It’s rainy season here in my country, and during months like these, teenagers and pseudo-teenagers like me have nothing better to do than.. Eat.

If there’s one major comfort food for kids of all ages, it has to be cheese. Aside from chocolate, it’s one of the most-liked foods around. When I was younger, my mother bought me “cheese sticks,” which were actually pieces of cheddar cheese that were encased in vacuum plastic. Though I liked that a lot, nothing prepared me for the addiction that ensued when I encountered microwaved cheese.

What I would do was that I would stick the cheddar cheese in the microwave then I would wait till it would melt, boil, and then eventually solidify. It was then that I would pick at the lump of cheese with my fingers and snack on it. Simply orgasmic. :p

Today, I had another such encounter with cheese. But this time, since I didn’t have a microwave, I got a Teflon pan and heated quickmelt cheese there. I experimented with it by gently scraping off the cheese with a spoon as it started to burn, then eating it. I did it until I polished off a 2”x4” piece of cheese. It was so fun, I felt like a kid again.

Cheese and I have come a long way. Ever since our local Cheddar cheese, I have tried several other varieties. The first foreign cheese I tasted was sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack. But what I wondered was why these two varieties I got to taste, tasted a bit bitter. Eventually I also tasted parmesan, mozzarella, and Colby. And who could ever forget Edam cheese, which is a staple for the holidays in these parts?

To me, aside from the sharp cheddar and the Monterey Jack that were probably stale at the time I got to taste them, cheese is lovely however eaten, wherever, and whenever. Sometimes I mix cheese in my scrambled eggs, along with red peppers. It makes the eggs a lot more nutritious and tasty. And I just skip the salt altogether then. :)

I once made an adaptation of pesto with cheese and cream. I blended olive oil, basil leaves, cheese and cream, and I added some salt to taste then mixed it with pasta. My parents liked it, despite its tasting different.

One cheese variant that I doubt is available elsewhere in the world, is the local cheese giant’s cheddar-with-hotdog-bits cheese. It is actually more fun to eat, especially for kids. Whenever I am in “kid mode,” this is great for snacking on.

All these memories of cheese bring me comfort, because cheese had always been a part of the dishes that I associate with good feelings and memories.. And memories like those are never too cheesy, pardon the pun. :p

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