IS THERE REALLY A SCARCITY OF LOCALLY PRODUCED CHEESE?
Love News received several reports that there was a shortage of locally produced cheese. We spoke to Manager at Western Dairies in Spanish Lookout Henry Dueck to find out what is the situation.
Henry Dueck:
It started actually a couple years ago. We had a surplus on cheese right and we were asking the government to close the borders on cheese importation and they were helping us out in doing so. Since the middle of last year we have been running a little lower and we were stabilizing it but by November and December we were running out of the surplus. So we sent them a letter asking them if we could allow imports already so then now I don't know what went wrong but all the way up to January nobody imported any cheese. Now since then they've imported cheese and it should be stabilizing out because another shipment is coming in at the end of this week.
We asked Dueck if they are able to sustain the demand on the local market.
Henry Dueck:
The government was regulating the imports and before there were importing fifty percent and buying from us fifty precent. We were able to produce more than fifty percent. I don't know if you are aware of the deal the government had with importers that they had to buy x amount of cheese locally and then they could import the same amount. That was before they closed the borders but now if they go back to the fifty-fifty we'll have plenty of cheese again. It all depends on how much people import.
I am sick and tired of whining local producers of cheese as well as other food and beverage producers crying to the government to ban imports. We're supposed to live in a free country but no country can be free if you can't even buy a decent cheddar.
The locally produced cheese is like soap, I won't eat it because it's expensive AND disgusting.
I'm sick of the whining about cheese too. I know better than to expect the cheese to taste just like home. So, I just take my own from home. A nice big block of Kraft Cheddar, sometimes Medium, sometimes Old (seriously, I do that).
Of course, I don't go out for pizza when I'm in San Pedro . . or any other Caribbean destinations.
One of the major reasons that I bring my own cheese is because I like to make my own brekkie before diving. Often, I make myself a cheese omelet or a ham and cheese quesadea.
All that said, if I were Pedro1 or KzK, eventually, I'd be asking my board buddies to bring me down a big block of cheese or some smoked salmon or some bisquick or some Jello treats (mmMmm, and don't I start to crave ridiculous things that I don't even normally eat, for instance, processed tapioca puddings).
I know that on my longer trips, whether those be in the Caribbean or SE Asia, after a few weeks, I really start to miss food from home. Not even *good* food from home, just some of the processed crap that I've become used to over my lifetime, in my sad and sorry North American diet.
Thank heavens Papi's and Jambel's make some awesome pork chop dishes.
As it is, cheese aside, on the very off chance that I'll be ordering fries instead of rice, from time to time, I have with me, little packages of ketchup, etc. (picked up from the fast food places up here) BTW, this is always a serious recommendation I make to parents travelling with children.
Further, I almost always take salt and pepper with me. You know, when you are eating some awesome chicken but the salt shaker is all gummy and rusty and the rice is packing up the shaker holes, it's so nice to have your own little luncheonette package of salt that you can pull from your purse. Or the pepper just isn't the kind of black grind you are used to? Pull out your little pack(s) that you picked up at the A&W. MmmMmm, don't that chicken or those pork chops taste so damn good with our own North American mediocre spices?
Seashell, when was your last visit to the island? Are you visiting again soon?
Good selection today at Brodies, Brie, gorganzola, smoked gouda, feta.
katie, are you talking about Brodies in Belize City?
As of last week there was no local cheese to be had in San Ignacio. However, you could buy this great brie at killer prices at Selina's, go figure. And a LOT OF VISITORS love the locally produced cheese, trust me I know. Support Belizian products!
FYI, some real New Zealand cheddar found its way into a couple of the local shops here on the island a few days ago. It was in 3lb blocks. It SOLD OUT even before the shops had a chance to look at their supplier invoices and figure out the price per pound. Most of the buyers were local San Pedranos.
My lovely wife was one of them.
Why you buy Belize,
you build Belize!
SIN
As long as there is plenty of Spam.
DEACON! YUK! You won't even think of it when you have all of that glorious fish to eat....lobster, grouper, shrimp...Mmmmm, I'm making myself hungry. No spam for me....EVER
You can now buy mozarella, but not cheddar here in San Ignacio. We need more dairy and chicken farms. The Mennonites have way to much control. First there is no eggs, then no milk and now this cheese shortage. By the way, if you can find local eggs, buy them, local pretty much meaning free farmed, they are the best.
For some reason this post cracked me up! I love this board
So what's the story on the milk? I have been trying to find heavy cream for two weeks so I can make some ice cream. Nothing! Very little milk in the coolers too.
There IS domestic milk shortage. No fresh milk here on Caye Caulker either. Try media crema in the can mixed with reconstituted KLIM as a substitute for heavy cream. Its not the same as fresh cream, but will probably work in a pinch.
HI i am a new member,just to let you know i am sitting here in canada eating nine year old cheddar,the only problem is that i am not eating it there. i will being coming down in may , as a friend of mine has a home on the island ... i will try to bring some cheedar down and share some with you mmmmm... cheddar can some say hello to charlie worthington for me at estelles, john from canada thxs
I really want someone to bring me a Stilton. I brought one last year but P1 ate most of it (to be fair it was a present for him). Failing Stilton a really good mature cheddar will do. In England we can get mature Canadian cheddar which is very good. I agree with Chris and others that whatever is produced in Belize under the name of "cheese" is absolutely disgusting.
