would always get my raw milk from reputable producers. You can even do your own research about the relative rarity of listeria outbreaks from raw milk. Or how campylobacteriosis is as much of a risk, if not a greater risk, in chilled pasteurized milk than it is in raw milk. You can check the sources and the CDC reports yourself, and decide to agree or disagree. It doesn't really matter to me which way you lean on the issue. You get your pasteurized milk, I'll get mine raw. You get your burgers cooked medium rare, I'll get mine medium. Just know that raw milk, cheese, and other dairy products carry risks like any other food. They are not singularly evil in any outstanding way.

Banning a product from an essential food group or installing needless obstacles for small farms and producers, instead of targeting the sanitation problems that make all foods dangerous, causes much more harm than good.

Rounding the bases to an astounding argument put out there by people who think dairy is always bad for you. There are those who choose not to eat dairy at all because of ethical reasons, and I'm not touching that. We'll agree to disagree, and you are completely entitled to that dietary choice, which I will agree to respect. But there are those who just think eating dairy will turn you into a fat, un-healthy zombie blob.

I ran across a lot of articles on how terrible dairy is when I was uncovering the similar chemical reactions in the pleasure portions of our brain induced by both cheese and chocolate. (see my Valentine's Day post). This one in particular got my rage juices flowing.

Apparently people out there were completely outraged by the "cheese industry" pushing it's "cheese agenda" on food, ensnaring people into a cycle of addiction. Last time I checked, dairy was one of our essential food groups. Last time I checked, I also didn't want to be a brittle old hag with osteoporosis. Also, last time I checked, I like extra cheese on my pizza because I think it tastes good. Not because I'm addicted to "dairy crack." I've gone days without cheese and haven't turned into a sweaty, twitchy mess, fighting withdrawal nausea on my couch. When I do enjoy cheese, I've never, to my knowledge, become a bloated, dairy stenched Jabba the Hutt, waiting for a coronary. Why did our culture start vilifying entire categories of food? Food is food. We need it, we should celebrate it, enjoy it (in moderation). Be a little European about it for god's sake.

Despite what my frustration sounds like, I'm not here to be political about all this. For the record, I do believe that there is a public safety interest in ensuring our food is produced in a sanitary manner. I'm all for initiatives that encourage healthy choices and lower health problems associated with diets. Sugary drinks will turn your kid into a fatty fat fat, and we should probably reign those in. I think disparaging said public initiatives with "food police" barbs is just a way for angry, unhealthy people to stay angry and unhealthy, guilt-free. I don't need to be eating maple blondies every day because nobody should directly or indirectly have to foot a six-figure open-heart surgery bill when I'm 50. I would prefer to help out small producers rather than continuing to subsidize large agricultural industries.

Maybe you could say I'm an equal rights foodie. I am against -- and hope more people will join me in this -- irrationally and illogically singling out entire categories of a food group as your pet enemy; sensationalizing a diet trend or a food-related tragedy as a public platform to demonize a fresh, natural food that poses no greater risk than other products, that is part of a well-balanced diet, and that many small producers rely upon to make their living in an agricultural tradition that has lasted since early civilization. Is that too much to ask for?

Note: In a previous version I was unclear in stating where raw milk sales are available (in NY state it is just at licensed farm stores; in neighboring states it is available in retail stores). This graphic clears it all up, and also lets you know states in which you can't enjoy raw milk, but your pet cat Mittens sure can. 

Cheese Extinction

The December 2010 closure of Sally Jackson's cheese operation in Washington state was depressing news in the cheese world. A founding mother of the artisanal cheese movement in the United States, Sally Jackson had been making cheese at her farm in Washington since the late 1970s, positioning herself as a revered cheese pioneer. After over 30 years, Sally Jackson's beloved cheeses had achieved gastronomical fame. Upon the closing, members of the cheese community sent her off with tributes fit for a cheese celebrity (full coverage of the closure and a five-part tribute on the Pacific Northwest Cheese Project).

After recalling cheese that federal inspectors had linked to a string of E. Coli illnesses, she opted to simply call it a cheese life well-lived and retire. At first, the articles on the closure forced me to ponder the nature of food safety, the risks inherent in all of life's joys, and the wisdom of various federal regulations affecting cheese. After ruminating on it further, I ditched these more esoteric subjects and focused on something far more unsophisticated. I will never ever have the opportunity to try Sally Jackson cheese. It is gone forever. A lost species. An extinct cheese that no soul who hadn't already had the joy would ever be able to experience in the future. I just had my mind blown. You won't even be able to find this stuff on ebay like Crystal Pepsi.

I had heard the rave reviews. I had even contacted the legend herself in my search for cheese internships (she didn't have the facilities to make room for an intern). Yet, I never crossed paths with her cheese. It wasn't readily available where I lived. And even during my brief stay in the Pacific Northwest, it never occurred to me to actively seek it out over all the other new cheeses I was stumbling upon. There's no hurry, I thought. I'll run across it someday. Then, boom! Food asteroid.

