Will McNeal

There are times when I wish the United States exhibited a deeper culture and heritage. Don’t get me wrong, I love my country but every time I travel somewhere such as Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, I’m reminded of how strong traditions are in other countries. When I think of the traditional cheeses of other countries, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Halloumi, and Red Leicester come to mind (among others). These cheeses have been around for centuries and the careful attention that has gone into producing them have been passed down for generations.

A few months ago, I saw a commercial endorsing Kraft processed cheese slices as “the American cheese.” They say their American processed cheese doesn’t have holes in it. I actually find this a bit offensive to traditional Swiss cheese makers and I would take real Swiss cheese over processed cheese any day. Young as our country may be, we still have traditional cheeses which we can be proud of, such as Colby and Monterey Jack. After viewing this advertisement however, the rest of the world may be swayed to believe that we can only claim processed cheese as our own. I wonder is kids think that Kraft slices are what cheese should taste like.

What kind of message are we sending not only to kids, but to the rest of the world? Do we Americans really lack so much tradition that our national cheese should be plastic and processed? I use Kraft singles from time to time on hamburgers or melted into my scrambled eggs but I wouldn’t go so far as claiming Kraft singles are THE American cheese.

Should any type of processed food be considered our national food?

Photograph Credit:
Sabrina Segal