Cheesemonger

You will have to cut from the Comte wheel this way. No, this way, yes but with more force. Hold it steady make the ends even. I know the wax is thick and you are short, really you have no leverage, it isn’t fair of me. Now once you have that piece cleared away wrap up the remaining half, it is hard enough that we can keep it out of the case. Don’t quarter it no, don’t quarter it, otherwise there is more surface area, it will mold faster.

I know that piece is shaped like a dagger-edged parallelogram, so round out the edges. I showed how to do that. Didn’t I? Ok, good. Just keep practicing it for a while, if the edges tear, try again. Remember, it has to look like glass. We are all about appearances around here. We aren’t a grocery store, we have no cryovac machine.

Who wrapped this Chevre? Poor soul of course it was you. Don’t worry. Just next time make sure the ends of the plastic are on the bottom for presentation but also so they don’t curl up and let the air in. Go on, rewrap it your shift doesn’t end for a few more hours. We’ve got the time, it’s a Wednesday at two.

Cut horizontally here, then when it reaches this point, about the size of your hand, or even a little bigger start cutting from the center like for the others. Yes, exactly. I know it keeps crumbling. No don’t fuse it back together with its own oils like I see you want to, just leave the bits out as samples. Here, in this dish. Sometimes the customers don’t mind if it is a little mangled, sometimes they do- just ask.

Haven’t you ever wrapped Christmas presents? Well apparently with little efficiency huh? Push the rind to the edge, crease the corners and fold neatly. It should look as clean and neat as a thirty dollar pound can possibly be. Here is the tape, either diagonally or not. Stick the PLU code on your shoulder to free up your hands. Now you can work for Hallmark.

Which knife are you using? Eh, not a good idea. Someone pass her a long filet knife. I need a coffee and a cigarette. Here use this, its better. When you use the larger knife everything sticks to the blade and it looks mashed together. No one wants their Pierre Robert mashed. And the longer knife makes less gauges on a piece like this, good, you have it.

This sign is crooked. Just remember the signs need to be straight and angled back a little bit. I know it looks like the rind but it isn’t the rind, place it in the rind, always. We don’t want to pierce the body and let air in. Yeah, go get a coffee. Good idea.

Five days in. In the past five days I have learned to use my hands. I work in shapes and dimensions. Years and years of abstract learning are making this more difficult for me than most people. My fingers trip over one another. Knives shake in my hands. My confidence with wax paper desperately needs to grow. I dream in cheeses, I see their odd shapes I feel their different levels of softness I smell various pungent aromas in my hair. There are over two-hundred cheeses in that case. I am uttering French provinces and German surnames in my sleep.