Say Cheese and smoking pipes

Whilst in Gouda, we visit the cheese museum and get a glimpse of how that famous Gouda cheese is made. The cheese is made from cow's milk that is cultured and heated until the curd is separate from the whey. Some of the whey is then drained and water is added. This is called "washing the curd" and creates a sweeter cheese, as the washing removes some of the lactic acid. About 10 percent of the mixture is curds which are pressed into circular mounds for several hours. The cheese is then soaked in a brine solution which gives the cheese it's rind and distinctive taste. The cheese is then dried for a couple of days before being coated to prevent it from drying out, then it is aged, depending on age classification, for a number of weeks for young cheese, to over 7 years for a vintage variety, before it is ready to eat. After watching an informative video and a guided tour in dutch as the volunteer present that day doesn't speak English. His only visitors (except me) are English speaking people but no problem, I have become an interpreter to help the visitors and guide along. Gary and the others want to know everything and my English is being tested. Immigrants tend to learn what is needed to get along in their new country. I have never discussed cheese making procedures with anyone in English before and it shows at times. Immigrants also learn to be descriptive when necessary and in the end we all get there. We leave the cheese making museum and look around in the other areas and notice all these smoking pipes being displayed. This gets us curious and we approach this guy to ask him about the smoking pipes and their significance. He informs us to hang around as there will be a demonstration in clay pipe making very soon. This guy speaks English and as Gary is interested he is given a very informative talk about the smoking pipes. Well here it is.

Clay smoking pipes museum

The material and shape of a pipe has a profound influence upon the aesthetic of a smoke. (I never thought I would write anything like this, as I am a non smoker) Many materials have been used for pipe making, but Gouda is famous for it's clay pipes. Top quality clays are hand made in a labour intensive process that requires beating all the air out of the clay, hand rolling each pipe before molding it, piercing it with a fine wire and careful firing. Traditionally, clay pipes are unglazed. Clays burn "hot" in comparison to other types of pipes, so they are often difficult for most pipe smokers to use. Unlike other materials, a well made clay pipe gives a "pure" smoke, with no flavour addition from the pipe bowl. Clay pipes were once considered disposable items and large quantities discarded in the past are often used as an aid in dating by industrial archaeologists.