i do not know anything about canadian cheese shops, but i am of the opinion that a modest fromagerie shop in the middle of nowhere in france is about 10 times better than the best nyc or la has to offer. many of the cheeses are made to last for weeks or months. as long as you keep them cool, they will survive.

certainly you jest about the uk cheese shops.

last time i looked, there were nasty regs for bringing certain cheeses into usa. unless usda approved and inspected, the cheeses were illegal. great fear of poisioning the velveta masses.

the sniffer dogs at IAD are trained for drugs, and are indifferent to cheese.