Sense Memory

Ever tasted a certain food or had a smell waft by that suddenly stimulates a moment or moments from the past? Not deja vu, but a memory so vivid it seems like you're reliving it? Well, I'm currently spending every morning in Norway, courtesty of Gjetost 'Ski Queen' cheese, a semi-sweet brown cheese from the country that spawned my father's family.

I spent a week in Norway back in the '90s. I went to meet Brian, who was wrapping up a gig on a Christopher Lambert movie filming in Oslo. We stayed at a 5 star hotel with an amazing breakfast buffet and I was introduced to Gjetost cheese. Thick slabs of crunchy whole grain bread toasted, spread with butter and drizzled with honey, then add slices of Gjetost, melt it under a broiler...yummy. Pickled herring in cream sauce on the side and a cup of coffee...it was truly the breakfast of champions.

I don't have the pickled herring (although I plan on getting some at Trader Joe's), but I found the Gjetost at Whole Foods. One small square lasts for a few weeks because you want to slice it very thin...a little goes a long way. Every time I take a bite of my whole grain toast with butter, honey and cheese, it reminds me of that weekspent in the country of my forefathers.
Never mind that one of them (my great-grandfather, to be precise) left Norway in disgrace when caught embezzling. Everyone needs a black sheep in the family tree.

But really, isn't it amazing that something as simple as a scent or a taste can let us vividly relive our past experiences? I think it's kinda cool.

(NOTE: I had a call from the Norwegian Cheese board, informing me that I had mispelled the name of their beloved cheese. I have corrected this error, but my ancestors frown at me from Valhalla.)