@cb that is wrong except for processed cheeses that are repasteurized or processed after aging. Any other cheese you buy will, just like yogurt, still have living cultures in it. Any American-made Brie type cheese will still have living mold on the rind (of the mold is dead it turns slimy) and blues will have living mold inside as well as the bacterial cultures that make the cheese itself. In any case, leaving a cheese out on the counter for a week will not age it significantly and, doing so for an extended period will likely generate off flavors, since normally cheese is aged at a relatively cool temperature to keep the process slow and steady, rather than at normal room temp where the process can get a bit out of control.
It is true that American cheese tend to use pasteurized milk for the most part but not all do. When I made cheese we did some raw batches but mostly made cheese with pasteurized milk, primarily because it gave us more control over which bacteria would be growing in the cheese (and thus determining a lot of its flavor profile and texture), where raw milk cheeses are a bit more of a toss-up. Either way, the cheese was still alive when it hit the store shelves.
It is true that Americans think of their cheese as dead and fixed while the French may think of it as still being a little living ecosystem.
I eat half bananas (two banana meals, out of one banana! actually that's just as much as will fit on a peanut butter and banana panini). That's the only thing on this giant poster that was super useful to me.
This discussion of half-banana consumption interests me greatly. Please, continue. What if the banana in question is three-quarters eaten by a small child? Where do you draw the refrigeration line? Or as a responsible caregiver, do you just go ahead an pop that 25% banana in your mouth?
Whether kids need a lot of bread, pasta, and other heavy food is a separate question :)
It is true that American cheese tend to use pasteurized milk for the most part but not all do. When I made cheese we did some raw batches but mostly made cheese with pasteurized milk, primarily because it gave us more control over which bacteria would be growing in the cheese (and thus determining a lot of its flavor profile and texture), where raw milk cheeses are a bit more of a toss-up. Either way, the cheese was still alive when it hit the store shelves.
It is true that Americans think of their cheese as dead and fixed while the French may think of it as still being a little living ecosystem.
Please, continue.
What if the banana in question is three-quarters eaten by a small child? Where do you draw the refrigeration line? Or as a responsible caregiver, do you just go ahead an pop that 25% banana in your mouth?