In my opinion, cheese is the food of the gods. I swear. I. Love. Cheese.
Yesterday I had to go into San Francisco so I stopped at the Ferry Building, one of my favorite places for eating little bites and people watching, and I tasted a cheese I’ve been incredibly curious about - Browning Gold - made by one Amish cheese maker in Pennsylvania. OMG. Sensual sigh. The cheese melted in my mouth,with a complex, deep, rich, satiny bite on my tongue. stimulating every single taste bud I posess. I forked over the money for the very last wedge remaining in the shop. Not bad…$16. Not much for such pleasure. I’m going to enjoy it with hubby, straight up, no bread, no fruit, no wine…it’s that good.
Speaking of my hubby, he wants to know if filling out rebate forms is worth the time it takes to fill them out. For instance, is $35 worth an hour of your time? We got a rebate offer on the hot water heater we just installed. He says the following:
In actual fact these rebates make you jump through so many hoops that you rarely ever get to “GO” to collect your (never $200 that is for dang sure) and yet once you start you feel compelled to continue because, like, you have so much invested already. Then once you have navigated this convoluted maze of documentation and actually sent everything in you discover that either a) the deadline has passed or b) you left something out or c) you don’t qualify in the first place. Now let’s imagine that you actually got everything gathered together and submitted on time and that you actually qualify for said rebate (this has never happened to me, but it must happen, right?). You mail it with a feeling of triumph but 3 months pass and nothing. Then what do you do, invest another 3 hours of your time trying to find out why they never sent your 35 lousy bucks? This quickly becomes Dante’s third circle of Hell. And yet, who among us doesn’t automatically deduct the rebated amount upfront in our brains when we consider a purchase? That’s it, from now on I refuse to purchase anything with a rebate or if I do I refuse to consider the rebate into the purchasing decision. I will be strong and not succumb to the nefarious deception that drags us down in the vain pursuit of paltry savings. Ah, now I feel better.
Here’s what I think about rebates…and I have gotten a few - you get enough money, minus the postage, for a couple burritos from Taco Bell.
In other news: I really appreciate this blog post about blogosphere etiquette and lack thereof. From Holly Lisle - Your Online Presence: Creating a Haven for the People You Want to Know. http://hollylisle.com/writingdiary2/index.php/2010/12/13/your-online-presence-creating-a-haven-for-the-people-you-want-to-know/
It’s kind of like…if you build it, they will come.
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I wish I could eat cheese. Cheese in any form gives me migraines.
One thing I like about living in the tiny state of RI is you get instant rebates. No mailing in those darn forms. I agree with your hubby it usually is a waste of time. When I lived in NY I tried avoiding buying anything with a rebate, because YES I’d already deducted it from the cost.
Now off to read the other blog, it sounds interesting.
I love cheese too. Almost as I love SF. SF is a city where walking is the greatest and there is no reason, walking those hills, that anyone’s butt shouldn’t be awesome.Also, you can then eat what you want.
When I get to the cheese case at our Whole Foods I invariably go: Deep breath in, Ahhhhhh. The counter people look at me strangely b/c most people go sniff, ick. To love cheese is to love stinky fermenting milk products, not just cheddar which must be what the “behold the power of cheese,” people are talking about b/c they are aimed at the populous and the populous thinks Velveeta is cheese.
A rebate for $35 is worth it. Some places like Rite Aid have a centralized rebate or instant rebate system. And a few places now have online confirmation. A check for a buck is a pain, a check for $35 is a romantic picnic with Cheese!
I am shopping today in Wellesley, MA and there is a great shop there called…The Cheese Shop! I am totally going to check and see if they have Browning Gold. Sounds incredible! (I try to have a tiny bit of cheese at every meal, even if it’s just a sprinkle of goat cheese on my salad…whatever. It makes the meal more satisfying!).
Also, love that link about creating your online presence. Thanks, chicka!
Amber - at one time, strong cheese and red wine both gave me migraines. No longer. For some reason, that stopped happening over ten years ago. Thankfully! Now it’s salty foods, bright sunshine reflecting on water and sitting in the heat at three-day long softball tournaments. Since we no longer go to softball tournaments, I’m a whole lot better!
Yes, Steph, it’s true! Most San Franciscans really are in good shape - it’s so much easier to walk in that city than drive and park. I took the ferry, walked to the shop I needed to get to and walked back. Spending time at the Ferry Building really is fun. All you have to do is follow your nose and you find the most amazing foods! Yesterday, it was hot chocolate, ground, whipped and made with water. Oh man, it was good!
Oh Penny - I hope they have it. Ask for a taste if they do! My kids and I are cheese fanatics! I’m glad you like the link - I thought of you and your site when I put it up…you have such a cheerful, positive online presence and you seem to attract positive people. I worry that your fifteen minutes of fame will put you in the sites of the other kind of bloggers! LOL!
Oh…rebates. I usually do them. I think this one was complicated and hubby got frustrated.
I love cheese, hate rebates.
I had the same bad experience with a rebate on the new refrigerator we bought several months ago. After a lot of fussy paperwork and a prolonged wait we were told we didn’t qualify… BTW why do refrigerators break in the summer and water heaters during the coldest week of the year? I smell a conspiracy. lol
I also smell stinky cheese and I love it! I’m anxious to try Browning Gold, it sounds great. Handmade cheese is heaven. I bought a creamy, reeking Stilton this week and my husband and I ate it with thin slices of ripe heirloom tomatoes and little olive oil-so delicious…
I’m reminded of that line in Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” -blessed are the cheese makers! lol
XXOO Kat
Cheese is sooo good… There are so many different kids out there…If you ever get the chance try cheese with truffles in it…Sooo good.
I really like cheese too. Provolone, Swiss, Mozzarella,… oh they are just so good. I used to work for a retail store that specifically dealt with customers and rebate companies. Don’t fill them out. It’s not worth it. There were many times where the customer did everything the rebate company asked and the rebate company still didn’t want to pay up.
Sandra - LOL!
Kat - I do bless the cheese makers. Such a heaven-sent skill! And yes, refrigerators break in the summer and water heaters and furnaces in the winter.
Savannah - isn’t it interesting how awful truffles smell and how amazing they taste! Kind of like cheese!
Zee…interesting! I think my husband just fell in love with you!
I love the cheese with tartuffi - which is hilarious b/c I am not crazy for fresh truffles. I went to an agricultural truffle festival in Italy a while ago.
If you think about those devices breaking - it is when they are most taxed.
I hardly ever drink calories unless they contain alcohol. But when we were in Vancouver we went to a chocolate shop called Mink that made the MOST amazing hot chocolate with soy milk. It was hot sex in a cup.
Ta: Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust
email: steph@fangswandsandfairydust.com
twitter: @fangswandsfairy
Hey Steph - I’m going to get that recipe for soy hot chocolate. It may take all my detective skills, but I’ll get it.