Why do americans put cheese in everything?

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DResq@reddit

It's a big country. Depends who you ask I guess.

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TankDestroyerSarg@reddit

Because... Cheese is good, so sayeth everyone with taste. Unless it's molded over, but even then some weirdos like it when it's splotched blue and green. Or maybe that's just the French?

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mugenhunt@reddit

Please don't watch food videos online and believe that representative of actual American dining.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

The question was hyperbolic and generalized on purpose but I understand your concern and hope you understand mine.

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Engine_Sweet@reddit

So exaggerating to the point of falsehood on the internet? But the videos that spawned this inaccuracy are to be believed?

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AndreaTwerk@reddit

…cheese is a staple in a lot of European cooking

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

Yeah, as a snack... not something you add to steamed broccoli or any other vegetable

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lastwarrior81@reddit

Cheese on roasted broccoli or cauliflower is fantastic. Steamed... no so much.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

But why? You can make broccoli taste good without adding cheese.

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Yes you can have good broccoli with out cheese. Cheese adds another level of umami to the vegetable that enhances the nuttyness of the roasted broccoli. The cheese I'm adding is parmasan, cheddar, or other hard to semi-hard cheese, not the processed American "cheese" product.

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HurtsCauseItMatters@reddit

We aren't the ones that created raclette and fondue or French onion soup or baked Brie...

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

We certainly aren't the ones who shower vegetables with cheddar cheese

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RektInTheHed@reddit

Oh, so we just hallucinated Gratin dauphinois?

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AndreaTwerk@reddit

No you dip vegetables in melted cheese.

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shortcakeyoutube@reddit

The Brits put cheese on cauliflower

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

We don't talk about British cuisine...

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shortcakeyoutube@reddit

Seriously, though, the average meal here is something like grilled chicken, sautéed veggies, and roasted potatoes, but that won't get clicks on TikTok. Something unhealthy with tons of cheese will.

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AndreaTwerk@reddit

…France and Italy are not in Europe?

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segascream@reddit

I love steamed broccoli by itself, but omg have you ever tried broccoli and cheese?

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EclipticEclipse@reddit

Have you ever had cheese fondue? Raclette? Aligot? Käsespätzle? Rarebit? The list of Europen dishes where cheese us the main star is long abd illustrious.

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PerfectAnonym@reddit

You're right, Europeans would never create something like potatoes au gratin and it certainly wouldn't be popular there

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Dense-Result509@reddit

Two great tastes that taste great together.

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simplyexistingnow@reddit

I mean most people aren't having broccoli and cheese every single day and it's also a cheese sauce so there's other things added to it it's not just cheese.

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justanoseybxtch@reddit

Hate to break it to you but social media isn't accurate. Most adults don't put cheese on their vegetables ... cheese and broccoli is mainly for children so they eat their vegetables

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JtotheC23@reddit

You must have never met an Italian

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Super_Restaurant8673@reddit

Gratin enters the chat

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Moondance_sailor@reddit

The government subsidized it for a while. There are whole caves of government cheese. It’s a real thing. There a whole bunch of rap from the 90s that reference government food programs that are just cheese. So the government encouraged food companies to put cheese on stuff

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

This I can believe.

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Engine_Sweet@reddit

Hey, you believe TikTok, so I'm not surprised

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GovernorGeneralPraji@reddit

Wasn’t it also a huge source of cheap nutrition during the Great Depression? Or am I thinking of something else?

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Unusual_Memory3133@reddit

We don’t

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Arleare13@reddit

How normalized is it to see someone preparing a home-cooked meal and watch them pour half a bag of shredded cheese (best case scenario) into their food?

Not "normalized" at all. I'd love to know where you saw this.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

You all act as if you've never seen cooking videos with what I'm talking about

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Arleare13@reddit

I haven't. Sorry.

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Ok-Opportunity-574@reddit

Companies like Kraft have a massive market presence and have been encouraging dairy consumption for decades. We also have lobbying groups like the Dairy Council that spend millions promoting dairy and it's supposed "health benefits"(there aren't any).

It's a VERY extensively marketed product and has been for so long that some regional eating patterns are very cheese dominated. The midwest definitely does a lot of those cheesy casserole type dishes you're seeing.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

From all of the comments, this one and another about cheese mines are one of the few where someone actually tries to explain what is going on between Americans and cheese.

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Ok-Opportunity-574@reddit

I'm a vegan so I have more of an outsider's perspective on it. If you are bothered by dairy the marketing becomes glaring. For most people it's background noise that they have been seeing as soon as they were old enough for their eyes to focus.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

Sometimes the outsider perspective is more helpful than the insider one. I appreciate your explanation!

