John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #148: Cats Or Cheese?

"Cheese is milk's leap towards immortality."

-Clifton Fadiman

Weekend Assignment #148: Cats. Cheese. There's only enough room on the planet for one of them, and you have to decide which goes. Which do you choose and why? Now you as, why cats and cheese? Well, why not? People like cats; people like cheese. They're generally considered to be unrelated. Having to choose one over the other sort of gives you insight into your soul, about what's really important to you. Or, alternately, it's just fun to consider. Really, lets not pretend we're doing anything too deep here.

For clarity's sake, when we say "cats' we mean domestic cats; lions and cheetahs and such will still be about, so you don't have to worry about taking out a whole bunch of endangered species. When we say "cheese" we mean all cheese, even the stuff that comes out of a aerosol cans and/or is spelled "cheeze." It all goes.

Extra Credit: What's your favorite breed of cat and/or type of cheese?

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

Oh Blogfather! Don't think for one moment this isn't a deep subject! LOL. I LOVE cheese, but I LOVE cats as well, especially my little boy Elvis Aron. Yep, I love my kitty so much, I gave him a middle name! What to do? What to do?

Let's Talk About Cheese First...

Cheese is a passion of mine, so much so, that when I considered one day in my youth, what kind of man I would one day marry, the two solid absolute requirements were...

1. He could NOT be a smoker, and 2. He had to love cheese as much as I do!

And I meant it! Tee Hee. Thanks goodness I met Alan, he was perfect for me in every way, including my two most important requirements. :) Together we have been seeking out the perfect cheese, and the perfect cheese shop in all the world, or at least in California, for 16 1/2 years. I am happy to report, we have indeed found the perfect cheese shop in all the world, right here in our own backyard. The Cheeseboard Collective is located at 1512 Shattuck Avenue, right here in Berkeley. They have over 500 kinds of cheese, and also make some fabulous, melt in your mouth breads, and rolls. Right next door is the sub-collective where they make a pizza so mouth-watering good, that you will swear it was prepared by GOD himself! No kidding here. Blogfather, if you ever get back to the San Francisco East Bay, anywhere near Berkeley, you should come up here and try it out. You will become a believer! In the above photo you see 4 of my very favorite cheeses, with some cinnamon frosted pecans on the side. Cheese is a food of seduction. I L-O-V-E CHEESE!

And Now We Will Talk About Cats...

My Kitty Elvis

Elvis in his new Christmas sweater. 12/25/06

Just look at that face! Is there anything left to say? Elvis is alive, and he is such a joy and comfort to me, I am afraid I would most certainly choose Cats. I can't imagine not having him at the foot of my bed at night, he is my sunshine. I would miss cheese if it was no more... but I know when someday I will have to live without my Elvis... I will be forever lost. Oh dear Blogfather... I choose CATS! Sniff, sniff... someone pass me a tissue... sniff, sniff. Goodness, this is kinda like Sophie's Choice! ACK! ;)

Extra Credit: My very favorite cheese is French Feta. It is a little creamier then the Greek variety, and a little sweeter. Perfect for salads or for cheese puffs. As for cats, Elvis is a British shorthair cat, which come in many colors and patterns. The Tuxedo is my favorite. Those black and white cats RULE!

-OndineMonet
"Cheese Glorious Cheese"
Berkeley, California
January 19th, 2007
Late Evening