The Life of Cheese Crafting Food and Value in America [Paperback]

Cheese is alive, and alive with meaning. Heather Paxsons beautifully written anthropological study of American artisanal cheesemaking tells the story of how craftwork has become a new source of cultural and economic value for producers as well as consumers. Dairy farmers and artisans inhabit a world in which their colleagues and collaborators are a wild cast of characters, including plants, animals, microorganisms, family members, employees, and customers. As unfinished commodities, living products whose qualities are not fully settled, handmade cheeses embody a mix of new and old ideas about taste and value. By exploring the life of cheese, Paxson helps rethink the politics of food, land, and labor today.

Heather Paxson, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, author ofMaking Modern Mothers: Ethics and Family Planning in Urban Greece(UC Press).

Paxson's book, like her subject matter, is lively, evocative, and masterfully crafted. Susanne Freidberg, author ofFresh: A Perishable History

Through vivid storytelling, Heather Paxson advances a post-pastoral food ethos that reconsiders contemporary beliefs about Americas food commerce and culture, reimagines our relationship to the natural world, and redefines how we make, eat, and appreciate food. For cheese aficionados, activists, and food scholars alike, readingThe Life of Cheesewill be a transformative experience.Amy Trubek, author ofThe Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir

The Life of Cheeseis the definitive work on America's artisanal food revolution. Heather Paxson's engaging stories are as rich, sharp, and well-grounded as the product she scrutinizes. A must read for anyone interested in fostering a sustainable food system.Warren Belasco, author ofMeals to Come: A History of the Future of Food

This vivid ethnography of contemporary artisan cheelÃ*