Vermonters Mount Impassioned (Online) Defense Of State Cheese

Yesterday, a pithy post appeared on Jezebel.com pointing out that Vermonters have more cats per capita than any other U.S. state. But as the post wends its way around social media, it's not comments about felines, but rather cheese, that is riling the 802 rank and file. Specifically, this line:

"Vermont's previous accomplishments include the production of not-as-good-as-Wisconsin cheese and Brigham Young."

The writer, Madeleine Davies, might as well have fired a cannon over Cabot's bow. In the fiery comments section, Vermonters of all stripes have sprung to their state's defense. Some highlights:

Does Bo Muller-Moore Have the Best (And Most Accomplished) Mustache in America?

Bo Muller-Moore wears a lot of hats: He's a prolific T-shirt artist; a folk hero of local agriculture and the fight against corporate bullying; a thorn in Chick-fil-A's side; and a devoted family man and caregiver.

To judges at the American Mustache Insititute, Muller-More also combines a notable mustache with service in such a way that he emerged from 900 nominees as a finalist for the Goulet Award, an honor that annually recognizes a mustachioed gentleman who "best represents or contributes to the Mustached American community during the prior year."

The award, named for blustery actor Robert Goulet, honors the singer's "voice, trademark mustache, sense of humor, and black leather jackets, a quadruple-threat of talent the American Mustache Institute is proud to salute." 

With his signature black tophat and oodles of personality, Muller-Moore seems like a shoo-in for the award, but he faces some stiff competition: a U.S. Senate sergeant-at-arms; an auto-parts tycoon and NFL team owner; the former CEO of a San Antonio homeless rehab center; and an MIT biology professor who works to decode the human genome.

Muller-Moore was slightly surprised to be nominated. "I don't want to split hairs, but I wear a beard. I would argue that mustaches and beards are two very different critters," he says — but if the insitute isn't worried, neither is he.

Bite Into Our New Blog!

The Seven Days food writers live to eat, not the other way around. That means that at any given moment, we're probably tasting something we want to recommend — or warn you about. And it's our job to know about new restaurants, dishes, chefs. Through Bite Club, you can get that info as soon as we track it down. In other words, you can get it while it's hot. 

Alice and I are excited to collect all of our food content here on the brand-new Bite Club blog. Our staff blog, Blurt, came to be a rather serious place for pithy posts about food news we've stumbled across, a photo of something amazing we've eaten, a lament for some axed menu item, or a trailer for a new food film. 

On the Bite Club blog, we can roam free. Check in each weekday not only for Alice Eats and Grazing but for Vermont restaurant, foodie entrepreneur and ag news, recipes, and links to the sometimes-strange, sometimes-vital food and drink content we find both locally and on the interwebs. Come and get it!