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Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge
Witty and irreverent, informative and provocative, A Life on the Wedge is the highly readable story of Gordon Edgar's unlikely career as a cheesemonger at San Francisco's worker-owned Rainbow Grocery Cooperative. A former punk-rock political activist, Edgar bluffed his way into his cheese job knowing almost nothing, but quickly discovered a whole world of amazing artisan cheeses. There he developed a deep understanding and respect for the styles, producers, animals, and techniques that go into making great cheese. With a refreshingly unpretentious sensibility, Edgar intertwines his own life story with his ongoing love affair with cheese, and offers readers an unflinching, highly entertaining on-the-ground look at America's growing cheese movement. From problem customers to animal rights, business ethics to taste epiphanies, this book offers something for everyone, including cheese profiles and recommendations for selecting the very best-not just the most expensive-cheeses from the United States and around the world and a look at the struggles dairy farmers face in their attempts to stay on and make their living from the land. Edgar-a smart, progressive cheese man with an activist's edge-enlightens and delights with his view of the world from behind the cheese counter and his appreciation for the skill and tradition that go into a good wedge of Morbier. Cheesemonger is the first book of its kind-a cheese memoir with attitude and information that will appeal to everyone from serious foodies to urban food activists.
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2009
26 people are currently reading
922 people want to read
About the author
Gordon Edgar
22 books38 followersGordon Edgar loves cheese and worker-owned co-ops, and has been combining both of these infatuations as a cheesemonger at Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in San Francisco since 1994. Edgar has been a judge at cheese competitions, a board member for the California Artisan Cheese Guild, and, since 2002, has blogged at www.gordonzola.net. His book Cheesemonger was published in 2010 and Cheddar was published in 2015, both by Chelsea Green. Those train books are by another Gordon Edgar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
July 24, 2010
I live in Wisconsin. I don’t know much about cheese. This is a problem, a missed opportunity, because within thirty minutes’ drive are both world famous cheese stores and dairy farms. As I’ve lived in the state for thirteen years I figured the time had come to learn something about cheese and cheese culture. I hit a rural cheese store with my oldest son a couple weeks ago and took a picture of part of the case:
Intimidating, right? So much cheese…
Goddamn, I’m glad I stumbled upon Gordon Edgar’s Cheesemonger . First, if you’re looking for a cheese encyclopedia, Cheesemonger is not your book. If you’re looking for the perspective of a middle-aged former punk rocker/political activist who hustled a decade of retail behind the cheese counter at a San Francisco worker-owned community supermarket, this is your book. I bet you didn’t know you were looking for the latter, but you were, really, trust me. This book reads like a cheese zine written by a guy who grew up believing heart and soul in the 80’s hardcore ethics of clarity, honesty, and treating people well. Then he got a little older and tried, mostly successfully, to live those ethics in new contexts. Cheesemonger serves as a food-oriented, professionally written Maximum Rock and Roll. Edgar is too aware of his former subculture’s failures and hypocrisies (along with the positives) to bullshit himself much. And he’s learned from a decade of working with the general public (a terrifying population if there ever was one) that cheese culture has evolved in the last twenty years with some fascinating larger societal implications inherent in the changes. Edgar has no patience for people, for example, who lived abroad and think they know everything about a country’s cheese, or the cheese highbrows who want to believe in a rustic, romantic vision of a farmer who actually might be a Christian Republican earning a hard living. But he’s also insightful on why people value stories associated with cheese histories, how the stories become marketing, and how the dairy farming world interacts with urban “foodie” (God, I hate that word) culture.
And Gordon Edgar loves and respects cheese. He talks through the science behind the cheesemaking process and the manner in which he found his way behind the cheese counter. He tackles the raw milk and rGBH issues without getting preachy or pedantic. Edgar describes the art of retail as “maintaining your self-respect without directly insulting the customers” and recommends that people put aside any cheese snob elitism (remember, he’s a former punk rocker) and eat what they like. He recommends a couple cheeses at the end of each chapter, too. Edgar uses the word “demystify” a lot; he seems to want to kick in the doors on the image of good cheese as something only the obsessed and affluent can intelligently approach. A glossary and “cheese buying guide for beginners” ends the text and serves those who wanted a more traditional approach to cheese analysis.
Not all of Edgar’s connections between cheesemongering and broader society fare well. Yes, retailers encounter the crazyass general public, but I don’t know that puts supermarket employees on the level of social workers. And he wanders a bit; this book could use more organization. Still, I dug Cheesemonger. Picture an edgier, cheese-focused Anthony Bourdain and you’ve got Edgar. I wish he had a cheese Food Network show. I’d watch. And I bought some pretty damn good goat cheese at that rural store, and maybe I’ll buy a different cheddar instead of my usual Costco block in the future. Thanks, Mr. Edgar. I feel a little less like a cheese idiot in cheese paradise after reading your book.
Intimidating, right? So much cheese…
Goddamn, I’m glad I stumbled upon Gordon Edgar’s Cheesemonger . First, if you’re looking for a cheese encyclopedia, Cheesemonger is not your book. If you’re looking for the perspective of a middle-aged former punk rocker/political activist who hustled a decade of retail behind the cheese counter at a San Francisco worker-owned community supermarket, this is your book. I bet you didn’t know you were looking for the latter, but you were, really, trust me. This book reads like a cheese zine written by a guy who grew up believing heart and soul in the 80’s hardcore ethics of clarity, honesty, and treating people well. Then he got a little older and tried, mostly successfully, to live those ethics in new contexts. Cheesemonger serves as a food-oriented, professionally written Maximum Rock and Roll. Edgar is too aware of his former subculture’s failures and hypocrisies (along with the positives) to bullshit himself much. And he’s learned from a decade of working with the general public (a terrifying population if there ever was one) that cheese culture has evolved in the last twenty years with some fascinating larger societal implications inherent in the changes. Edgar has no patience for people, for example, who lived abroad and think they know everything about a country’s cheese, or the cheese highbrows who want to believe in a rustic, romantic vision of a farmer who actually might be a Christian Republican earning a hard living. But he’s also insightful on why people value stories associated with cheese histories, how the stories become marketing, and how the dairy farming world interacts with urban “foodie” (God, I hate that word) culture.