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Randvek@reddit

Because we’re better than you.

But fear not! If you add cheese to your cuisine, you can be on our level!

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

Because we’re better than you.

You must be talking about economy and military spending.

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spareribs78@reddit

Because we brush our teeth in America

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

I'm not British

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Medical_Revenue4703@reddit

Cuisine

We have a lot of grazing land so dairy features in a lot of our foods and cheese is a fairly stable use of that resource.

You could go your whole life without seeing an American pour half a bag of shrreded cheese into their food, but our bags of shredded cheese are quite a bit bigger then European bags and I wouldn't consider a dish designed to be shared by a dozen people pouring it into their food.

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ATLien_3000@reddit

You kind of sound like the person who visits the US, only goes to fast food restaurants, then talks trash about how Americans eat.

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IsopodKey2040@reddit

Or just watches those rage bait videos.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

Nope. Just "normal" cooking videos that pop up.

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CockroachNo2540@reddit

That’s what I was thinking. So many of those have dumping bags of cheese or blocks of cream cheese or both.

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DearDarlingDollies@reddit

There are 349 million of us, but they saw a few people eat cheese excessively and now we all do it.

I do love cheese, though. I don't put shredded cheese on stuff, though. I like real cheese.

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segascream@reddit

Look, if I wasn't lactose intolerant, I'd absolutely be having cheese with every single meal. As is, I just try to be aware of what the rest of my day's responsibilities are when I'm deciding if that dairy will be worth shitting myself half to death.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

I love cheese too. It's awesome. But I feel it's even more embedded into your everyday life than us Europeans

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InvincibleChutzpah@reddit

It's not in everything. It's just in the videos you are watching.

I'm familiar with the "sumo everything into a pan and mix with a bag of shredded cheese then bake" recipes you are talking about. Those aren't regularly eaten in the US. They're lazy potluck dishes, not nightly supper.

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OhThrowed@reddit

I'm curious, why do you refer to us with our country, but yourself with your continent?

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

Same reason Americans say Europe when they talk about the 2 to 3 countries they visited last summer

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Chica3@reddit

How much time have you actually spent in the US, watching people make home cooked meals? How many different American families have you spent time with?

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ElleMaeSinclair@reddit

No offense but... have you ever been to France? Because we love cheese on EVERYTHING. Cheese is its own course here.

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ParticularBuyer6157@reddit

And we’re telling you it’s not. Why can’t you understand that?

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EclipticEclipse@reddit

More than the French? No.

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ahkian@reddit

Based on what?

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mcculloughpatr@reddit

What abnormal things do you think we’re putting cheese in?

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ATLien_3000@reddit

I mean, I mix cheez whiz into my coffee in the morning.

But still.

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Shoddy-Secretary-712@reddit

As long as you deep fried it first, you're good.

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RaeWineLover@reddit

It's not Christmas without cheez whiz.

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BankOk9472@reddit

You can shred "real" cheese to

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julieta444@reddit

I know a Belgian girl who said the U.S. had terrible food. Then I found out she was eating salads from Walgreens. I didn’t even know that was a thing

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AcousticOnomatopoeia@reddit

Needs to be bitch-slapped with barbecued meatloaf.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

For the ones commenting "cheese good" and "Europeans eat more cheese", I'm not denying cheese isn't fucking great or that we eat more cheese yearly. My question was on how Americans (from the USA, as to not confused anyone) are so used to cheese in the most basic dishes (be it from Tiktok, which I don't have, or home-cooked meals from stay-at-home moms/dads or other types of content)?

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Unhappy_Performer538@reddit

Europe is not a country. lol

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

I said European so you wouldn't be confused as to where I'm actually froom

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Unhappy_Performer538@reddit

Oh I know. I jest, because when someone from the US refers to Europe as a whole we get a lot of snark about how "EuRoPe Is NoT a CoUnTrY" as if we don't know that, when we are purposefully referencing Europe as a whole.

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Rolthox@reddit

Cheese is good

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Smooth_Monkey69420@reddit

Most of you guys eat WAY more cheese than we do

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segascream@reddit

Nobody that's putting cheese in their cooking is concerned with caloric intake, I promise you.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

One of the few valid points in here

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thatsad_guy@reddit

What is a invalid point to you?

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BlackQuartzSphinx_@reddit

Any point that doesn't agree with him, apparently

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

Rent free.

