I’ve never been a really big fan of cheese. My mom is allergic to milk, so we never really had a lot of cheese in the house while I was growing up. I just never developed a taste for it. With the exception of cheesecake and pizza, of course.
I do remember, when I was about three, I had a plate of cheese sticks that I became un-fascinated with, and tried to throw out. I was then forced to eat them when I was caught trying to escape to the trash can with them. That was either the moment that I decided I hated cheese, or it was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Either way, I avoided all cheese until I was a teenager.
People are always shocked when I say that in my nearly two decades of life, I’ve never had mac and cheese. I had never even made myself a grilled cheese until I was 19, and it’s only been within the last few months that I’ve stopped taking the cheese off of pre-made hoagies and asking for no cheese on my burgers.
I don’t hate all cheese, just most cheese. I don’t like Parmesan sprinkled over pasta. I don’t like extra cheesy pizza. I won’t go into the fridge and just munch on a bit of cheddar. I’m hesitant to eat cheese and crackers. I put one slice of cheese on my ham and cheese sandwiches, and always make sure that there’s exponentially more ham than there is cheese.
The only cheese I’ll willingly eat plain, straight from the fridge, is mozzarella. And that’s just thanks to my love of mozzarella pizza. I still grimace when I get a cheeseburger that’s too cheesy, and I can’t deal with too much cream cheese on my bagel (normally, I just have butter.) I didn’t even eat cheese steaks until I was in my late teens, and coming from the Philadelphia area, that’s in and of itself quite criminal.
Three years ago, Iit was almost a blessing when I found out I’m lactose intolerant, because it’s so much easier to just shrug and say, “I’m lactose intolerant,” when people ask why I’m not eating the chicken parm. Whenever I tell people that I don’t eat a lot of cheese, people are only placated with the revelation I give them about my lactose intolerance. But I’m used to it.
Since coming to college a year ago, I’ve developed a better taste for cheese. I don’t mind as much when I grab a burger that has cheese on it. I'm OK eating grilled cheeses without tomato soup. I still don’t like parmesan on my pasta, but if that’s what’s being served, I’ll still grab a plateful and eat it (while impressing everyone with my ability to avoid most of the cheese.)
Personally, my favorite part about not having a taste for cheese is the look on people’s faces when I tell them that I’ve never, ever had mac and cheese.
