h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why does America not have the same love of cheese as the Europeans?

I love cheese. I don't love "American Cheese." THAT stuff is just nasty.

They live too far apart to support a cottage cheese industry.

How about that maybe our laws here in the USA discourage "homemade" foodstuffs. Nevermind that if you are brewing beer or making wine, the ways of it have been made clear. I think also that there has been a loss of "pride of product or service" here in America, probably because everyone is so desperately scrabbling for some semblance of economic normality.

Oh, and we here in America do love cheese, good cheese, but most of it is very expensive mainly because it is imported.

One word sums it up "Kraft" like eating melted plastic.

I was wondering if
it dated back to the time when the French stopped having such an influence there.

"I don't love "American Cheese." THAT stuff is just nasty" [Mr. X]

I totally agree!

I make do with nonfat sharp cheddar. I love the regular, full-fat cheeses, but my cholesterol skyrockets on a moment's notice. Gotta be careful.

I love good brie. There's a blend of six Italian cheeses that I sprinkle on pasta sometimes when my isn't looking. If I'm in a restaurant, I'll have French onion soup, which has delectable cheese on top. Is it gruyere or Swiss cheese? Don't know, but it's yummy!

I love a good runny Gorgonzola or stilton with a nice glass of Port of course.

Iwould guess its because we all shop inflame grocery stores and they like to keep the supply chain standardized. As long as everyone is happy with cheddar, mozzarella, and colby that's what we'll get.

I like American cheese, especially for sandwiches. I don't have a very refined pallet as I was raised by a bachelor. Hamburger helper and anything fried for breakfast pretty much covers my range of atuff I make at home.

So to put cheese's availability in context; in the UK virtually anywhere that sells food or has a fridge (chiller) has at least a choice of 2 or 3 cheeses - even the smallest corner shops in the poorest areas. Big supermarkets can have most of one isle taken up with the stuff and then some more at the deli counter. Probably a choice of around 50 types of cheese in the average superstore as a guesstimate?

How about the US and do states differ in their cheesiness?

Kind of looks like this in UK stores http://www.flickr.com/photos/detzelpretzel/2587644415/ though not every store is *that* well stocked.

maybe Wallace and grommit aren't popular there?

"Cheese, Gromit, Cheese!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJDhmlMQT60

There's mostly cheddar, colby, and mozzerella cheeses in American stores. You can find more specialized stuff in the deli/vegetable area. But I can't afford it.

oh Winnoch, that looks lovely, which shop was it?

German supermarkets are similarly stocked, with more on the deli counter (but, unfortunately, no Wensleydale)

I think our problem has been lack of culture.

Cheese culture, I mean...

My grandparents had LOTS of milk. They made butter, and buttermilk. They used it lots of ways.

But they did not know how to make any kind of cheese.

We like it. We just don't know how to make it. Wisconin is too unimaginative.

Send us cheese!

I loved buying cheeses in Germany. But I'd have to go far and wide for cheddar, which is our staple here.

My confession dear Sho, is that, that it was a random (uncredited) image from a google search for "cheese isle" so, no idea! But it doesn't look dissimilar to many supermarket cheese isles here.
As a student i spend so much time referencing stuff, it feels cathartic to randomly use someone's image without seeking permission or giving credit

This thread is pretty cheesy

Shoppers in American supermarkets do have a number of cheese choices based on different uses. Provolone and Swiss cheese are great in sandwiches. Bleu cheese and Roquefort go well in salad dressings. Parmesan is great to sprinkle on your spaghetti. Mozzarella is the ultimate topping for pizza. At a wine tasting event, you might find soft cheeses like brie. If a Greek salad is what you crave, chances are you'll find feta cheese mix in with it.

Cheddar is prominewt for two reasons:

1. It is made in abundance in Wisconsin, Vermont, and probably some other states with dairy herds.

2. Cheddar is fairly versatile. You can slice it and use it in a sandwich. You can melt it over tuna salad [technically, this is called a tuna melt]. You can add it to chili or pasta, or eat a chunk of it with apple pie.

I suspect it's an historic issue.Cheese probably didn't travel well when US citizens went pioneering and exploring and they didn't have a fridge strapped to their wagon.