Mark Twain and Limburger Cheese

While walking down the Oak Forest High School English hallway one day, a passerby could hear a loud proclamation: “This STINKS!” Truly, whatever was living in a particular English classroom DID stink.

Clever Oak Forest High School teacher Ms. Kate Vana was using the famous pungent Limburger or “stinky” cheese to encourage her freshmen honors students to use all of their senses while reading in her class.

Limburger is called a stinky cheese because one can place a container of Limburger cheese on a chair in the middle of the room, only to have to smell permeate the room very efficiently and malodorously. Which is what Vana did in her classroom to drive the point home that Limburger cheese is a very potent cheese.

Vana’s class was studying Mark Twain’s classic short story, “The Invalid’s Story.” In the story, two men hilariously mistake a gun cabinet for a coffin with a corpse. Someone has forgotten their Limburger cheese sandwich in the cabinet with the guns and the men imagine that the strongly putrid smell is the body. This story is an example of Twain’s humorous writing style.

In previous years, Vana found that her classes did not appreciate how badly Limburger could smell even after watching a video about the making of Limburger cheese. Then she thought of bringing in some Limburger cheese for the students to try. During this story, Vana produced a container of Limburger cheese and placed it on a chair in the middle of the room. While they read the story, students were surprised to find their noses growing more and more affected by the pungent smell of the cheese.

One observer walking by noted that the classroom was emitting a “dirt-like” odor.

At the end of the reading selection, Vana offered students the opportunity to taste test the cheese. Several brave students tried it. Jamil Mitchell tried it and said, “It’s not bad…..” and Kyle Neylon said, “It was so-so.” Asceria Suits said nothing as she made a beeline to the nearest drinking fountain. Oak Forest High School Media Specialist Cheryl Harris said, “It tastes like very strong cheddar with a lasting flavor sensation that is not entirely pleasant.” Vana laughed and said, “Bringing in the cheese samples is a fun way to keep the students engaged during learning and to engage their senses.”

These freshmen students will not forget their foray into Twain’s short story after this stinky but creative experience.