And Gordon Edgar loves and respects cheese. He talks through the science behind the cheesemaking process and the manner in which he found his way behind the cheese counter. He tackles the raw milk and rGBH issues without getting preachy or pedantic. Edgar describes the art of retail as “maintaining your self-respect without directly insulting the customers” and recommends that people put aside any cheese snob elitism (remember, he’s a former punk rocker) and eat what they like. He recommends a couple cheeses at the end of each chapter, too. Edgar uses the word “demystify” a lot; he seems to want to kick in the doors on the image of good cheese as something only the obsessed and affluent can intelligently approach. A glossary and “cheese buying guide for beginners” ends the text and serves those who wanted a more traditional approach to cheese analysis.
Not all of Edgar’s connections between cheesemongering and broader society fare well. Yes, retailers encounter the crazyass general public, but I don’t know that puts supermarket employees on the level of social workers. And he wanders a bit; this book could use more organization. Still, I dug Cheesemonger. Picture an edgier, cheese-focused Anthony Bourdain and you’ve got Edgar. I wish he had a cheese Food Network show. I’d watch. And I bought some pretty damn good goat cheese at that rural store, and maybe I’ll buy a different cheddar instead of my usual Costco block in the future. Thanks, Mr. Edgar. I feel a little less like a cheese idiot in cheese paradise after reading your book.
October 25, 2012
I used to talk to this Gordon Edgar fella back when he sold records at the Maximum Rocknroll record store "Epicenter Zone" in San Francisco, around about 1991-93 or thereabouts. Very nice, talkative guy; no attitude whatsoever, and a sort of post-hippie political/peace punk vibe about him, if my memory serves. He's one of the many people of that era whom I used to regularly see at shows or in record stores whom I'd forgotten about or who left town ages ago, so a year ago I was pretty heartened to see that the man was now a "Cheese Monger" - nay, the cheesemonger - at a local grocery co-op, and had written a book about his journey from punk rock to cheese connoisseurship. I've got some pretty esoteric, obsessive tastes of my own, you know, and figured he'd probably have a couple of good tales to spin that would fit into an offbeat sort of coming-of-age narrative.
"CHEESEMONGER: A LIFE ON THE WEDGE", his book, is, in fact and as expected, a fairly fun and none-too-challenging read. You can approach it a couple of ways, or both ways if you wish. One is a personal tale of how Edgar approaches and reconciles his world leading the cheese revolution behind the counter at Rainbow Grocery with his own ideals, values and self-image. The other is a book about great cheese; stinky, rindy, rennet-less or even red, with informative and humorous chapter endnotes that help to educate greenhorns like myself about the various "cheese genres", along with some top-shelf representative examples that one might buy. Edgar's the same sort of humble, no-nonsense, self-reflective guy I vaguely remember from twenty years ago. He's still expressing a great deal of bemusement at how much he now knows about great cheese, to the point where he's an expert flown out to speak on panels and such. At the same time, he works at a socialist grocery store full of "worker-owners" like himself, and deals on a daily basis with the type of smug, needy people a store like that often attracts, from the politically high-minded, to the lactose-intolerant, to the generally intolerant.
I'm always a little skeptical of someone in their forties who still identifies at a "punk", yet thankfully he tones this down for the most part, likely because his world has moved on to be consumed by cheese, by and large. He's also pretty well aware that his "punk morals and values" transfer only slightly to his current vocation, and therefore doesn't try to hammer out any sort of equivalence between the world of cheese dorks and politically-minded punk rockers. Edgar's quite reverent of the family farmer and the many people who get their hands dirty making cow, sheep and goat cheeses for his and other stores (and for rich people), but he also exposes a lot of the marketing BS that goes into artisanal food production and retail in 2012. He definitely has a good-cheese-for-the-people ethos that seeks to educate the masses, and yet he takes pains not to condemn the wealthy folks who generally buy the best cheeses, both at his store and at specialty cheese shops.
I was a bit surprised at how often the book repeats itself, though. The narrative is not exactly linear, and while it's extremely readable, I found myself thinking on multiple occasions that Edgar had made a point in almost the exact same words only a couple of chapters beforehand. Given this gentleman's assumed lack of writing experience, that he can string sentences together this well should be applauded, but the book at times has the feel that there's an editor looming in the background, cracking the whip and shouting, "Longer! The book needs to be longer!". All told, I had a good time reading the thing, and I took some notes for the next time I feel like I wanna blow double digits on a hunk of triple-cream artisanal cheese from a small family-run dairy or some such.
"CHEESEMONGER: A LIFE ON THE WEDGE", his book, is, in fact and as expected, a fairly fun and none-too-challenging read. You can approach it a couple of ways, or both ways if you wish. One is a personal tale of how Edgar approaches and reconciles his world leading the cheese revolution behind the counter at Rainbow Grocery with his own ideals, values and self-image. The other is a book about great cheese; stinky, rindy, rennet-less or even red, with informative and humorous chapter endnotes that help to educate greenhorns like myself about the various "cheese genres", along with some top-shelf representative examples that one might buy. Edgar's the same sort of humble, no-nonsense, self-reflective guy I vaguely remember from twenty years ago. He's still expressing a great deal of bemusement at how much he now knows about great cheese, to the point where he's an expert flown out to speak on panels and such. At the same time, he works at a socialist grocery store full of "worker-owners" like himself, and deals on a daily basis with the type of smug, needy people a store like that often attracts, from the politically high-minded, to the lactose-intolerant, to the generally intolerant.
I'm always a little skeptical of someone in their forties who still identifies at a "punk", yet thankfully he tones this down for the most part, likely because his world has moved on to be consumed by cheese, by and large. He's also pretty well aware that his "punk morals and values" transfer only slightly to his current vocation, and therefore doesn't try to hammer out any sort of equivalence between the world of cheese dorks and politically-minded punk rockers. Edgar's quite reverent of the family farmer and the many people who get their hands dirty making cow, sheep and goat cheeses for his and other stores (and for rich people), but he also exposes a lot of the marketing BS that goes into artisanal food production and retail in 2012. He definitely has a good-cheese-for-the-people ethos that seeks to educate the masses, and yet he takes pains not to condemn the wealthy folks who generally buy the best cheeses, both at his store and at specialty cheese shops.
