The Politics of Cheese

[Mulboyne]

Reuters: Sales up in Japan of cheese insulted by politician
The popularity of a certain type of French cheese has soared in Japan after a leading ruling party politician called it "hard and dry" last month. The incident took place in early August when Yoshiro Mori, a former prime minister, met with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in a last-ditch effort to persuade him not to dissolve parliament and call snap elections..."He gave me foreign beer and some dried out cheese, so hard you couldn't bite into it," an obviously miffed Mori said in widely televised remarks, displaying a crumpled beer can and thin slice of orange-brown cheese. Cheese cognoscenti, however, recognised Mimolette, a firm French cheese whose flavour increases as it ages and hardens. Aficionados say that the harder it gets, the tastier it is, with older cheeses commanding a higher price. Now the scorned cheese is enjoying brisk sales at Japanese gourmet food and department stores, with sales three times as strong as usual...more...

Edit: Already spotted by Taro on 3Yen

[Sarutaro]

Yeah...saw it on TV. Mori, or the Gorilla as I like to call him, really made an ass out of himself and showed his ugly character. Nothing wrong with Singha beer in my opinion. And French cheese might stink, but it is nothing compared to Mori.

[altar]

aaargh

[Greji]

Reuters: Sales up in Japan of cheese insulted by politician

"He gave me foreign beer and some dried out cheese, so hard you couldn't bite into it,"

Mori is a former Waseda Rugger. You notice he didn't comment on the beer. As for the cheese, probably store bought teeth (after his non-illustrious rugby career).

[arnoter]

Just a word to inform everybody that Mimolette has never been a French cheese but a Dutch one...

So, for those who doesn't know it, don't worry it has no smell. And no taste either... But it is the French guy I am who says so.

[altar]

Little-known fact alert:
Well, Arnoter, I am also French, and it is important for you to know that Mimolette IS in fact a French cheese from le Nord Pas-de-Calais.
http://www.francefromage.com/m3_fiche.asp?IdFromage=73
It has nothing to do with the Dutch soap-tasting Cheddar ersatz bearing the same name and can be very tasty and pungent, for the most aged ones.
Very few French know this but there you go.
However, I would be suprised if what the Japanese were eating wasn't the Dutch one, since it has virtually no taste or smell, whereas the French one would surely trigger a bio-hazard in Tokyo. (The label on the packet does say it's French but it actually looks like the Dutch one and nothing like French Mimolette... it's probably made in China..)
Advice to Mori: Forget about French cheese, you can't handle French cheese.

[arnoter]

Humm, shame on me.

Actually, the one posted doesn't look like the French one, but the Dutch one, indeed. That's why I say so. I am just a bit surprised that 2 cheeses could have the same name (where is the AOC here?)...

well, I'll go to bed smarter then yesterday anyway. Thanks Altar, and sorry for the non-French to bother you with typical French matters... We'd better stop this debate, else, the Washington Post will qualify su as "cheese-eating monkeys" again.