Amul Cheese

India is a fascinating place. Over a billion people, more than 40 official languages, trillions of saris -- and one kind of cheese. Amul Cheese. Amul isn't a flavor--it's the name of the dairy. They also make milk and butter. The closest taste match I can think of for Amul cheese is Laughing Cow--the cheese that comes in those tiny silver-foil wrapped cubes in the US. Sheila and I used to get it at our piano recitals when we were kids. It was a big treat.

Unfortunately, after spending a lot of time with Becca and David in Cambridge, we got exposed to dangerously delicious things with names like Humboldt Fog and Mt. Tam. Now having only one kind of cheese seems like a severe deprivation.

Don't get me wrong. I like Amul cheese, and I ate it plenty on the trek. It conveniently comes in slices, blocks, and in a tin. We had it in sandwiches, mac-and-cheese, omelets, and empanadas (yes, my friends, our sensei Dorjay was able to cross all kinds of cultural and culinary-preparation obstacles to feed us delicious meals on the trek). But cheese variety is definitely something we look forward to having upon our return...