I was a bit surprised at how often the book repeats itself, though. The narrative is not exactly linear, and while it's extremely readable, I found myself thinking on multiple occasions that Edgar had made a point in almost the exact same words only a couple of chapters beforehand. Given this gentleman's assumed lack of writing experience, that he can string sentences together this well should be applauded, but the book at times has the feel that there's an editor looming in the background, cracking the whip and shouting, "Longer! The book needs to be longer!". All told, I had a good time reading the thing, and I took some notes for the next time I feel like I wanna blow double digits on a hunk of triple-cream artisanal cheese from a small family-run dairy or some such.
November 24, 2010
i feel a little bit weird writing about this book because i was once acquainted with the author. it's easier to write about books when i have never corresponded in a friendly way with the people who wrote them. especially since my reviews tend to be pretty harsh!
but i wouldn't say anything harsh about this book. it was legitimately pretty awesome. i like cheese, i like reading about people's experiences working in collective environments, i share many of gordon's political opinions & pet peeves...what's not to like?
gordon has been the cheese buyer for the rainbow co-op (a worker-owned grocery store) in san francisco for a long time. this is a book about the wide world of cheese selling. interesting stuff about the different kinds of cheese (ie, farmstead versus commodity verus [insert trendy buzzword here]), the unique challenges & benefits of working at a co-operative grocery store, inside dirt on cheese conventions & farm tours, a critique of the way snob culture is affecting cheese purchases, & more. there were points when the book seemed to meander a bit, or when things got a little repetitive, but for the most part, i was entertained, & some of the stories were even worth reading out loud & laughing. it remains to be seen if this book will inspire me to investigate a wider world of cheese beyond my usual staples: vermont extra-sharp cheddar, romano, parmesan, cottage, ricotta, & fresh mozzarella. those guys get the job done without breaking the bank. but if i do decide to branch out, now i am armed with some information on what to expect from my local cheese seller.
but i wouldn't say anything harsh about this book. it was legitimately pretty awesome. i like cheese, i like reading about people's experiences working in collective environments, i share many of gordon's political opinions & pet peeves...what's not to like?
gordon has been the cheese buyer for the rainbow co-op (a worker-owned grocery store) in san francisco for a long time. this is a book about the wide world of cheese selling. interesting stuff about the different kinds of cheese (ie, farmstead versus commodity verus [insert trendy buzzword here]), the unique challenges & benefits of working at a co-operative grocery store, inside dirt on cheese conventions & farm tours, a critique of the way snob culture is affecting cheese purchases, & more. there were points when the book seemed to meander a bit, or when things got a little repetitive, but for the most part, i was entertained, & some of the stories were even worth reading out loud & laughing. it remains to be seen if this book will inspire me to investigate a wider world of cheese beyond my usual staples: vermont extra-sharp cheddar, romano, parmesan, cottage, ricotta, & fresh mozzarella. those guys get the job done without breaking the bank. but if i do decide to branch out, now i am armed with some information on what to expect from my local cheese seller.
February 18, 2010
A great smash-up of cultures: cheese, punkers, co-operators, and the surrounding communities of foodies, labor activists, and rural-urban divide. Gordon does an incredible job of bringing these worlds into focus and sharing the lessons from each in modern day parables. As an added bonus, he offers some great descriptions of the cheeses of the day. I was fortunate enough that one of my local stores put out a wheel of parmigiano reggiano while reading this book (it turns out that cheese is the perfect snack--go figure).
Sometimes the transitions between the cultures are a bit rough, but that is also one of the charms. This is a hand made memoir and the transitions sometimes do seem a bit clunky as a true satori can be. I could imagine Gordon telling the tale of cheese only to have the sudden realization of how cheese reminded him of a similar trend in the counter culture or even the dominant culture.
It reads well that gives a lot of food for thought and thought for food.
Sometimes the transitions between the cultures are a bit rough, but that is also one of the charms. This is a hand made memoir and the transitions sometimes do seem a bit clunky as a true satori can be. I could imagine Gordon telling the tale of cheese only to have the sudden realization of how cheese reminded him of a similar trend in the counter culture or even the dominant culture.
It reads well that gives a lot of food for thought and thought for food.
January 23, 2010
Yeah, my boyfriend wrote this book. Yup.
June 21, 2017
Cheesemonger upended my expectations in a very good way. Going in, I was expecting some tale of the long path to a dream, where a childhood love of cheese led someone to culinary school and to becoming a master of dairy. But it turns out that it's the other kind of memoir, about how a strange left turn in life changes one's entire course and sets the tone of the future. Also, punk rock.
It's the punk attitude that really made me love this book. Edgar came to cheese by accident, first getting involved in the punk music scene, then political activism, and eventually snagging a job as one of the worker-owners of Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in San Francisco. There was a spot on the cheese counter, so he took it, and threw himself into the world of cheese-buying, cheese-tasting, and cheesemongering with no background, having come from a childhood where he ate mostly American Cheese and Velveeta, until eating Antique Gruyere caused an epiphany.
A portion of the book touches on the reality of farming and how modern people are disconnected from it in a variety of ways. There's the obvious, like how farmers can love their animals and given them names and take care of them but still slaughter them when the time comes because a man has to eat and so do the people that man sells food to so he can buy food himself, but also how consumer preferences can clash. Selling food in San Francisco, there are a lot of customers who want to support small farms and buy organic. There are also a lot of customers who don't want to give any money to any organization that donates to Republicans. Rural areas being what they are, these goals are often in conflict, but that's just the reality of American culture. Something I too occasionally think about, but mostly ignore because there is no ethical consumption under capitalism.
There's also the snobbery aspect of cheese. Wine and cheese plates, cheese with foreign names, and the contradiction that a food that was one of the most common sources of protein and fat for the lower classes in Europe is now often associated with high-class food. I'm guilty of this a bit myself. There's a restaurant nearby that has very tasty burgers except along with their onion straws and house pickles they put American Cheese on it, and I went there once and have never been back because it ruined the whole experience for me. But I grew up eating cheddar off a giant brick too, and it wasn't until I moved to Japan and couldn't get good cheese for the life of me that I really grew to appreciate the variety in cheese. Edgar was much the same, where he didn't grow to appreciate cheese until he started selling it, but he doesn't hold with snobbery. As he says:
The chapters are a bit scattershot, with no clear organizing strategy and a greater or lesser portion of cheese-to-punk content according to no scheme that I could determine. But there was no point that I was bored, and I pulled a lot of quotes out of this book. Often about politics:
It's the punk attitude that really made me love this book. Edgar came to cheese by accident, first getting involved in the punk music scene, then political activism, and eventually snagging a job as one of the worker-owners of Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in San Francisco. There was a spot on the cheese counter, so he took it, and threw himself into the world of cheese-buying, cheese-tasting, and cheesemongering with no background, having come from a childhood where he ate mostly American Cheese and Velveeta, until eating Antique Gruyere caused an epiphany.
