This paper examines the multifaceted practical uses of cheese in today's marketplace, extending well beyond its obvious role as a food. Drawing on sources by McGee, Jenkins, and Ensrud, the paper covers cheese as a culinary staple and comfort food, its psychological and social significance in American family culture, its utility in rodent control, and its role as a driver of global industry and employment. The paper also touches on the niche hobby of tyrosemiphilia — the collecting of cheese labels — as an unexpected but documented cultural practice. Together, these perspectives reveal cheese as a surprisingly versatile element of everyday life.
Cheese has been consumed by human beings since before recorded history (Ensrud, 1981). Essentially, it has always been something people have eaten and enjoyed. Still, it is important to consider not just the history of cheese, but its practical use in today's marketplace. People think of eating cheese, but they do not always realize the jobs it provides or the social implications of cheese as a comfort food throughout American society. Many also fail to see the value of cheese as a tool for rodent control, even though it has been used as bait in mousetraps for many years. The stereotype of mice liking cheese exists for a reason.
Cheese and practicality, however, are not two words that commonly go together in the human mind. People eat cheese because they enjoy the taste, and they generally do not think much more about it than that. Still, for the true cheese connoisseur — or for anyone who wants to study all that cheese has to offer — there is more to consider than simply the idea that cheese is a food (Jenkins, 1996).
Naturally, the most practical use for cheese is to eat it. Ever since people began to consume cheese, societies have created dishes that either centered around its use or incorporated it as a garnish (McGee, 2004). With that in mind, people devoted their time to recipes requiring various types of cheeses, and they became enamored with the wide range of flavors and textures cheese could provide. Tastings became a popular way to express one's interest in cheese, often pairing it with quality wines and artisan crackers or breads (McGee, 2004). Cheese spreads are also very popular, as they allow the consumer to enjoy not only the flavor of the cheese itself but also the herbs or spices blended into the spread (McGee, 2004). As a practical use, there is nothing more common or expected than eating cheese — either alone or as part of a dish designed to incorporate it.
Other practical uses of cheese that may not occur to people as readily are its social and psychological dimensions. Cheese is often a comfort food for many people in the western world, as evidenced by the countless schoolchildren who carry cheese sandwiches or cheese cubes in their lunchboxes (Jenkins, 1996). Many children and adults also love grilled cheese sandwiches, frequently paired with soup on a cold winter day, as a satisfying lunch or dinner option.
The feeling of "home" that one gets when eating cheese is not easily duplicated by other foods, particularly in middle-class and lower-middle-class American families (McGee, 2004). These individuals grew up eating cheese sandwiches made by their parents and macaroni and cheese prepared from a box, and they are now making those same dishes for their own children. Undoubtedly, the same comfort foods featuring cheese will be passed down to yet another generation when those children become parents themselves (McGee, 2004).
"Using cheese as mousetrap bait on farms"
"Global cheese manufacturing and workforce demand"
"Label collecting and cheese festival culture"
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