Wine and cheese

I want to be a piece of cheese.

Let me explain. I was listening to the radio the other day and the DJs were talking about Shakira (whose hips don't lie, apparently). She and her boyfriend/fiance/significant other - who happens to be the son of the former Venezuelan President or something - have been dating since 1998. So in 2000 (or was it 2001) they decided to get engaged. Fast forward 6 (or 5) years later, she's become an international hip-shaking, body-writhing, funny-sounding, award-winning Latina but minus the ring. So apparently she's getting a bit restless with Mr. Shakira for not wanting to set a date yet. Soooo since she's been put 'on hold' indefinitely, she's decided to wiggle her hips another way and most recently in the direction of Robbie Williams. Interestingly, her fiance finally saw the red flags and sent his 'people' (i dunno who they mean here: aunties and uncles? homies? hitmen?) to LA to check on his chica and Mr. Williams. Shakira claims nothing was going on and they were only 'hanging out'.

Anyway, the whole story led to one of the DJs making a rather interesting statement: "Well, put it this way, if you leave good food on the table too long, someone else is gonna eat it."

How very poignant. I loved it! Somewhere along the Sutera Harbour highway, the revelation hit me hard. The conversation had callers ringing up the station with their own take on how long a couple should date before finally settling down. 1 to 3 years, said one guy and to quote him, "If after three years you haven't decided...Why waste each other's time?" Another school of thought brought up was the belief that couples who courted for a shorter period of time had longer-lasting marriages compared to those who have been dating for five million years. "Think about it," said the DJ, "if you've been living together for five or six years, and you know each other's bathroom habits, annoying mannerisms and what not, what else is there left to discover once you get married?" In the words of BB King, the thrill is gone.

But back to the cheese. If good food is all the rage, then I definitely want to be a piece of cheese. Check out buffet spreads. You got the salads (too healthy), desserts (too fattening), the meat (no go for vegetarians)...But the cheese! Ah the cheese. You can almost see the light beaming down from the sky when you see the cheese. Feta, Brie, Cottage all lined up waiting to be slathered on your cracker and bread. Or for the true cheese connoisseur, enjoyed plain with the perfect wine. Salads wilt, meat goes bad but cheese...Only gets better with age. And what i love about cheese is that even when there's a little mould action going on, it's 'character'. Plus, all you have to do is slice the affected area off and voila! fresh cheese on the inside all over again. Can't go wrong with cheese.

I think I'd love to be a generous serving of Blue cheese:

When you dig into Blue, you may find a creamy, blue-veined interior - or a crumbly, blue-veined interior - depending on its age. The fact is every Blue you try will have its own charming quirks - slight variations in its peppery flavor, texture, or artful pattern of veins that will make it your new true love. Both Blue's texture and tangy, ripe flavor intensify as it ripens. Scrumptious on salads or served with pears, raisins, figs, walnuts and fruit or nut breads, Blue is guaranteed to add some kick to any meal.- www.ilovecheese.com

I am SO Blue cheese. So heck, I don't care how long I'm left on the table because seriously, who can resist good cheese? Men, on the other hand, should be like wine: Improves with age (my cut-off age is anyone old enough to be an older family member ie: dad, grandad, uncle etc. thankyouverymuch) And as you all may know, nothing goes better with cheese than wine.

I am so the genius, no?

I want to be a piece of cheese. Have you seen my wine?

"I'm gonna try anything to just feel better
Tell me what to do
You know I can't see through the haze around me
And I do anything to just feel better"
-Steven Tyler and Santana, Just Feel Better. A song for everyone these days.