A portion of the book touches on the reality of farming and how modern people are disconnected from it in a variety of ways. There's the obvious, like how farmers can love their animals and given them names and take care of them but still slaughter them when the time comes because a man has to eat and so do the people that man sells food to so he can buy food himself, but also how consumer preferences can clash. Selling food in San Francisco, there are a lot of customers who want to support small farms and buy organic. There are also a lot of customers who don't want to give any money to any organization that donates to Republicans. Rural areas being what they are, these goals are often in conflict, but that's just the reality of American culture. Something I too occasionally think about, but mostly ignore because there is no ethical consumption under capitalism.
There's also the snobbery aspect of cheese. Wine and cheese plates, cheese with foreign names, and the contradiction that a food that was one of the most common sources of protein and fat for the lower classes in Europe is now often associated with high-class food. I'm guilty of this a bit myself. There's a restaurant nearby that has very tasty burgers except along with their onion straws and house pickles they put American Cheese on it, and I went there once and have never been back because it ruined the whole experience for me. But I grew up eating cheddar off a giant brick too, and it wasn't until I moved to Japan and couldn't get good cheese for the life of me that I really grew to appreciate the variety in cheese. Edgar was much the same, where he didn't grow to appreciate cheese until he started selling it, but he doesn't hold with snobbery. As he says:
"There's a fine line between pointing out why American Cheese betrays the art of cheesemaking historically and saying, 'Let them eat cake.' "And there is plenty of cheese-related information in Cheesemonger, though Edgar is careful to point out that it's not a manual either for cheesemaking or cheesemongering. Each chapter ends with two cheese selections that relate to the topic of the chapter, with some other cheeses similar to those listed at the end. There are discussions of whether to eat the rind or not (answer: sometimes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯), the usage of mold in cheese production and the accompanying obsession with aging cheese in caves, how the characteristics of the milk and the animals' diets can affect the taste of the cheese, and how some cheeses are always> made with raw milk and that, statistically, raw milk cheese is often safer when evaluated by number of outbreaks.
The chapters are a bit scattershot, with no clear organizing strategy and a greater or lesser portion of cheese-to-punk content according to no scheme that I could determine. But there was no point that I was bored, and I pulled a lot of quotes out of this book. Often about politics:
"Any political tendency that bases itself on what purchases people make has inherent limits--it practically ensures that the people with more money to buy goods will be the people with more political power."But occasionally about food, too:
"It's notable though, that it is the French cheese that gets the most abuse. After years of thoughts on why that is, I've decided that it's all about homophobia [...] small portions, overly decorative servings, torturing geese to make foie gras...whatever the reason, there is a certain type of guy who refuses to engage with French cheese. If you doubt me, go do an Internet search for French + food + (pick your anti-gay epithet)."I haven't eaten any cheese since I started this book, but I think I'll have to change that tonight.
February 5, 2016
I've reached an age where, in an access of morbidity, I will idly play the "What could I give up if I had to?" game: under doctor's orders, would I rather give up steak or oysters? Steak, of course. Beer or whiskey, lamb or pork, wine or coffee? I gave up pot nearly 30 years ago (it made my feet feel swollen), gin very reluctantly recently, when I discovered that it got me catastrophically drunk. Could I give up cheese, bread or pasta? I fear the answer there would have to be "I'd rather be euthanized, please".
"Not that everyone who desires good cheese is rich. I see people budgeting for good cheese, eating cheese instead of going to the movies or bars. I see regular folks - bike messengers, Volvo mechanics, teachers, poets, administrative assistants - prioritizing cheese in their shopping budget because it makes them happy." Truer words were never spoken; this bookstore employee tries to hew to a weekly $20 cheese budget (excluding cheese used in cooking), and some weeks I even succeed.
This book is a nice blending of memoir, manifesto, and cheese guide, written by Gordon Edgar (aka "Gordonzola"), head of the cheese department at the City's venerable Rainbow Grocery. It's well written, well reasoned, full of good humor and many Come To Cheeses moments. In fact, I'd take issue with Edgar's apology for finding cheese funny: Monty Python and Wallace and Gromit realized that cheese is funny decades ago; and Alan Partridge brandishing a small round of Stilton in Tony Hayer's face, while yelling "Smell my cheese, you mother!", then running out of the BBC commissary yelling "I've got cheese! This is cheese!" plays brilliantly on that reality. I won't even mention D'Arcy "Stilton" Cheesewright, from P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster stories. Cheese is funny; it's also the best stuff on earth.
Also, the cover photo? Taken by my friend, the amazing Myleen Hollero. Respeck, to quote Ali G.
"Not that everyone who desires good cheese is rich. I see people budgeting for good cheese, eating cheese instead of going to the movies or bars. I see regular folks - bike messengers, Volvo mechanics, teachers, poets, administrative assistants - prioritizing cheese in their shopping budget because it makes them happy." Truer words were never spoken; this bookstore employee tries to hew to a weekly $20 cheese budget (excluding cheese used in cooking), and some weeks I even succeed.
This book is a nice blending of memoir, manifesto, and cheese guide, written by Gordon Edgar (aka "Gordonzola"), head of the cheese department at the City's venerable Rainbow Grocery. It's well written, well reasoned, full of good humor and many Come To Cheeses moments. In fact, I'd take issue with Edgar's apology for finding cheese funny: Monty Python and Wallace and Gromit realized that cheese is funny decades ago; and Alan Partridge brandishing a small round of Stilton in Tony Hayer's face, while yelling "Smell my cheese, you mother!", then running out of the BBC commissary yelling "I've got cheese! This is cheese!" plays brilliantly on that reality. I won't even mention D'Arcy "Stilton" Cheesewright, from P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster stories. Cheese is funny; it's also the best stuff on earth.
