An Omnivore's Dilemma: Would You Eat Michael Pollan Microbe Cheese?
Lactobacillus and yeast are all around us. They hang out on plants, inside animals' guts and on our skin. So Agapakis and Tolaas thought, why not collect some these personal microcritters and use them to curdle milk?
The microbiologist used swabs from her mouth and skin, as well as from Pollan's belly button, Eliasson's tears and another scientist's feet. She grew the bacteria and yeast in Petri dishes in the lab and then, once she had enough, she added them to fresh milk. The result was a cheese designed to make you rethink the sometimes fine line between stinky and appetizing.
The bacteria and yeast that inhabit our feet or skin aren't too different from those that grow in cheese, Agapakis tells The Salt. "So a lot of the smells on cheese are very similar to body odors."
Agapakis says she understands why the project might make some people uncomfortable — even grossed out. But she insists that's not the point. Instead, she and Tolaas want to challenge us to think more about our emotional response to odors and how the context can influence our impressions.
The Salt
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