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thatsad_guy@reddit

I dont think that means what you think it means

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

Check comments

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thatsad_guy@reddit

I did. Thats why I asked the question

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inbigtreble30@reddit

If you're getting your information about the average American dining experience from your TikTok feed, you are doing yourself a disservice. I can't remember the last time I put shredded cheese on a home cooked meal that wasn't white people tacos.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

Don't have TikTok.

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inbigtreble30@reddit

Thank you for that dazzling display of point-dodging ability. Very impressive, 10/10.

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turdferguson3891@reddit

It's not. What are you basing this on?

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

American culture and american made content

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Meekanado@reddit

We don’t all put cheese in everything. Get out of the algorithm you’re in. It’s a huge country with a diverse population.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

I should have specified and said "white Americans". That's my fault.

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Meekanado@reddit

Good grief.

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Arleare13@reddit

Please tell us what specific "american made content" you're referring to.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

Let me just provide you 100+ links, that ought to show it...

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BankOk9472@reddit

and that still is only a drop in the bucket of 300 million people. We are not a monolith.

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SaltandLillacs@reddit

Go do it.

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Arleare13@reddit

You could start with two or three.

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SaltandLillacs@reddit

And how are you finding “American culture”? Is it just ragebait YouTube videos?

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

None of them are ragebait videos. Most are grown adults cooking the most horrendous meals I've seen

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DameWhen@reddit

I think some would describe that as "ragebait".

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

Perhaps.

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sics2014@reddit

Can you give any type of example?

Or look at a list of regional American cuisine and see just how many... don't contain cheese?

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SaltandLillacs@reddit

So ragebait for the internet. We aren’t putting half a bag of cheese on everything. I implore you to use critical thinking skills

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JoshHuff1332@reddit

American culture is not to put cheese on everything though. A slice or two on a sandwich or a specific dish, sure. That would be like saying Swiss eat an insane amount of cheese because of fondue or the French with raclette. Either that, or you are looking at shock content made to be obscene

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limepineaple@reddit

When I was in Europe I was amazed at how much more cheese my hosts consumed on average than we do in America. In Switzerland my friends often at dinner that was mostly cheese and pickles. We love and like cheese here, but we dont have it every meal. I've not had any today and it is 4pm. I wont have any with dinner, either.

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Shadow-Spark@reddit

Tiktok. The answer is always tiktok.

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johannaishere@reddit

Ok like… what answer did you want aside from “we like it”? Cheese does great on tik tok because it looks yummy when you cook it I guarantee most people aren’t making giant cheese casseroles every day. 🙄

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

From what I know most Portuguese don't add butter like that woman but sure, to each their own. As for cheese on TikTok, I believe it. Looks good, people like it, gets views. But damn does it look like everyone loves it on the most basic food ever

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stranqe1@reddit

Wait til you see the koreans

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Shadow-Spark@reddit

Yeah, I think a country with a whole theme park dedicated to cheese wins the "who's more obssessed" competition.

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LSBm5@reddit

im going to Korea for the first time in the fall. do they put cheese on everything?

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Avery_Thorn@reddit

The algorithm has realized that you love cheese. It has figured out that you don't want to watch someone cook anything unless they pour a pound of cheese into it. So it only shows you cooking videos which involve a pound or more of cheese.

French people average about 27 kg of cheese per year.

British people average about 11.54 KG of cheese per year.

Germans eat about 23 kg of cheese per year.

Italians eat about 23 kg of cheese per year.

Americans eat about 18 kg of cheese per year - which is actually less than the average European.

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Remarkable_Pie_1353@reddit

We don't put cheese in everything. France consumes almost 50% more cheese per person per year than the US. (57.9 lbs vs 38-42 pounds per person per year)

In recent years France was #1 per capita consumption. Other European nations are also higher than the US.

https://thelistwire.usatoday.com/story/life/food-dining/2023/04/14/most-cheese-comsuming-countries-world-eating-grilld-chunk/81162747007/ and statista.com

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WideHuckleberry1@reddit

Why are Europeans only capable of making sweeping generalizations?

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Shoddy-Secretary-712@reddit

Only when talking about Americans

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

Yes.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

It was on purpose.

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IsopodKey2040@reddit

We like it.

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IsopodKey2040@reddit

But you're being quite hyperbolic. My dinner last night did not have any cheese. I had grilled chicken, carrots, corn, and a some roasted potatoes. That's a pretty average American dinner.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

I was being hyperbolic on purpose but even Americans can agree to an extent that cheese has a massive presence in your food

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IsopodKey2040@reddit

Does it bother you that we eat cheese? If so, why? Why does any country eat a lot of a certain food? Because they like it.