Also, the cover photo? Taken by my friend, the amazing Myleen Hollero. Respeck, to quote Ali G.
February 7, 2016
"I know it's my contrary nature, but when I think of 'artisinal production,' I think of feudal muck and lack of sanitation a la Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I am definitely not saying that pasteurization makes superior cheese, but fetishizing the traditional has its drawbacks, too."
What's not to love about this book? It's about cheese, sure-- but it's also about urban living and rural farming; food culture and grueling retail work; punk history and the ever-lingering after-effects of Ronald Reagan.
It's also guaranteed to be the only book in which you'll find the terms "Bikini Kill," "Bovine Somatropin/rBGH/rBST," and "Situationists" in the glossary.
There's a love of cheese here, but it's not the cliché snobbery of California foodie culture: it's a love that extends to the farmers and workers who produce the cheese as well as those who enjoy it. Each chapter loving ends with favorite cheese tips. I'm off to go find some of that Jasper Hill Winnemere.
Read Gordon's blog here:
http://gordonzola.net/
What's not to love about this book? It's about cheese, sure-- but it's also about urban living and rural farming; food culture and grueling retail work; punk history and the ever-lingering after-effects of Ronald Reagan.
It's also guaranteed to be the only book in which you'll find the terms "Bikini Kill," "Bovine Somatropin/rBGH/rBST," and "Situationists" in the glossary.
There's a love of cheese here, but it's not the cliché snobbery of California foodie culture: it's a love that extends to the farmers and workers who produce the cheese as well as those who enjoy it. Each chapter loving ends with favorite cheese tips. I'm off to go find some of that Jasper Hill Winnemere.
Read Gordon's blog here:
http://gordonzola.net/
January 29, 2015
(disclaimer: I know the author, sort of. We're not in touch anymore, but he once got me into an American Cheese Society show for reasons since lost to memory. I think I still have the pin, though, and I could probably track down the notes I took at the cheese and beer tasting I attended.)
Great mix of info about cheese, cheese culture, workers' co-ops, the retail world, and even a little about punk rock. I really enjoyed all the anecdotes about working at the co-op, and stories of the places where rural and urban life blend (or don't). The book resonated with me for a lot of reasons, including the fact that I'm one generation and two steps sideways removed from dairy farmers, less removed than that from my punk rock ways, and this weekend I ordered some cheese at a wine bar and put it in my mouth and said "holy fuck" and remembered how much I really, really love cheese. I licked the board, even, and finished the book on the plane ride home. Funny, unpretentious, educational, light-hearted, and a great read.
Great mix of info about cheese, cheese culture, workers' co-ops, the retail world, and even a little about punk rock. I really enjoyed all the anecdotes about working at the co-op, and stories of the places where rural and urban life blend (or don't). The book resonated with me for a lot of reasons, including the fact that I'm one generation and two steps sideways removed from dairy farmers, less removed than that from my punk rock ways, and this weekend I ordered some cheese at a wine bar and put it in my mouth and said "holy fuck" and remembered how much I really, really love cheese. I licked the board, even, and finished the book on the plane ride home. Funny, unpretentious, educational, light-hearted, and a great read.
May 29, 2010
I've been reading a lot of foodie books lately, and have decided that there are two main categories. There's a type of writing that is extra-precious, and tries really hard to romanticize eating, cooking, back-to-the-land goat raising, etc. Then there are books like this one, written by real people about their honest, unpretentious love of something. Gordon Edgar is a great antidote to foodie snobbery. Not only is Cheesemonger a funny and endearing story of an ordinary bloke's developing relationship with cheese, it's an education and an inspiration to seek out new experiences in eating. Some of the cheese recommendations are a bit pricey, but Edgar doesn't scorn honest workaday cheeses within the reach of the average shopper. Packed with anecdotes about both the "insiders" world of cheese marketing and the shoppers and employees of the Rainbow Grocery, a worker-owned cooperative in San Francisco, Cheesemonger is an entertaining read. Well worth it!
May 13, 2010
3 ½ stars. I liked this book. The author is very personable and has some fun stories about cheese, farmers, the cows, goats, and sheep and cheesemaking, and the Rainbow Cooperative and their customers in San Francisco. The author definitely has a love for the cheese business. Yet towards the end I found myself skimming. The book became too repetitive and could have benefited from a good editor. Worth a read, especially if you want to learn the basics of cheese production and about some good American cheesemakers. (I’d love to visit Vermont Shepherd, a small sheep dairy in Putney, VT, on my next VT visit. They enclose a card with every box of their cheese including details about the cheese including the weather and where the sheep were hanging out. I’d love to see the sheep in person.)
October 29, 2013
What a great read, by one of the Bay Area's most respected cheesemongers. Gordon Edgar tells how he went from a punk rocker of the 1980s to a worker-owner in the cheese department at the largest worker-owned cooperative in the U.S. He joined Rainbow knowing virtually nothing about cheese and tells how his interest, knowledge, and passion for the curd grew, overlapping commonalities between his increasing role in the co-op and his years in progressive politics (by way of punk). Each chapter ends with recommendations and information on two cheeses, each of which was used in the chapter to illustrate a principle or experience. Definitely not overwhelming on the cheese details, yet interesting and informative for the cheese explorer. He has a wonderfully warm and witty voice and tone, reminiscent of his buddy Steve Sando, if you read the Rancho Gordo newsletter.
August 6, 2016
Things I Love: 1) Workplace memoirs. 2) Cheese.
Match made in heaven.
It’s open and easy to read, not too heavy on the emotional memoir junk but sooo punk rock. He buys and sells cheese for a grocery store, but kind of a hippie food coop type one, so it’s a balance between everyday and fancy. It’s not about how we should all eat handmade single-batch our-goats-wear-homemade-sweaters cheese and nothing else -- he understands the money and class issues that cheese brings up. He also understands the homophobia involved when people make fun of fancy cheese for no reason. He talks about land-use issues and class, plus he discusses humane farming practices while understanding most farmers aren’t Cruel & Heartless, they’re just trying to survive. Etc.
Fun and informative, well worth the read... Just do yourself a favor and make sure you have cheese in the house before you start!
