Anyone out there HATE cheese?

[AzRaeL]

I've yet to have a cheese i hate but the Blue Cheeses i can only eat in small amounts at at time. Once I had Chicken Cordon Bleu with roquefort inside. It was just TOOOOO strong.

[bloviatrix]

I will eat mozzerella, ricotta, cream cheese, marscarpone, and farmer cheese (baked farmer cheese, yum.) Under certain circumstances I will eat munster. I'm not a fan of cheese flavored chips. When Blovie wants a snack where he gets to eat the whole bag, he buys something cheese flavored. On rare occasions I will crave Nacho flavored chips, but if I sniff them, I get nauseated.

I do eat pizza.

[dls]

Then, again, More For Us! 

I don't honestly think that I've ever met a cheese that I didn't love, or least like very much (Velvetta and other similar products excluded). I've purchased cheese all over the world and hauled it around in my travels. I have learned that many cheeses don't belong in the overhead compartment of a plane for more than a couple of hours. Some of them get a little pungent but, that's often the point. Think limburger with raw onion and dijon on rye.

As somebody mentioned upthread, maybe you have an allergy or intolerance to dairy.

[Susan in FL]

I was pretty much left speechless to learn that there are people who don't like cheese. The only thing I can imagine is an allergy or intolerance. If not that, have you considered psychotherapy?

[AzRaeL]

i bet you those cheese haters still love Mascarpone.

Let me tell you my little cheese story.

I have a tiny sliver of Raclette left in my fridge.

It was a nice wedge yesterday. It is the real Raclette from Switzerland.

I've been eating little bits of it constantly since i bought it.

First i cut a few chunks from my wedge. I line the baking tray of my toaster oven with foil.

I toast a few slices of sourdough bread, or an english muffin.

i remove the bread, put the cheese in.

I rinse my mouth with warm water to awaken my taste buds; i don't like wine.

When the cheese is melted and runny, i slide out the tray and scrape off the cheese with a butter knife and smear it on my bread.

Heaven!

Alas, i have only enough cheese left for one more sweet moment.

At $20/lb, it isn't cheap.

One day when I have lots of money, I'm gonna make me a raclette pizza.

[bloviatrix]

I was pretty much left speechless to learn that there are people who don't like cheese. The only thing I can imagine is an allergy or intolerance. If not that, have you considered psychotherapy?

This has nothing to do with allergy or intolerance. I consume more than my share of dairy products, thank you. I just think it tastes and smells nasty.

Why does everyone feel a need to belittle those of us who don't like it?

[SobaAddict70]

I feel so sorry for all of you cheese haters out there. I've noticed that

everyone I know who hates cheese is thin. Are they thin because they

don't eat cheese or is it something to do with their metabolism?

I'm thin and I adore cheese.

Well, that's not true. If it's a strongly flavored cheese like cabrales or a Stilton, then I feel their pain.

But in general, cheese is one of my favorite foods, precisely because it's milk in another form and I can't drink milk in its usual form.

Soba

[Eric_Malson]

...as anyone who has talked with me knows, I grew up not eating ANY cheese other than white American (and only when it was completely melted).

I read this and instantly realized it describes ME! There would be occasional side-trips to colby, muenster (I still find it hard to believe those are actually cheeses....they taste more like some factory experiment in synthetic "cheese food" to me) and even cheddar. Of course I realize now there's a good reason I hated that stuff and would stick to American cheese--it was that pre-packaged supermarket crap that I won't eat even now.

Oh, Soba--no cabrales??? For me, that's one of the kinds that makes loving cheese really worthwhile.

I did have one friend who really didn't like cheese, a Japanese-American girl I knew back in college. She didn't grow up eating it, and just never acquired the taste. She was also not what I would call thin....not fat, certainly, but thin was not the first adjective that came to mind.

[froufrou]

I lived in France back in "97" the runny, smelly stuff gagged me, only American cheese for me....What was I thinking!

We now live back in France, the runnier, the smellier the better, the cheese here is to die for....No more American cheese for me. At least not until I get on that side of the pond again, then I'll look for French cheese, however, it won't be what we get here as it's not sold in the States due to regulations.