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julieta444@reddit

I live in Italy, and I don’t feel that Americans eat more cheese

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Arleare13@reddit

No, we cannot agree on that, at least to the extent that you're suggesting that it has more of a "massive presence" than in many European cuisines.

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AtheistMonke@reddit (OP)

I'm not going to deny it's not present as a snack but to say it's downright an ingredient in most European dishes is, as I said in regards to you, hyperbolic.

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drewjsph02@reddit

You know I don’t disagree with you. BUT I will say when I was in France, Spain, and the Netherlands a few years ago a lot of the food in shops I saw were ridiculously fatty, fried, or covered in cheese/mayo and I just remember thinking ‘the audacity of my European friends for commenting on our food when they have this’ (speaking specifically about French Taco places I saw.)

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PerfectAnonym@reddit

No we don't agree on that and you are absolutely projecting a characterization on to us. I don't recall any of my meals containing cheese in the last week. *Insert typical explanation that the US is gigantic and food norms vary wildly by region*

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BasicallyADetective@reddit

I admit I eat a lot of cheese. I love it. My dad was Texan and loved to make Tex-Mex food, and it always included a lot of shredded cheese. Tacos, quesadillas, burritos, etc. I freaking love cheese.

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SaltandLillacs@reddit

Stop being hyperbolic and be factual. No one can take you seriously when when you’re saying that this is a regular occurrence

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ATLien_3000@reddit

The majority of western Europe eats (significantly) more cheese than Americans do.

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sics2014@reddit

The only things I had last week with cheese anywhere in the dish in any amount was pizza and a bagel with cream cheese.

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whatsupgrizzlyadams@reddit

Have you been to the USA or are you relying on social media for your advanced knowledge of recipes.

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ParticularBuyer6157@reddit

Like what? I ate a cheeseburger this week so that counts. That’s the only thing that had cheese on it

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BankOk9472@reddit

If you had thrown some cheese on the potatoes it would have been better... but that is hardly and average dinner.

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IsopodKey2040@reddit

Haha I do sometimes make a roasted potato side with some parmesan

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BankOk9472@reddit

toss diced potatoes in olive oil, sea salt, garlic, cayenne and parmesan and roast. Goes great with fried eggs.

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SuperPomegranate7933@reddit

Yeah, most of our dinners don't have cheese at all, unless we're making something like enchiladas or mac and cheese. Meat, veg & starch is the standard.

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ElleAnn42@reddit

Agreed! We had baked tilapia last night with an almond cream sauce and a mix of fresh parmesan and grated sharp cheddar melted on top. It was delicious.

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AncientFloor5924@reddit

We are addicted to cheese.

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EuphoricMoose8232@reddit

We’re also addicted to spuds

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AncientFloor5924@reddit

A fellow Weird AL fan!

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jungle4john@reddit

We learned it from you all, ok!?!?!?

Seriously, I have European they eat as much cheese as we Americans do. Y'all are just jealous of nachos.

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DarthMutter8@reddit

We don't. You aren't even asking this earnestly. Your tone is very smug. "Best case scenario." Get out of here with that crap. Just because you saw some TikTok videos or Instagram reels of people making whatever recipes doesn't mean most of the country eats that way all or even most of the time.

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TeamTurnus@reddit

Idk, ya'll (the EU as a whole), eat more cheese than Americans do on Average, so theyre probably just click bait videos designed to get views.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/cheese-consumption-by-country

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Hey-Bud-Lets-Party@reddit

I’m drinking cheese coffee right now. It’s called an Americano.

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ChanFry@reddit

I'm American and I don't understand it either. Everyone I know adds cheese to everything and they act like I'm weird when I don't.

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brian11e3@reddit

Why? Because I like cheese. I keep a lot of cheese in my fridge because cheese goes good with a lot of things. My favorites have to be Smoked Gouda and Swiss with Havarti.

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The_Lawn_Ninja@reddit

Decades of government subsidies for the meat and dairy industries have resulted in tons of meat and dairy to be sold.

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Pathfinder_Dan@reddit

That's what freedom looks like. Half a pound of cheese on everything.

I even dip my Aspirin in Queso.

'MURICA.

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1nfam0us@reddit

Because cheese is fucking awesome.

Now that I live in Europe, I miss how cheesy American food can be.

That said, adding like a pound of cheese to everything is exceedingly uncommon unless it is in some way the centerpiece of the dish.