Match made in heaven.
It’s open and easy to read, not too heavy on the emotional memoir junk but sooo punk rock. He buys and sells cheese for a grocery store, but kind of a hippie food coop type one, so it’s a balance between everyday and fancy. It’s not about how we should all eat handmade single-batch our-goats-wear-homemade-sweaters cheese and nothing else -- he understands the money and class issues that cheese brings up. He also understands the homophobia involved when people make fun of fancy cheese for no reason. He talks about land-use issues and class, plus he discusses humane farming practices while understanding most farmers aren’t Cruel & Heartless, they’re just trying to survive. Etc.
Fun and informative, well worth the read... Just do yourself a favor and make sure you have cheese in the house before you start!
January 8, 2019
Didn't think I was going to enjoy this one as much as I did, but this punk rock cheesemaker's story is surprisingly moreish, blending super in-depth cheese knowledge with tales from behind the counter, collectivist politics and musings on the gentrification of urban communities.
Basically this is a lot like Steve Almond's Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America, but for cheese. Mildly disappointed that it's not called Cheesefreak.
Basically this is a lot like Steve Almond's Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America, but for cheese. Mildly disappointed that it's not called Cheesefreak.
May 18, 2010
Love the cheese suggestions at the end of each chapter! I will definitely be trying some of them out. Edgar's democratic approach to cheese was appreciated, as I worried it might be a bit of a "cheese snob" memoir.
The one negative I see is that his story got repetitive after a while; I wish there had been more anecdotes about experiences with customers, farmers, and sellers and a little less repetition about his punk background and the store's philosophy (not that they weren't interesting topics, I just felt like he had nothing new to share on them by about halfway through).
The one negative I see is that his story got repetitive after a while; I wish there had been more anecdotes about experiences with customers, farmers, and sellers and a little less repetition about his punk background and the store's philosophy (not that they weren't interesting topics, I just felt like he had nothing new to share on them by about halfway through).
November 28, 2010
Blech. I'm not sure who this guy thought his audience was, but I'm pretty sure who he very much WANTED his audience to be: people who would be just in AWE of his punk-rock roots and the incredible fact that he SOMEHOW became this kick-ass, knowledgeable MONGER who still fucking rocks and keeps it real, man, and is willing to share his wisdom and attitude (and some basic info about cheese) with them. Pass.
June 6, 2010
More like 3.5 stars, but I rounded up. The organization is a little muddled and the connections between cheese and punk rock politics that he wants to make can be tenuous at best (e.g., cultures vs. culture, get it?), but what the hell, I really liked his down-to-earth attitude toward cheese and food and farm politics, and the cheese suggestions at the end of every chapter are great.
October 19, 2021
This book came across my radar because I sort of know someone who knows him (and we might have inhabited the same internet space a very long time ago.)
This was the second weird-mix memoir that came with me on a long weekend. As such, I couldn't help comparing his story about how he basically BSed his way into the job he really wanted to the previous memoir (In the Land of Men: A Memoir), which I think was happening t about the same time, where the (female) author studied up for her interview and skipped graduation.
None of that is the author's fault. And he seems like someone I might get along with, although I confirmed that my tastes are horribly plebeian. I ended up with a couple cheeses that I think I would like, if I could find them, which I'm not sure I can. (And a couple I want to try, even though they seem hard to get a hold of and I probably wouldn't appreciate them properly.)
He got semi-political, which was a bit interesting since this book came out about a decade before I read it; the world he describes was familiar in spots and very far away in others. So there was a bit of a time-capsule aspect.
Overall, it isn't for someone who wants a pure memoir, and it's not for someone who wants a cheese guide, but definitely will make me try at least one new cheese.
This was the second weird-mix memoir that came with me on a long weekend. As such, I couldn't help comparing his story about how he basically BSed his way into the job he really wanted to the previous memoir (In the Land of Men: A Memoir), which I think was happening t about the same time, where the (female) author studied up for her interview and skipped graduation.
None of that is the author's fault. And he seems like someone I might get along with, although I confirmed that my tastes are horribly plebeian. I ended up with a couple cheeses that I think I would like, if I could find them, which I'm not sure I can. (And a couple I want to try, even though they seem hard to get a hold of and I probably wouldn't appreciate them properly.)
He got semi-political, which was a bit interesting since this book came out about a decade before I read it; the world he describes was familiar in spots and very far away in others. So there was a bit of a time-capsule aspect.
Overall, it isn't for someone who wants a pure memoir, and it's not for someone who wants a cheese guide, but definitely will make me try at least one new cheese.
June 2, 2019
This is an amazing book! Although I got it from my library, I may have to buy it for my own collection.
Gordon Edgar is a Cheesemonger in a worker-owner cooperative grocery store in San Francisco. But before he became a cheesemonger he was, among other things, a community activist and a punk rocker. So this book is about the education and experience of a cheesemonger and so, of course, there is a lot of information about cheese and cheese-making. If you are a foodie, you will love this book. If you are afraid to try new cheeses, Gordon's book may give you courage!
And if your passion runs more to political activism at the local level, if you are concerned about food deserts, if gentrification pushes all your buttons, you will want to meet Gordon. While this is not a guide to improving your community, it is a chance to realize that you are not alone, that there are others who care about these things - and perhaps open your eyes to problems - and solutions - you were as yet unaware of.
This is a great read - but it's also potentiallly an important reference book - if only for the glossary of cheese terminology!
Gordon Edgar is a Cheesemonger in a worker-owner cooperative grocery store in San Francisco. But before he became a cheesemonger he was, among other things, a community activist and a punk rocker. So this book is about the education and experience of a cheesemonger and so, of course, there is a lot of information about cheese and cheese-making. If you are a foodie, you will love this book. If you are afraid to try new cheeses, Gordon's book may give you courage!
And if your passion runs more to political activism at the local level, if you are concerned about food deserts, if gentrification pushes all your buttons, you will want to meet Gordon. While this is not a guide to improving your community, it is a chance to realize that you are not alone, that there are others who care about these things - and perhaps open your eyes to problems - and solutions - you were as yet unaware of.
This is a great read - but it's also potentiallly an important reference book - if only for the glossary of cheese terminology!
