MENONITAS EN MEXICO

A couple of months ago we watched a film called Luz silenciosa (Silent Light), directed by Carlos Reygadas. It was set in the Mennonite community in the state of Chihuahua. Numbering today around 80,000, they migrated from Canada in the early 20th century so that their children wouldn't have to attend public schools. They still speak a dialect of German and resist integrating into the Spanish-speaking culture.

When we were in Walmart Friday (Yes, I know, after all these years of boycotting Walmart we've capitulated. Who would spend $40 for a toaster when you can get one at Walmart for $15), we saw their cheese. Here is a big hunk of it. As people of German heritage with a taste for strong cheese, we thought the Mennonites might produce a cheese more to our liking than the typically bland Mexican varieties.

It's tasteless.