“It’s nothing,” I tell my wife. “Just a little cheese.” Illustration by Jack Unruh

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When a friend of writer David Lansing’s managed to get him a room in an exclusive Parisian hotel during the high season, Lansing asked if there was anything he could bring back from the City of Light to return the favor. “Yes, a small item of cheese, if you will!” came the reply.

“The worse the cheese smells,” Madame Cantin tells me, “the better it tastes.” Illustration by Jack Unruh

Little did he know that the specific cheese in question was a rare and costly item beloved by French gourmets and cheese lovers, but strictly outlawed in the United States. In his search for this exquisite but illicit food, Lansing takes readers on a delightful and informative journey into the wonderful world of French cheese.