With a product like artisanal cheese that relies so heavily on scientific exactitude, personal touch, and expertise, there is no chance it can truly survive past the life of its maker. Artisanal cheese is not like a casserole that lives in its recipe. The varied flavors that make cheese a never ending exploration are born from a confluence of very particular factors:  The aging, or affinage, methods used and the aging environment itself. The local flavors from the pasture land picked up in the milk through the animals' grazing (a.k.a. terroir). The varied, if not proprietary, blend of cultures and production methods perfected from years of learning and trial-and-error. The chosen acidification, or pH, curve that results in the desired texture and flavor. And, most importantly, the cheesemaker's intimate knowledge of their cheese. Because there are so many factors in cheese production, some artisanal cheeses are also discovered purely by accident. More than a few cheesemakers I've know have developed popular and signature cheeses that were born from an accident, perhaps from an erroneously executed production step or an incorrect pH. Each of these cheeses, by virtue of its birth, has qualities only linked to its maker. Whether it be an accidental or intended result, a seasoned cheesemaker can often sense variations in consistency just by the feel of the curds or the smell of the milk.

Sure, there will always be general categories of cheese out there. Those that are industrially produced:  Kraft Singles aren't going anywhere. Or those that are subject to regional controls in exported European cheese:  AOC or Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée standards, for instance, that require certain production and geographical qualifications be met before, say, a Camembert can really be called a Camembert (just like sparkling wine isn't really Champagne). But unique hand-made, small batch cheeses, inspired by either creativity, expertise, or happenstance, are not a protected breed. Explore them while you can because any number of destructive factors can snatch them right out of their habitat. 

An extinct, or at least subsequently modified, cheese cutting apparatus
at the Petroleum Museum in Midland, TX.  Yes. The Petroleum Museum.

Cheese Tragedy

The big news in the cheese world was the FDA's recent closure of the Estrella Family Creamery in Montesano, Washington, which caused quite the ruckus in the Northwest (read more details at the Pacific Northwest Cheese Project website). Estrella had been having some trouble with Listeria contamination in the past several months. The forced shut-down stems from prior FDA product recalls and tests at the facility with positive indications of Listeria. Upon hearing the news a few days ago, I was surprised. I knew the creamery had been having problems curbing the Listeria issue at their facility. But, one, I was under the impression that those issues were being diligently addressed. And, two, it seems a little ridiculous that the FDA can come in all drug-bust style, raid a farm, and confiscate cheese like a scene out of the Wire. Granted, I didn't see the event, but having the FDA drive up with Federal Marshals to seize cheese, doesn't seem like a routine visit from the health inspector.

Estrella is a true family-run operation: just mom, dad, and six kids, each with a role in either taking care of the animals or making cheese. I had visited the creamery a few weeks ago during their farm store hours. They make awesome cheese that I love. If this puts them out of business for good, it would be a tragedy. Also, while I was there I was graciously given a tour by a member of the family. I saw that the creamery was taking multiple corrective measures, including renovations, installing better air-flow systems, and halting the production of the most problematic cheese. It seemed like the FDA tests and recalls were being taken very seriously and everyone was doing their best to eliminate the issues.

Listeria is a bacteria that is commonly found in the environment. True, good sanitation can help prevent its growth. Historically there have been Listeria issues in cheesemaking facilities with poor sanitation. Yet, because Listeria is so common, you could probably find it anywhere if you really tried. For that reason, I've heard stories of several very meticulous and clean cheesemakers who have had a lot of trouble ridding their facility of Listeria. Some have found it so impossible to get rid of it that they simply shut down and move to a new facility. In many stituations it has nothing to do with any wrong-doing or error in sanitation on the cheesemaker's part.

While Listeria is a serious and deadly bacteria, especially with vulnerable populations such as the elderly and pregnant women, it's also just a food risk like any other. I've eaten raw meat on multiple occasions. I'm warned of the risk. As long as the food preparation is done in a clean manner, if I get sick, it's my own damn fault.  Most pregnant women are told not to eat raw milk cheeses because of the chance of Listeria hurting the fetus. After being warned of the risk, people make their own reasoned decisions. I've heard that European women are far more likely to eat raw milk cheese when pregnant. Once, my entire family got violent Salmonella poisoning from eating at Applebee's. To my recollection, there was no FDA raid on chicken breasts in the Applebee's kitchen. It seems that product recalls and corrective measures usually address these situation (unless it is very grave or the result of severe issues).

Yes, health inspectors and food safety regulations should be respected. It's a good rule of thumb to treat government workers nicely and respect the crappyness of their job. If you do, then the relationship you build with them is likely to be productive, and at times, save your ass.  Yet, the way some foods, especially dairy products, are treated as contraband is asinine. Some of the regulations regarding cheeses are downright stupid. Many state regulations require that cheese be kept at 41 degrees at farmers markets. Despite the fact that most cheeses have been living their entire life in an aging cave set to temperatures in the 50s, and the best way to eat cheese is at room temperature. Raw milk is treated like poison despite the fact that in many ways it's much better for you than the jugs you get in the grocery store. At a certain point we create a culture of paranoia.

Nobody wants someone to get sick, or worse yet, die from their product. Every cheesemaker I've met or worked with does their best to comply with the rules, keep everything sanitary, and take corrective measures when something goes wrong. You do the best you can, take precautions, and the rest is just a risk like anything else in life.