As for the blue cheese..I also never cared for the strong blue taste...the creamy mild sweet blue here that oozes out when you cut it...is the best.

Often our meal here is a baguette with different types of cheese, served with a good bottle of wine...it can't be beat.

Cheese!..I mean cheers!

[s'kat]

I spent many sad, forsaken, misguided years disliking cheese. I could eat it on pizza, but always had them put it on 'very, very lightly'. In my early years, I would eat a grilled cheese, but only with the minimal amount of cheese required to make the sandwich stick together. Grilled cheese became entirely out of the question when I became a teenager.

I moved to Holland, and lived there for three years, all the while still despising cheese.

In fact, I didn't begin to like cheese until about three years ago, when I first met my husband. On one of our first dates, he set out a tray of crackers and cheese. Brie and crottin. I didn't want to be impolite, so I steeled myself to suffer through a cracker.

Oh sweet, sweet crottin. Beautiful, creamy brie.

The only cheese I'd ever had previously were the big, tasteless orange blocks that my parents used to buy. I thought all cheese tasted that way. I am so glad to be proved wrong!!

I'm still a bit embarrassed, though, about all those years wasted in the Netherlands.

[Susan in FL]

Ahhh, a raclette pizza! We got a tabletop raclette cooker thing for Christmas and still have some raclette left. We also got a pizza stone which we haven't even used yet! Sounds like a possibility to me.

[AzRaeL]

Ahhh, a raclette pizza! We got a tabletop raclette cooker thing for Christmas and still have some raclette left. We also got a pizza stone which we haven't even used yet! Sounds like a possibility to me.

indulgently EXPENSIVE!

how much does your Raclette cost?

[Jensen]

I used to hate cheese when I was a kid, well, actually into my 20's. I spent my first trip to Europe trying to pretend it didn't exist while my companion scoffed it down after dinner almost every night.

I was well into my 30's when I discovered cheese is one of my favorite foods. And, in particular, blue cheese. No reason for the change. It just happened.

Are you my long-lost twin? You just described me ... except for the trip to Europe. My cheese epiphany happened before that.

[Busboy]

BrennaMorgan, Bloviatrix and others may actually have more than a billion compatriots in solidarity with their dislike of cheese and other curdled milk products: cheese is notably lacking in Asian cuisines and I have read (others may be able to confirm) that many Asians find cheese about as appetizing as we would find fried scorpion or dog meat.

You're not anti-cheese, you've just pro-Pacific Rim.

[KateW]

I love cheese, but I found one I actually don't like. Cabrales. I got it at the Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge and I'd been wanting to try it for a while. It doesn't do anything for me. It's like spreadable soap.

If I hated cheese I probably wouldn't have gained 30 lbs. after high school...

I'm not a big fan of Swiss either but I can't say I hate it.

[SobaAddict70]

Eric, I love just about any cheese that's not strongly flavored or strong-smelling. A bad experience with a cabrales purchased from Dean and Deluca whilst at a dinner at the home of an eGulleteer has put me off from cabrales for the time being.

Otoh, paneer, mozzarella and Brie are particular favorites as are most cheeses from Bobolink Dairy. Queso de blanco is a perennial favorite, especially with spiced guava jam or sliced pears. Camembert, Gruyere and Jarlsberg also share star billing. You haven't had quiche until you've done a quatre formaggio quiche, in my mind. The list goes on and on.

I don't think however, that pouring a glass of port into a wheel of Stilton is going to be an experience that's on my "to do" list anytime soon.

Soba

[Susan in FL]

Why does everyone feel a need to belittle those of us who don't like it?

I certainly didn't intend to belittle you or anyone, and I don't think anybody else did either. I thought those of you who don't like it would have a sense of humor, though. Sorry if that touched upon a sensitive area for you.

Ahhh, a raclette pizza!  We got a tabletop raclette cooker thing for Christmas and still have some raclette left.  We also got a pizza stone which we haven't even used yet!  Sounds like a possibility to me.

indulgently EXPENSIVE!

how much does your Raclette cost?

