Taking Cheese to Amsterdam?

Not that I'm recommending anything (wink, wink), but "going through customs" at Brussels airport involves just walking through a queue that says "Non EU". Nobody stops you or asks any questions. And note that this is not the same as immigration where your passport gets checked.

Steve, did you declare the turkey on the declaration form? I would think if you did, someone would question you on the turkey.

I read that as long as cheese is vacuum packed it's okay?

I wasn't so much looking for the exception for a single person as wondering if there exceptions such the vacuum pack idea. I'm thinking to just take it through. If they object, I can throw it out.

Pam

I do not know the rules on taking cheese into EU, but I do know about vacuum packaging, aka cryovac or reduced air packaging. It would have absolutely no bearing on whether something is safe. I know we all think that makes it somehow sterile or cleaner, but it does not. You can vacuum pack anything, including a dog turd. Perishable food that's so packaged still needs refrigeration.

Since you would most likely be using pasteurized cheese, I don't think it's a safety issue. It would be more of a trade protection issue. They don't want Europeans hooked on Wisconsin cheese curds.

Taking cheese to Amsterdam. Isn't that like taking coals to Newcastle?

I noticed that nobody asked you what kind of cheese you plan to take to Amsterdam. It's got to be something special - what do y'all have up there that's exceptional? Can we get it in Atlanta? I'm serious, I'm a cheese lover, too.

And the reason people would encourage others to become a criminal is..... what?

And to publicly admit to being a smuggler?

I'm afraid I just don't get it.

People may say, "it's just me, I've only got a little bit. It won't hurt."

How did BSE spread? Swine flu? Kudzu? Mediterranean Fruit Fly (ask any Californian).

Well, I could go on. Yes, its a pain. But, how about obeying the law?

lecture over

Good lecture.

I don't get taking cheese to Amsterdam, but...

Q: "How did BSE spread?" A: "Through the feeding of animal byproducts to cattle. No tourists were involved in the spreading of BSE, though some commercial ranchers may have possibly sent infected cattle across international borders." Q: "Swine flu?" A: "Swine flu is one of a number of influenza strains found in pigs. Cooked pork products do not transmit the disease, so meat products do not spead the disesase from country to country. Infected humans may spread the disease from country to country through their presence, but it has nothing to do with whether they have brought animal products across borders." Q: "Kudzu?" Kudzu was intentionally imported into the United States as an ornamental plant. No tourists were involved in that ill-fated decision." Q: "Mediterranean Fruit Fly (ask any Californian). A: "Mediterranean fruit fly can enter the country through infested fruit. It is conceivable that tourist-borne fruit could be infested. However, given the vastly greater importation of fruit by agricultural business, it is overwhelmingly likely that actual US infestations have been the product of commercially imported fruit."

So...hope I've answered your questions. And note the absence of tourist related cheese importation in any of these examples.

Considering you can buy turkeys in stores over here, I fail to see any good reason to smuggle one in. What was the purpose of that? Doing something illegal isn't something to brag about usually.

Pamela, you can bring me some cheddar cheese any time you like. It seems to be quite rare and pricey here, unless you go to the UK. Even then, it is very different tasting.

Jo, please tell me you are not referring to the God awful orange Cheddar made by Kraft? That should not even be sold here, much less taken abroad.

British cheddar is hands down the best. Our friends in Paris wanted cheddar from there, and whenever I see my sister in Germany, that's what she asks for if I am travelling to the UK.

Clearly, participants on the helpline don't know much about Wisconsin Cheese and Wisconsin's role in the cheese market. So here's a few tidbits--of information that is, not cheese. ; )

First, Wisconsin is the home of not only the US but also the World Championship Cheese contests every other year. The World Dairy Expo is held here in Madison--every year. Wisconsin has been making cheese for over 160 years and currently boasts more than 600 varieties, types and styles. The people making these cheeses emigrated from Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands in the first round and more recently from Italy, France and Mexico. Wisconsin wins more national and international awards than any other state or country. The cheese I was thinking of taking (but may not as it's not pasteurized) was an original Wisconsin Cheese from Uplands Cheese Company. Pleasant Ridge Reserve and Gran Canaria have both captured Best of Show awards from the American Cheese Society. Did you know that the only Limburger cheesemaker in the US is in Wisconsin?

Lastly, they may have happy cows in CA, but we have contented cows in WI. And the contented cows eat in rich pastures that change through the seasons resulting in different milk and different tasting cheeses depending on the season.

So, yes there is a bit of coals to Newcastle to this, but there is also a bit of both places knowing how to appreciate very fine cheese.

Pam

I do also feel the need to defend US Cheddar which is excellent. Vermont and New York state both produce excellent sharp cheddars. Here in Wisconsin we have more than Kraft. We have Hook's Cheese Company that makes a ten-year sharp cheddar, LilWils Bandaged Cheddar from Bleu Mont Dairy, Car Valley Cheese has Mammoth Cheddar, Applewood Smoked Cheddar and an 8-year Cheddar. Land O'Lakes makes Cheddars, Widmar's Cheese Cellar makes a cheddar, Gibbsville Cheese makes an Organic Raw Milk Sharp Cheddar, and Organic Valley makes a pasteurized Sharp Cheddar. There are more per the book that I am giving my friends.

Also, little known fact, Colby Cheese was first made in Cobly WI. The best cheddar recipe in the book is Apple and Wisconsin Aged Cheddar Bread Pudding.

Pam

I get exactly why you are taking cheese to Amsterdam.

I'm taking a CD of Strauss waltzes to a friend in Vienna, just because it was recorded by the Boston Pops.

Steve - As god is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly....

Pam, thanks for the dissertation on Wisconsin Cheese and your contented cows! I didn't realize that some American made cheese is not pasteurized. Wisconsin makes a fine Brie, by the way, as you probably know.

Raw Milk is a pretty hot issue in Wisconsin. The governor just vetoed a bill that allowed farms to sell raw milk. I have to say that public health side of me really winced at the thought of this law being signed into law. But I ran into some friends who were quite disappointed that Governor Doyle had vetoed it.

But that doesn't affect the cheese! And there's a lot of it here. It allows me to appreciate the cheese I eat in Europe.

Pam

Pam, I'll be vacationing in WI next month and am looking forward to the cheese. Also will be looking for pasties and kringles.

Jason, bless you. Best laugh all day.

For what it's worth there is no customs "declaration form" when entering Europe as there is in the US.

The UK, Ireland, and Russia require all visitors to fill out declaration forms.

Well, I've heard back from Uplands Dairy and here's what they said:

We have shipped cheese to the EU, but about a year ago the EU banned
shipments of raw milk cheese from the States. The reason was a pretty
innocuous difference in the way the two bodies test for tuberculosis
in cattle, but there don't seem to be any signs that the status is
going to change anytime soon. So for the time being, no, we don't
ship direct to the EU.

Ah well, I guess the Dutch and the rest of Europe will continue to miss out.

Pam