Growing up, our family didn't have fancy cheese. (This was the 1950-60's, by the way.) We had sliced American cheese for the grilling of sandwiches and a block of cheap cheddar for things like enchiladas and tacos. Our parmesan cheese came in that green container, ubiquitous to all Baby Boomer kids.
The first time I tasted Boursin cheese was early in the 1970's. I was married, we were at some friends house drinking cheap wine and this cheese was there, a little round thing, dotted with herbs, and we spread it on a cracker and ate it. (Cheese-and-crackers was a relatively new experience to me as well. I knew nothing about the appetizer scene.) But this new cheese was amazing! It was soft! Tasty! Nothing like American cheese or cheap cheddar! I loved it.
Fast forward 50 years. I am currently house/dog sitting for Gabe and Annie and in their fridge is a half circle of Boursin cheese! "How delightful is this?" I think. I spread some on a gourmet cracker (no Ritz crackers here) and it is still pretty good. It's still soft and tasty and herby but there is a tiny taste of ..... fakeness. Something artificial is living in this cheesy treat. This is surprising. Looking at the ingredients, there are none that would give it a 'fake' taste. So I chalk it up to the difference between my palate 50 years ago and my palate now. Maybe my taste buds have gotten snotty in their old age and Boursin just tastes like the 1970's to those taste buds. Who knows?
Still, it was nice to revisit an old acquaintance. It was nostalgic, remembering lots of meals with old friends, thinking back on semi-drunken, what foods we thought were the epitome of sophistication then, the wines we drank (or guzzled) and the late-night conversations fueled by that wine. Good memories.
