The Life of Cheese: Crafting Food and Value in America (Volume 41) (California Studies in Food and Culture)

Cheese is alive, and alive with meaning. Heather Paxson’s 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.

This fascinating anthropological study of American artisan cheese and cheesemakers tells the story of how craftwork has become a new source of cultural and economic value within American landscapes of production and consumption. Heather Paxson's beautifully written study shows how 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. Cheese is alive with meaning, but it is also alive with the activity of organisms large and small. 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. In this way artisan cheese is a unique lens for rethinking the politics of food, land, and labor today.

Frontmatter List of Illustrations (page vii) Preface (page ix) Acknowledgments (page xi) 1. American Artisanal (page 1) 2. Ecologies of Production (page 30) 3. Economies of Sentiment (page 63) 4. Traditions of Invention (page 95) 5. The Art and Science of Craft (page 128) 6. Microbiopolitics (page 158) 7. Place, Taste, and the Promise of Terroir (page 187) 8. Bellwether (page 213) Appendix (page 219) Notes (page 221) Bibliography (page 261) Index (page 285) American Artisanal -- Ecologies Of Production -- Economies Of Sentiment -- Traditions Of Invention -- The Art And Science Of Craft -- Microbiopolitics -- Place, Taste, And The Promise Of Terroir -- Bellweather. Heather Paxson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cheese is alive, and alive with meaning. This title tells the story of how craftwork has become a new source of cultural and economic value for producers and consumers. The politics of food, land, and labor are examined through this anthropological study of American artisanal cheesemaking