My Journey to Italia

I want some cheeeeeeese.

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Cheese Factory update! So last Monday I got to visit a Cheese Factory with my Food and Wine class! Does that sound like a lot of fun? Although it wasn’t that interesting to watch cheese solidify for half and hour, the cheese was good to eat!

As our last excursion for Food and Wine we went to a cheese factory/sheep farm near Siena. The area was located in a different area of Tuscany than we had previously been visiting. It was miles of farm land, so there were no big trees, only rolling hills alternating between shades of brown and green for as far as the eye could see. (I’m not sure exactly where it was located because we were supposed to be going to this place called Asciano but the woman who runs it fell off her horse and is in the hospital. (!))

As we stepped off of our Mercedes bus we were met with a few flies and large bails of hay. I felt like I was home. Really though! I felt really at home at the farm, it totally reminded me of Lisa’s house because of the hay and large animals, but also our own house because it was out in the middle of nowhere were there weren’t very many people around. It made me really happy.

While I felt at home though, the large majority, if not all the other students, felt very out of place. On this trip especially I was reminded of how rich the people that go to UCs usually are. Or sheltered. Or are city folk. Anyhow, since this is a cheese far they had lots of sheep around because the type of cheese they make is made out of sheep milk. So we went in the barn and saw the female sheep and their babies. These were ewes that had just been born a few hours or days ago and everyone freaked out over how cute they were! Everyone wanted to pet the babies and take pictures and ooh and ahh. I was laughing to myself the whole time, thinking how much I felt like I was at the fair again, and how fortunate I am that seeing farm animals doesn’t become a big event or illicit shock in me. I was glad I knew something of how farms worked, even if it is just a little bit. Because after they were done looking at the babies, everyone noticed the flies and the slight smell and things they were stepping in. People were even afraid of the friendly farm dog!

After the viewing the sheep we got to see where they were milked (Andy think OC fair demonstration!) and how the milk was taken to the vats. We had to board the bus again to actually go to the factory and eat the cheese. Before that though, we went to the pasture to see the rest of the sheep herd in action. The husband and wife, who spoke only Italian the whole time, and who had been showing us around, let our entire group into the pasture with the sheep.

The sheep were scared of us and wouldn’t get close at all. So, some brave or rather crazy students, thrilled to be that close to live farm animals, started walking and running towards the sheep, trying to get close to them. That only made the sheep run away, and pretty soon the entire herd was running around in different directions while ten crazy students chased after them. Then the herd turned, and ran up to us students who weren’t chasing them. Then they almost got out the open gate but the husband and wife shooed them back. That only made the entire herd start running in a circle around us! Seriously, we were in the middle and the sheep were running in a complete circle around us, without changing direction, like a cat chasing its tail! After much hilarity the sheet changed course, and proceeded to trample some of their young in the process. The babies were ok though, and after that we finally left to go see some cheese!

The sheep were the most exciting part of the trip though, as at the cheese factory all we did was see lots of cheese and hear about how it is made. Then we watched a live demonstration on how to make cheese and literally stood there for half and hour watching a bowl of milk solidify into cheese. It was quite torturous to watch. But! After all that we got to sample four different kinds of cheeses! The set up was really nice, in a beautiful room with big windows, and we also ate tomatoes and bread. So that was nice.

All in all it was a fun but long trip for a Monday after school!

posted by Madeline Faye @ 4:02 PM