August 14, 2018
I really enjoyed this. I started reading because of the promise of foodie lit and cheese geekery, but I think what I enjoyed the most was the confluence of a punk outlook and ethos with insights into the politics of food.
There's also an impressive discussion of the emotional labor of working in retail and the service industry in a community... the author works in a cooperative community store in a San Francisco neighborhood that's getting more gentrified. He made a point that absolutely shook me up: the underfunding and decay of a lot of social services and support means that people with unmet social needs and support needs turn to retail transactions to get what they need. And that the emphasis on "friendly customer service" expectations from the retail workers tie into that. I see parallels to what goes on in my library work as well.
I came for a discussion of tasty cheese, which I got (though I basically wound up jealous of all the descriptions of tasty California cheese) but I got more out of this book. Good stuff.
There's also an impressive discussion of the emotional labor of working in retail and the service industry in a community... the author works in a cooperative community store in a San Francisco neighborhood that's getting more gentrified. He made a point that absolutely shook me up: the underfunding and decay of a lot of social services and support means that people with unmet social needs and support needs turn to retail transactions to get what they need. And that the emphasis on "friendly customer service" expectations from the retail workers tie into that. I see parallels to what goes on in my library work as well.
I came for a discussion of tasty cheese, which I got (though I basically wound up jealous of all the descriptions of tasty California cheese) but I got more out of this book. Good stuff.
January 3, 2018
Gordon Edgar is a punk cheesemonger who runs the cheese department at a worker-owned co-op grocery store (Rainbow Grocery Cooperative) in San Francisco. He didn’t have any particular expertise with cheese when he first started, but as he began growing the cheese section and attending conferences and workshops and meeting with cheese vendors, his knowledge increased and his cheese palate developed (as did those of his customers). In Cheesemonger Edgar shares some of the anecdotes, secrets, and pleasures of working with and serving up this popular food item. An entertaining read for cheese lovers (beginners and snobs alike!) with lots of delectable suggestions from Edgar’s personal list of favorites.
August 22, 2017
I think I would have really loved each of the essays in this book on their own. As a collection it starts to be overly repetitive. I found Gordon's life and his values to be interesting, strong, delightful, and unusual -- I had never thought about what it would be like to work in a worker-owned co-op store. I enjoyed reading about the thoughtful path that led him there, and about his flowering from cheese enthusiasm to cheese expert. I liked his descriptions of the various cheeses and farmers. I wrote down a list of cheeses to try -- all in all, a success! But it was also kind of a slog to read straight through - it felt like a collection of essays rather than a cohesive autobiography.
May 29, 2019
This book was a fun and educational look at the world of cheese. As someone originally from Wisconsin, I frequently found myself picking up my phone to google the Wisconsin-based cheeses he recommended so I could check them out myself, and as a former Whole Foods cashier, I loved reading about and could really relate to his experiences working in a natural foods store, and the specific types of people that attracts. His connections between his life as a punk to his life in cheese were interesting, if sometimes a bit of a stretch and repetitive. Overall I enjoyed learning more about the world of cheese-making and cheese-selling.
February 28, 2019
The author is in charge of the cheese at a cooperative grocery store in San Francisco where he attempts to live up to the punk rock principles of his youth. If you don't remember these 2 things as you read his book, just turn the page and he will be sure to remind you again and again.
I did not find this to be an engaging memoir, because the author just doesn't have a lot to say. It got to the point where a job I once thought would be fascinating seems incredibly dull and repetitious.
I would not have made it to the end of this book if it wasn't so short.
I did not find this to be an engaging memoir, because the author just doesn't have a lot to say. It got to the point where a job I once thought would be fascinating seems incredibly dull and repetitious.
I would not have made it to the end of this book if it wasn't so short.
September 16, 2019
I didn't really need the author's comments on politics and the behavior of people, his knowledge of cheese is fantastic and he has put this information in his book in a way that makes it a remarkable resource.
September 20, 2021
More like 3.5
Do you love cheese? Do you dream about it, like I do? Well, this book is for you. I might adore cheese, but until I read Cheesemonger, I knew almost nothing about it. Wonderfully written, funny, informative, and personal, this is a must-read for any and all foodies.
Do you love cheese? Do you dream about it, like I do? Well, this book is for you. I might adore cheese, but until I read Cheesemonger, I knew almost nothing about it. Wonderfully written, funny, informative, and personal, this is a must-read for any and all foodies.
November 16, 2017
A really interesting look into both the Cooperative Business world and the world of selling cheese. If your interested in either, I'd suggest this one.
July 21, 2022
super important look into the world of cheese, eye opening, stunning, never been done before. this will absolutely become a staple on my reading list.
June 1, 2025
Informative and mildly funny, but goes on for too long.
October 12, 2010
I’m not what you’d call a foodie. I do like to cook, and I’m working on getting better at it, but at the same time knowing the ins and outs of foods isn’t a passion of mine. To put it simply, I love me an Oatmeal Cream Pie that’s been sitting in the glovebox (aka Dessert Cart) for a couple days.
That said, this book is pretty entertaining for someone who isn’t already interested in cheese.
What separates this book from other food books is that Edgar, though passionate about cheese, doesn’t try to foist his passion on everyone else. Edgar’s cheese vocabulary is helpful. He doesn’t use a bunch of bullshit terms that have no meaning. Edgar’s realistic, unapologetic for growing up on cheap-ass cheese, and he must have taken half a dozen opportunities in this book to say that you shouldn’t waste your money on the best cheese if you’re putting it on a plate for a big gathering or preparing a meal for a large group. The strengths of the book are the writing and Edgar’s honesty. In other words, he is not interested in making cheese the new wine.
The book also has some pretty decent sections on running co-ops and the harsh reality of agribusiness as well. Definitely worthwhile if you’re any sort of manager, but also if you’re interested in the world of work in general. One could draw parallels to books like Waiter Rant in terms of dealing with some difficult people and the ways in which retail economics play into food.
The rougher sections, for me at least, were the larger geo-political portions. I think he may have some decent points about Reaganomics and our reasons for fearing French cuisine, but I was a lot more interested in the ins and outs of the cheese.
