Re: Irrational Atheism

[Icarus]

My wife was in Amsterdam recently. True to the sacred obligation of the American tourist, she brought back some hard cheese. I like it so well that I'll have to send her back for more. Unfortunately part of the label is gone and I can not identify the stuff. The only word left on the label is Polderkaas.  Is that a cheese identity or perhaps the name of the maker? It also has the symbol 50+.  Another type is labeled Gerookte gesmolten geitenkaas 45+  (goat cheese). I think I have a clue.....Kaas is cheese and geiten is goat?? Then what is a Polder if it is polderkaas?

The cheese is yummy and, of course, has nothing to do with irrational atheism.

I'll try to weasel out of my contribution to the derail with convoluted reasoning...........The Hollanders have a high proportion of secularism. It follows that the cheese maker could conceivably be an atheist. Making cheese is not an irrational pursuit.  He/she may very well ride a bicycle to work, he/she ignores the availability of pot and the presence of the prostitution industry, an accommodation for euthanasia, and an admirably low crime rate. Little Dutch kids, named Hans, stick their thumbs in a dike break to save the day. All that is pretty rational for a society with lots of atheists I say.

Arthur Frommer, the famous travel writer guy, wrote a recent article about Amsterdam.  He described a civic project initiated by some organization or other. They set up two teen night clubs where drugs and sex were easily and legally available. The thinking was that the teens would participate with enthusiasm, in the beginning, and quickly grow bored with the whole notion of otherwise questionable behavioral activity. The mystery and fascination soon became so commonplace that it was boring and the kids moved on to more productive activities.  It worked. The kicker is that a church was marginally involved in the project. That plan would cause widespread apoplectic seizures here in the US but it worked pretty well for Amsterdam.

[Sandra Craft]

My wife was in Amsterdam recently. True to the sacred obligation of the American tourist, she brought back some hard cheese. I like it so well that I'll have to send her back for more. Unfortunately part of the label is gone and I can not identify the stuff. The only word left on the label is Polderkaas.  Is that a cheese identity or perhaps the name of the maker? It also has the symbol 50+.  Another type is labeled Gerookte gesmolten geitenkaas 45+  (goat cheese). I think I have a clue.....Kaas is cheese and geiten is goat?? Then what is a Polder if it is polderkaas?

Do you have a cheese shop nearby?  They could probably help you identify it.  The Cheese Addiction is one of my favorite places to waste money, and pick up gifts for cheese loving friends.  If nothing else, you might try contacting them.  I've been slowly working my way thru their inventory for the last year and they all seem very knowledgable.

[Guardian85]

My wife was in Amsterdam recently. True to the sacred obligation of the American tourist, she brought back some hard cheese. I like it so well that I'll have to send her back for more. Unfortunately part of the label is gone and I can not identify the stuff. The only word left on the label is Polderkaas.  Is that a cheese identity or perhaps the name of the maker? It also has the symbol 50+.  Another type is labeled Gerookte gesmolten geitenkaas 45+  (goat cheese). I think I have a clue.....Kaas is cheese and geiten is goat?? Then what is a Polder if it is polderkaas?

Polder is the name given to land that has been claimed from the sea, in other words farmland behind a dike, below sealevel.

Also, "Gerookte" means smoked.