Gordon Edgar (1)

This being a book that people kept telling me was good, my contrary little soul was reluctant to give it chance. But it was so good!!! Granted, a lot of the reason I like it is probably because of my own experience; this book is about working in cheese/natural foods/service in San Francisco, and that is a large portion of my own work experience. If you don't have this experience and ever wanted to know what it's like, this book will let you know.
Here are some of the things I liked about it: show more
+the way his three identities: cheesemonger, co-op worker, and punk, interact with each other as metaphors and life history
+his thinking about the weird relationship between urban foodies (or just urban people who like to eat) and rural farmers
+his debunking of cheese snobbery
+the way he talks about cheese stories - they are both the thing that makes the food so fascinating and the marketing that sucks the authenticity out of the deliciousness
+his assessment of service workers as the new front lines in social service to crazies (since Reagan killed the support systems)
+the honest and caring thinking about how to be an ethical, caring, urban human in a disconnected and confusing society

I devoured this book in one afternoon, which is rare for me with non-fiction. Although I must say, I was a little disappointed by his aversion to fart jokes. Cheesemonger fart jokes are almost always funny, in my opinion, although the joker-maker may not be. show less

Very enjoyable foray into both cheese and Edgar's value system. He's an unreconstructed punk rocker with a job in an employee-owned grocery store in San Francisco's Mission District. What's not to love about any of that, if you're me?

Whole vistas of undiscovered cheeses spread themselves out in front of me after reading this book, but more importantly, I came away with a better knowledge of the cheesemonger's life. Any retail life is fraught with moments which are hilarious only in show more hindsight, and Edgar's is no exception. He's an extraordinarily gentle man, so the tales from retail hell are tinged with more understanding and compassion than is usual. He's also mordantly witty.

Nicely done memoir is a bit repetitive in spots, but very well worth reading. show less

Edgar wanted so much to gain employment at a San Francisco worker's cooperative that he applied for a job in the cheese department despite not knowing much about cheese. This memoir/manifesto tells of his two decades learning about cheese, visiting farms, attending conferences, and dealing with customers. Edgar draws on his past in punk rock to explore the community and ethics of the cheese world. This may be the least pretentious book about cheese possible, and I enjoyed reading Edgar's show more stories and opinions. I'm also hungry for some cheese. show less

I think I would have really loved each of the essays in this book on their own. As a collection it starts to be overly repetitive. I found Gordon's life and his values to be interesting, strong, delightful, and unusual -- I had never thought about what it would be like to work in a worker-owned co-op store. I enjoyed reading about the thoughtful path that led him there, and about his flowering from cheese enthusiasm to cheese expert. I liked his descriptions of the various cheeses and show more farmers. I wrote down a list of cheeses to try -- all in all, a success! But it was also kind of a slog to read straight through - it felt like a collection of essays rather than a cohesive autobiography. show less