Swiss Cheese

When I lived in Lhasa, cooking was challenging. Quite often, I had to find alternative foods to replace things I was familiar with.

One of my all time favorite dishes is macaroni and cheese, and I could not envision a holiday without it. To this end, I went on a search for cheese. One of my dorm mates heard about a cheese factory in Lhasa, so several of us went on a mini field trip to find it. What an amazing discovery! Not only was it a cheese factory, but the proprietor had studied cheese making in Switzerland! He produced a lovely swiss cheese, not too strong, not too bland. It melted beautifully, and lasted quite a while without refrigeration. Needless to say, this became a staple for the many European students that were there, as well as us Americans. They also produced butter, yogurt and ice cream. The challenge we later found was that they were closed from October until March or April.... That meant stocking up and finding a freezer to store our cheese in, but it was worth it. I recall quite fondly that delicious cheese and how much it meant to find something so familiar, so very far from home. Little things make the difference.