……is the date that the 300% tariff on Roquefort cheese goes into effect.  Shrub raised the tariff from the 100% it’s been at since 1999, to a ridiculous 300% in retaliation for the European Union’s continued ban on hormone-treated beef.  (Which I personally think they are right to deny).  Other European luxury imports, such as foie gras, French truffles, Italian sparkling water and Irish oatmeal were also hit with 100% tariffs, but only Roquefort was singled out for such punitive action.

True Roquefort, the ancient, venerated, raw sheep’s milk cheese made in the south of France, and aged in the Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon was the first cheese to receive A.O.C. status in the 15th century.

Murray’s Cheese on Bleecker, one of my favorite places in all of NYC, still has some Roquefort available at $28.99/lb.  If you go in person, ask for Cielo.  He remembers my favorites, and enjoys showing me new cheeses that he knows I’ll like.  (Of course, I’ve only ever had one cheese ever that I did not like, so maybe that’s not so hard…???)  They expect their stock to last until early May.  So when current stocks run out, and until and unless Obama rescinds the tariff, we may have to make do with non A.O.C. blues from neighboring towns.