Fermentation-Preservation of the French Culture(s)

Based on the title, you can guess that I love puns. Those who know me well usually let out this big sigh every time.
 
Anyhow, even though I have finals, papers, events, and deadlines flying closer and closer, I cannot stop thinking about the sunny French countryside [as if I've actually been there...I haven't]. The course I will be taking is called "Microbiology and Culture of Cheese and Wine". I've been looking last year's pictures, and it makes me incredibly hungry. The closest thing I have to French cheese is the wedge of raw gruyere from Trader Joe's that I now probably will end up nibbling on as soon I finish writing this entry as a snack.

 NJ allows raw cheese as long as it is aged over a certain period of time (I think 3 months). Fresh cheese in France is not required to come from pasteurized milk and in fact, the French claim that pasteurization kills the natural properties of milk. I wonder where Louis Pasteur stood on this matter himself (not on pasteurizing milk for storage, but more on the matter of what type of milk makes the better cheese). As a young microbiologist, I consider Louis Pasteur almost a God. He was the father of stereochemistry and analyzing fermentations. I can't wait to see  his house in the French country side, as well as the Institut Pasteur in Paris! I wonder what his favorite cheese was...

I've been developing my palate for more of the stinkier, aged cheeses lately because of another reason. Coming of age--turning 21 also comes with the gift of lessening lactose tolerance. From an evolutionary point of view, I see that my body is regulating gene expression and conserving energy. Nevertheless, I cannot wait to try ALL kinds of cheese in France!