The biggest success of the book is in its desire to introduce noobs to the cheese world. Every chapter ends with specific cheese recommendations and the book ends with a brief guide on how to buy cheese. This isn’t a book for food snobs or people that think certain foods are only for people who know all about them already. Edgar can’t say it (though, without putting words in his mouth, he seems to dance around it) because these people are his bread and butter, or at least the spreadable cheese, but food insiders can be really goddamn annoying. They’re kind of like people who like a band only up to the moment in which they become popular in that they seem to like the actual product less than what the product says about them. To them, a food becoming popular is a bad thing. A club just isn’t a club if you can’t turn people away at the door.
After reading this book I was motivated to try a couple cheeses he recommended. I should point out that I don’t live anywhere near a cheese shop or even a Whole Foods, so these were purchased at the tiny salad-bar-cheese-counter-conversion thing at King Soopers. To recap: a know-nothing purchasing cheese from a place that probably spends more time deciding what goes in the Halloween aisle than the cheese case. So take it all with a grain of salt. The size of a meteor.
The first was Parmigiano Reggiano. This cheese comes up over and over in the book because it’s reasonably priced, hard to mess up, and because there is honestly a world of difference between the wedge of cheese I bought and the dust that comes in the green can. Don’t get me wrong, this is not me swearing off the green can. But the cheese is pretty damn good plain, and maybe it’s not the best use of good cheese, but try it as the cheese for your next Alfredo sauce. I wasn’t an Alfredo fan until I tried it with Parmigiano Reggiano. The flavor of the cheese is tempered a little by the cooking, I think, but the Alfredo has an actual taste besides salty milk, and the sauce had some stick to it instead of being so watery.
The second cheese I tried was Taleggio. The book said that it’s somewhat of a beginner in terms of stinky cheese. And stinky it was. The smell was…unpleasant. Biological. Foot-y. But I cut a piece off and ate it anyway. This is one of the few food experiences I can think of where the smell of the food was somewhat distant from the taste. It was like a horror movie where the trailer is scary as hell, but then you sit down and the overall feeling is much milder.
Taleggio, I’m afraid, won’t be finding its way into my regular rotation. The softness combined with the stink was a little, um, advanced for my liking. The texture was a little like a rubbery cream cheese. I know, really appetizing. But hey, as an adult you really never have to eat new things. When you’re a kid, you’re eating new crap all the time. You hate it half the time, maybe because it’s infused with the bitterness you feel towards your parents for making you eat it, but there’s something to be said for trying a new food variety once in a while, no?
If you are interested in food, or at least want to take a second look at that cheese case when you go to the grocery store, give Cheesemonger a shot. Hell, it’s a good read either way.
That said, this book is pretty entertaining for someone who isn’t already interested in cheese.
What separates this book from other food books is that Edgar, though passionate about cheese, doesn’t try to foist his passion on everyone else. Edgar’s cheese vocabulary is helpful. He doesn’t use a bunch of bullshit terms that have no meaning. Edgar’s realistic, unapologetic for growing up on cheap-ass cheese, and he must have taken half a dozen opportunities in this book to say that you shouldn’t waste your money on the best cheese if you’re putting it on a plate for a big gathering or preparing a meal for a large group. The strengths of the book are the writing and Edgar’s honesty. In other words, he is not interested in making cheese the new wine.
The book also has some pretty decent sections on running co-ops and the harsh reality of agribusiness as well. Definitely worthwhile if you’re any sort of manager, but also if you’re interested in the world of work in general. One could draw parallels to books like Waiter Rant in terms of dealing with some difficult people and the ways in which retail economics play into food.
The rougher sections, for me at least, were the larger geo-political portions. I think he may have some decent points about Reaganomics and our reasons for fearing French cuisine, but I was a lot more interested in the ins and outs of the cheese.
The biggest success of the book is in its desire to introduce noobs to the cheese world. Every chapter ends with specific cheese recommendations and the book ends with a brief guide on how to buy cheese. This isn’t a book for food snobs or people that think certain foods are only for people who know all about them already. Edgar can’t say it (though, without putting words in his mouth, he seems to dance around it) because these people are his bread and butter, or at least the spreadable cheese, but food insiders can be really goddamn annoying. They’re kind of like people who like a band only up to the moment in which they become popular in that they seem to like the actual product less than what the product says about them. To them, a food becoming popular is a bad thing. A club just isn’t a club if you can’t turn people away at the door.
After reading this book I was motivated to try a couple cheeses he recommended. I should point out that I don’t live anywhere near a cheese shop or even a Whole Foods, so these were purchased at the tiny salad-bar-cheese-counter-conversion thing at King Soopers. To recap: a know-nothing purchasing cheese from a place that probably spends more time deciding what goes in the Halloween aisle than the cheese case. So take it all with a grain of salt. The size of a meteor.
The first was Parmigiano Reggiano. This cheese comes up over and over in the book because it’s reasonably priced, hard to mess up, and because there is honestly a world of difference between the wedge of cheese I bought and the dust that comes in the green can. Don’t get me wrong, this is not me swearing off the green can. But the cheese is pretty damn good plain, and maybe it’s not the best use of good cheese, but try it as the cheese for your next Alfredo sauce. I wasn’t an Alfredo fan until I tried it with Parmigiano Reggiano. The flavor of the cheese is tempered a little by the cooking, I think, but the Alfredo has an actual taste besides salty milk, and the sauce had some stick to it instead of being so watery.
The second cheese I tried was Taleggio. The book said that it’s somewhat of a beginner in terms of stinky cheese. And stinky it was. The smell was…unpleasant. Biological. Foot-y. But I cut a piece off and ate it anyway. This is one of the few food experiences I can think of where the smell of the food was somewhat distant from the taste. It was like a horror movie where the trailer is scary as hell, but then you sit down and the overall feeling is much milder.
Taleggio, I’m afraid, won’t be finding its way into my regular rotation. The softness combined with the stink was a little, um, advanced for my liking. The texture was a little like a rubbery cream cheese. I know, really appetizing. But hey, as an adult you really never have to eat new things. When you’re a kid, you’re eating new crap all the time. You hate it half the time, maybe because it’s infused with the bitterness you feel towards your parents for making you eat it, but there’s something to be said for trying a new food variety once in a while, no?
If you are interested in food, or at least want to take a second look at that cheese case when you go to the grocery store, give Cheesemonger a shot. Hell, it’s a good read either way.
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