PEW!: The Stinky And Legen-dairy Gift from Colonel Thomas S. Meacham

Ever want to know how to make cheese? This historical nonfiction title not only talks about how Colonel Thomas Meacham gifted a 1,400 pound wheel of cheese to the president in 1836, and the resultant problems with storing that much unrefrigerated cheese, but goes into great detail about how to make cheese. Once I find some rennet, I might be whipping one up in my kitchen!

The president in question is unnamed throughout the book, but was Andrew Jackson. Knowing this actually would have been good, since it provides some context. While vilified later in history for his slave ownership and questionable personal habits, Jackson was well beloved for being a self-made man and a representative of common people. He is still on the twenty dollar bill, so he must have enjoyed popularity at some point in time.

Meacham's desire to promote himself and his community by manufacturing such a large cheese and delivering it with great fan fare makes a little more sense when you think about Jackson's relationship with the public. How many people would normally have been invited into the White House for a cheese snack, no matter what the occasion? Of course, that's a lot of cheese, and even with a great deal of salt, there will be some odiferous changes in that amount of milk product. I loved the small comment that there were OTHER cheeses delivered as well, as gifts for dignitaries who left them behind.