Battle of the Cheeses

Tuesday

A traditional French après-ski dinner of raclette, cheese fondue and wine in a warm cosy wooden restaurant in the French Alps: 22 euros, the most I have spent on a single dinner since arriving in Europe but totally worth it.

We were ushered into a packed restaurant so full that we had to crawl under the table to get to our places. On the table, there was a plate of assorted hams and cured meats and gherkins, a glass of blue champagne, a basket of bread and an inadequate bowl of salad, all dwarved by the twin monuments of a pot of melted cheese and a giant segment of a raclette cheese wheel perched next to a purpose-built heater.

There was some cheese-induced tensions as those seated next to the fondue pot (like myself) could easily dip their bread in the fondue and also have cheese from the raclette wheel scraped onto their bread; while it would be cumbersome to deliver melted cheese to those sitting far from the fondue pot. Lesson learnt: always sit next to the fondue!

PS. I would later buy in Brussels two bags of pre-packaged fondue cheese to share on its expiry date - my birthday this year. For those present, you will be welcome.