If I bring the cheese, will I have a problem bringing into the country?
I don't know whether it's legal to bring in cheese or not. I had no problems with Customs last year - they took it out, opened the extensive packaging, took one sniff and said I could move on. And I know several tourists who often bring cheese in in smaller quantities with no problems, and these aren't smuggled. I wish Belize could operate as most other countries that I visit and publish exactly what can and can't be brought in, and what the applicable rates of duty are. It's the uncertainty that's the problem - that Stilton cost a lot of money in England, and I had no idea whether it would be permitted or not. I took a chance that paid off that time, but next?
On Friday, Brodies had domestic cheddar in 10 lb. bricks. Its the first domestic cheese that I've seen in 3 weeks. I bought it all, call me a biotch.
Cayo cheese report.
We can now buy local mozarella and the usual imported stuff. Good news for cheese lovers. The owners of Celina's tell me that most likely by the end of this week there will be more Brie, long gone!, Stilton, Blue Cheese,.... so I have a feeling a big cheese shipment is coming in! Keep your eyes open!
I was in Spanish Lookout on Thursday and they are not producing any cheese right now. They said that they can't get the milk to make it. ALthough, the cheese is stocked right up at Brodies, its all imported. They said another container shipment is supposed to be in next week.
Seems like cheese is quite a problem. I haven't been to Belize(yet! but will by the end of May). How is milk sold there? Is it homogenized like in the states or is there cream on the top(like it should be)? Good cheese isn't difficult to make...especially cheese for cooking and table cheeses. Might have to make some while I'm down there and here I was a thinkin my farm girl skills would do me no good there
.
What is wrong with the Cheese in Belize!!!
You would think we can talk about some other topic for a change this is getting boring.
YEAH, agree!!! I don't get it though...seashell as far as asking people to bring me cheese there is cheddar, swiss, mozarella, montery jack, colby, ricotta, munster, ricotta, gueda, gayo, feta, parmasean, string cheese, and even the fancy cheeses at some stores. WHERE are these people shopping???
Bzedoll, as far as I'm conserned you are right...boring topic as our "queso" esta BIEN!!!
Hey Beautiful, when you gonna send me the pic from last night at Choloe's?
Kzk, I didn't say *you* would ask people to bring *you* cheese. I said that if people that live in San Pedro, or other places far from their homes, start to crave something that they can't get, they might ask someone to bring it for them. You know, like you wanted the jello mix. That's all I meant. Don't worry, I won't bring you any cheese.
No worries gial! You wrote IF you were KZK or pedro you would ask people to bring down cheese...and I was just saying we have plenty and not sure where these people were shopping. I was just commenting more to people who though we didn't have much cheese to let them know.
OK so who comes to Sanpedro for cheese... I am sure that there are better and worse places in the world and I would bet that people still go to those places regardless to weather or not they have a good cheddar... just a thought.
Well, excuse me Kzk, allow me to rephrase so that it makes more sense for you. Perhaps I should have said "All that said, if I were someone who loves a certain kind of cheese, or Pedro1 or KzK, eventually, I'd be asking my board buddies to bring me down a big block of cheese or some smoked salmon or some bisquick or some Jello treats (mmMmm, and don't I start to crave ridiculous things that I don't even normally eat, for instance, processed tapioca puddings)."
And just in hopes of making it even more clear to you, Pedro1 likes smoked salmon, so I've read and you like certain jellos, so I've read. In other words, some people might ask for cheese, some people might ask for smoked salmon, some people might ask for jello pudding. Get it now??
let me know how that works out for ya SS
wow, gial, relax!! I understood. Never looking to have an arguement. You are definately due for a trip to SP and hope you make it soon.
I even wrote in my last post no worries gial! Hope you're having an alright holiday. Happy Easter.
Food Fight
meow
Where's Lara and her boxing ring when you need it.
LOL So, does this mean that if I emptyed out half of what I'm planning on putting in my suitcase for my trip in October and replaced it with 20 lbs of good Canadian cheese, I could sell it on the "black cheese market" and finance my future trips? Sweeeeeet!
nope, no food fight, fist fight, street fight. The only fighting I do is in the boxing ring.
K,if you don't mind me asking, how long you been boxing?
Kzk, maybe you weren't looking for an argument but you sure do seem to find yourself in a few from time to time. Do you ever wonder why?
klc, looks like it might have worked out this time.
Me, I'm gonna go and eat lemon jello now.
lol, you are so cute. I don't recall any arguements since 2006. If you re-read all of my posts to you on this thread, none are trying to argue. I clearly state that there are no worries and that I understood you and do not want to argue. As far as "ever wonder why" I have no clue as to what you are talking about...sounds like you like to start arguments but let's just drop it and move on.
We have something in common gial...I just ate Lime jello an hour before reading your post! Lemon is great too.
cheese it you 2 :rolleyes: or the BP will getcha
think there is a remote possibility they actually heeded the warning?
I know what "cheese it" means. I'm outta here.
...let em eat cake!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes: