Aging Cheese

   I recently went to a nice Italian restaurant and found aged cheese on the menu. The different cheeses had different aging periods ranging from a few weeks to a few months. However, back home, I have heard of cheese getting spoiled within a few days. Finding this phenomenon interesting, I went out in search of answers on the net. Making cheese seems to be an art and a tradition, but here a few interesting things I found out:

• Dry cheese can be aged longer than wet cheese (some cheese can be aged for years)
• The diet of the animal from whose milk the cheese is produced determines the colour of the cheese(though lots of cheeses have added colours)
• Some cheeses have molds in them(especially the blue ones)
• Temperature and humidity need to be properly controlled when making cheese
• The French consume the most cheese at 26 kg per person per year(wiki)

Lovebugs in Florida

   I recently heard from a friend(N) about large swarms of critters flying about in Florida. Though the word 'love' in their name conjures up some pleasant memories in ones mind, these creatures are actually named so because they look like they are copulating all the time.
   A typical google search of love bug, throws up many images of an ugly looking bug, normally with another equally looking bug attached to its rear end like the one shown below. Apparently, they are nearly always found in this configuration. From what I heard, they move around in large swarms, are pretty ugly and completely spoil your windscreen once in a while.

  Some other interesting tidbits about them ( for more info look at wiki or google)

• They were rumoured to be a result of a University of Florida genetic experiment
• They have a acidic taste (hmm how did one find that out), so they have few predators
• Earlier if their splattered remains were left to dry on car paint for a day, it would turn acidic and cause etching on the paint surface ( we have better paints now)

Purpose of this blog

I learn many interesting things everyday. I would love to share them to the world...
This blog consists of things about random things in life I wondered about or found interesting and then took the time to look up.