I paid about the same as you did. I don't plan to use pounds of it on one pizza, so I don't consider this too extravagant. I'm thinking I will top it with sliced potatoes and onions, as well... and maybe some cornichons. I'll wait and see what urge hits me! Thanks for the idea!

[AzRaeL]

I paid about the same as you did. I don't plan to use pounds of it on one pizza, so I don't consider this too extravagant. I'm thinking I will top it with sliced potatoes and onions, as well... and maybe some cornichons. I'll wait and see what urge hits me! Thanks for the idea!

i'm thinking smoked oysters and slivers of onions with sourdough crust.

maybe some green peppers if you like them. add mozarella for fillers.

Hmm i'm thinking: raclette melts very fast and goes runny in no time.

best to make the pizza and add the Raclette AFTER the Pizza is done, and pop it back in the oven for another 3 mins.

[Jason Perlow]

I love cheese. But cheese hates ME.

[Andrew Fenton]

I love cheese, but I found one I actually don't like. Cabrales. I got it at the Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge and I'd been wanting to try it for a while. It doesn't do anything for me. It's like spreadable soap.

This reminds me of my worst cheese experience ever: "Käse mit Musik". I had it at a restaurant outside of Frankfurt: it's a strong cheese (Limburger, I think) marinated, and served with raw onions. It's "mit Musik" because of the gas you'll have afterwards.

Truly awful; the most overpoweringly stinky (and salty) cheese I've ever encountered, like something pried from the devil's crotch. I couldn't eat more than a couple of bites. And I like stinky cheese!

[KateW]

I love stinky cheese too! I went to a restaurant once and got the cheese plate and was cautioned by the waiter that one of the cheeses was not for the faint of heart. I loved it! Don't remember what it was though.

[Mistinguett]

I used to hate cheese (since childhood). Only the smell would make me gag. And then, one day (3-4 years ago), I fell in love with brie. And then with mozzarella (mild cheeses, does this mean anything?). Swiss cheese folowed: I'd make sandwiches with 2 slices of swiss and butter in between, with just a dash of pepper.

For a while I thought that I like only mild cheeses, or certain textures - but I think it's just certain smells that I can't stand. To this day I can't stomach the smell of feta, but I love goat cheese. I used to hate parmiggiano, but did I know the good stuff? - no. Now I like it, only as a punctuation of flavor (I hate it when it overpowers the dish). I like some cheddars, but not nearly all of them. Same goes for blue cheese. However, I'm not turning my head in disgust anymore when I smell cheese.

Having just spent a small fortune on cheese on Monday... I'd say it's worth trying to like cheese.

[JennyUptown]

Otoh, paneer, mozzarella and Brie are particular favorites as are most cheeses from Bobolink Dairy.  Queso de blanco is a perennial favorite, especially with spiced guava jam or sliced pears.  Camembert, Gruyere and Jarlsberg also share star billing.  You haven't had quiche until you've done a quatre formaggio quiche, in my mind.  The list goes on and on.

PANEER! How could I have forgotten paneer? Soba, good one. Yum. Paneer.

And did I mention my love of bufala mozzarella? Divine.

Edited January 29, 2004 by JennyUptown (log)

[jhlurie]

Like Mistinguett, my cheese epiphany only came a few years ago. However, I was never a cheese-hater per-se--I was just ambivalent.

Not so anymore. I love 'em strong, runny, hard, smelly, smooth... you name it.

[Susan in FL]

i'm thinking smoked oysters and slivers of onions with sourdough crust.

maybe some green peppers if you like them. add mozarella for fillers.

Hmm i'm thinking: raclette melts very fast and goes runny in no time.

best to make the pizza and add the Raclette AFTER the Pizza is done, and pop it back in the oven for another 3 mins.

Didn't see your post until now... The pizza turned out real fine, worthy of doing again to perfect a version. I used EVOO, potatoes, onions, S&P, and a tiny bit of fresh thyme and rosemary, and of course at the end of the baking, the Raclette. Smoked oysters, I would give that some thought. Green peppers, no way for our tastes, would over-power.

Please do report back if you make one.