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Posted on by Rick Steves

Fine Pianos and Cheese

When you travel, enjoy the cultural wonders. I used to be put off by those sophisticates in Europe. They’re so into their fine wine and stinky cheese, and even the cultural soil that created it all. But now I love being the cultural bumpkin.

Sure, I’m simple. I was raised thinking cheese is orange and the shape of the bread. Slap it on and…voilà! Cheese sandwich. Over there, cheese is not orange nor the shape of the bread. In France alone, you could eat a different cheese every day of the year. And it wouldn’t surprise me if people did. These people are passionate about their cheese.

I love it when my favorite restaurateur in Paris, Marie-Alice, takes me shopping in the morning and shows me what’s going to shape the menu tonight. She takes me into her favorite cheese shop. It’s a festival of mold. Picking up the moldiest, gooiest wad, Marie-Alice takes a deep whiff, and groans ecstatically, “Oh, Rick, smell zees cheese. It smells like zee feet of angels.”

I’m her wide-eyed student. It’s fun to be on the receiving end of all that cultural, gastronomic, and regional pride. I see it as a learning opportunity. Thankfully people are sophisticated about different things, and when we have the opportunity to meet the expert, it can be good for all.

While my father doesn’t know the first thing about cheese, he is sophisticated about pianos. He was a piano tuner in Seattle, and he imported fine pianos from Europe. When I was young, he took me to the Bösendorfer factory in Vienna, where the world’s finest pianos were made. I remember thinking they weren’t made — they were birthed. Touring the factory, which fills a former monastery, we learned how the wood was aged and the imported felt was made from just the right sheep’s wool. In each of the former monks’ cells, they proudly produced only two pianos per worker per year. The result of this lovingly labor-intensive production process: each piano had its own personality.

I remember going to Vienna on those first trips with my dad. Back in the late ’60s and early ’70s, I’d join him on a flight to Vienna. They’d line up five or six of these grand pianos — the finest and most expensive in the world. I’d hop from bench to bench playing them as my dad would analyze the personality of each, matching it with his client’s taste back in Seattle. He’d make the selection, autograph the sounding board, they’d put it in a box, and ship it to some lucky American pianist. Bringing that Old World quality to the New World was the joy of my dad’s work.

While this old-time quality is gone — a casualty of our mass-produced modern world — perhaps having seen this is one of the reasons I’m enthusiastic about sharing the fine points of European culture. Bösendorfers may no longer be produced with such loving care. But, thankfully, the cheese still smells like zee feet of angels.

Comments

16 Replies to “Fine Pianos and Cheese”

  1. Dear rick, it must be peaceful times during your blog response reading times now, compared to late september when they ran into the hundreds, over finances and elections. Lots of excitement though, even if a few appeared over-stimulated or something. So now calmly I’ll add my personal peaceful reflection to your thoughts about fine european cheese and such. It was years ago, at a 1994 opb travel lecture in portland when this traveler first heard you in person. Within the first moments you related the anecdote of your friend and her love of unique cheese smelling like “zee feet of angels.” I’d never been to europe yet that quote “floated” me directly into a french cheese shop, at least in my mind. That phrase among your other enthusiastic comments about europe travel filled my thoughts in the days and weeks following. A year later, after much planning to confront french cheese and other mysterious, alluring european substances and sights in person, I flew into London. The month followed thrillingly across england and scotland, then south to france-yes cheese sniffing on rue clare-and then on to italy. Of course, I tried to do too much on too few days. But by the time I returned home, I knew I’d return to europe again. In fact, 2009 will be my 14th consecutive year of returning to europe. Most of this travel has been independent, yet lately etbd tours have richly filled many of my europe days. Thanks again rick for helping open eyes, and minds to the diversity of people and unique cultures across europe.

  4. Rick is into saving the environment and loves to recycle his work. “It smells like zee feet of angels,” is one of his favorite re-spun phrases. It appears in many, many places. Always at the right moment, whether in his France, Paris, Postcards, Europe through the Back Door, blogs, speeches. It always come out as fresh smelling as they cheese shop on Paris’s Rue Clare.

  5. Have to share my cheese stories.We love cheese. Tillamook’s extra sharp cheddar black label was one of our favorites as well as Cotswold cheese (onion and herb) from England. Lately we have been into muenster which makes the most wonderfrul grilled cheese sandwiches and even the old standby mac & cheese. I just bought Dubliner cheese from Costco . . . I was told it is delicious. Recently, I had the best grilled cheese sandwich in Saratoga Springs, NY. It was made with a special bread, brie, sundried tomatoes and baby asparagus. It was unbelievalby delicious. Oh and with my cheese, I just purchased two bottles of cabernet ice wine (yes, red ice wine) in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It is so wonderful!

  6. Rick, I thought you said earlier that you and Marie-Alice were on the outs after you downgraded/removed your recommendation on her hotel? Are things improved?

  7. too quote from an earlier post “My friend, Marie-Alice (for whom cheese smells like “zee feet of angels”) is mad at me because I gave her hotel a bad write-up, so we no longer communicate” hmmmmmmmmmmm

  8. Y’all,,, he is not back with Marie Alice this is a blurb from his book and I don’t understand what it is doing here either …maybe space filler??

  11. I had never heard the comment “feet of angels” before, so it was very funny, but also has inspired me to attempt to taste cheese for like I do wine. Good job, Rick! You just proved recycling works!

  12. Bösendorfers may no longer be produced with such loving care. Oh Rick, Bosendorfers will always be made with loving care. There is no other piano in the world like it. These Bosendorfers sure are my very favorite!!

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  14. The information found by me on this site appeared very useful! Thanks to the owner!. I am from Niger and , too, and now am writing in English, give please true I wrote the following sentence: “The front has sold variety since 1937 and has had to involve into larger changes as the stock has paid in lack, walking companies from across the stock, stock pick competition.” With best wishes ;), Stan.

  15. A good story GK Chesterton: “The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.” Voila: http://www.tastingtoeternity.com. This book is a poetic view of 30 of the best loved French cheeses with an additional two odes to cheese. Recipes, wine pairing, three short stories and an educational section complete the book. From a hectic life in New York City to the peace and glories of the French countryside lead me to be the co-founder of http://www.fromages.com. Ten years later with the words of Pierre Androuet hammering on my brain: “Cheese is the soul of the soil. It is the purest and most romantic link between humans and the earth.” I took pen and paper; many reams later with the midnight oil burning Tasting to Eternity was born and self published. I believe cheese and wine lovers should be told about this publication. Enjoy

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