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BigCommieMachine@reddit

Have you seen European food? The French and Italians have cheese in everything too.

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jsmeeker@reddit

no such thing as too much cheese!!

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khak_attack@reddit

All those videos online are literally made because they're sensational and they get views. Look, we like cheese. But the only thing I'm pouring a huge bag of cheese on is either pizza or macaroni and cheese, and the word cheese is right there in the title.

Yesterday I had a turkey and cheese sandwich for lunch (sharp cheddar), and dinner was sauteed chicken with pears and onions, asparagus, and couscous with parmigiano-reggiano. And so far, I have had 0 cheese today, and my barbecue dinner will also have 0 cheese, so...

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TheLastLibrarian1@reddit

I love cheese, the only thing I’m making this week that uses cheese is turkey meatballs that use a bit of shredded Romano cheese for umami and binding. I think the fat in the cheese is also good for a leaner meat like turkey. I don’t think I’ve ever had vegetables smothered in cheese, definitely sprinkled on them, but not loads.

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royhurford@reddit

Cheese is delicious
Most people do not cook like this. You must be watching YouTube, TikTok, or something else that isn't really representive of actual US culture.

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hotlettucediahrrea@reddit

It sounds like you are watching a very niche video selection of people who are making those casseroles full of ranch and cheese.

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AVDLatex@reddit

Waiting for my fellow citizens from the great state of Wisconsin to educate this heathen.

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amateur_reprobate@reddit

We have to put cheese on on or in everything. It's state law.

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notthegoatseguy@reddit

We have some of the best cheese in the world. Why not use it?

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Exact-Message8325@reddit

You got this impression from watching tik-tok videos? They're just trying to get clicks.

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ShipComprehensive543@reddit

STOP BELEIVING EVERTHING YOU SEE ON TIKTOK. But yes, we like cheese, but majority of us dont cook or eat like those you are seeing on TIKTOK and IG.

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TheRealThordic@reddit

Lots of video "recipes" are fucking gross. Especially if you see a Blackstone.

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XupcPrime@reddit

This. Op is cooked from tiktok rage bait

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porkchopespresso@reddit

Have you had cheese?

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AVDLatex@reddit

Right??? What a dumb question.

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Small-Professor-7015@reddit

Have you had cheese tho?

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Small-Professor-7015@reddit

(See also: government cheese vaults)

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BearChavez82@reddit

Because cheese fuckin rocks! USA! USA!

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DawaLhamo@reddit

Because it ain't gonna slide down easy if it ain't cheesy!

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DawaLhamo@reddit

Seriously, though, internet videos aren't real life.

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Angry_GorillaBS@reddit

I don't put it in everything, but if it makes sense with cheese, why not cheese?

Cheese is the best food in existence 🤷🏻‍♂️

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MechaWASP@reddit

Stop getting your cultural knowledge from tiktok, homie.

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Cobblestone-boner@reddit

The government subsidizes the dairy industry by buying excess milk in the market to support prices, some of which becomes cheese

The US government via the USDA maintains a strategic cheese reserve in a cave in Missouri with about 1.4 billion pounds (600M kg) of cheese

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themermaidag@reddit

As a cheese hater I have never met a stereotype I’ve related to less…

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Lugbor@reddit

Cheese tastes good, has a ton of different ways to use it, and enhances a lot of other flavors and textures. Why do other cultures have such an aversion to cheese?

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capndiln@reddit

Sounds like a poorly-sampled impression.

The onky time I see someone cook the way you describe is if they are making a large meal for 12+ people on a tight budget, or if they are unhealthy like the 1000 pound sisters.

Our cooking shows seldom include such generous cheese usage either.

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Carinyosa99@reddit

So much of the food I prepare doesn't have cheese. Now, my teenage son, he loves cheese and puts it on so much food that I wouldn't even think of putting cheese on. But last night I made bulgogi style beef with rice and broccoli. Now two nights ago, I made alfredo pasta with crab, but at least I made it from scratch, not bagged shredded cheese but I grated the Parmesan. If I make a pasta dish, it's going to have cheese. But so much of what I make doesn't include it.

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thatsad_guy@reddit

We dont

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Darkrose50@reddit

Why not cheese? It’s delicious!

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melonheadorion1@reddit

just like others mentioned, you probably see videos where cheese just gets added. its not the case. there are some things that will get cheese added to it, but "put cheese in everything", you make it seem to think we put cheese on top of our steak, or fish. i couldnt tell you the last time i had something that i added cheese to it.

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