American Cheese

I respect my opponent's opinion but it is difficult for me to respond to some of the incomprehensible statements he makes: "if you concurr with the view that american cheese you are might wish to look at ones thighs as the main taste sensation is from the fat reserves. "I think that my opponent intends to say that it is wrong to consider fat a "main taste sensation. " That is off-topic, but for what it's worth I'll assert in response that it is actually very appropriate to consider fat "the main taste sensation. " As Julia Child once said, "with enough butter, anything is good. " Fat, sugars, and salt are often the key ingredients in delicious food. French cuisine, which my opponent apparently enjoys, is so good in part because many French dishes, both desserts and entrees, are heavy in fat, especially butter. In that respect, French food is similar to American fried chicken: both are fatty and both are delicious as a result. Con asserts that other cheeses taste better than American cheese and invites me to take a taste test. Proving that other cheeses taste better, however, does not win the argument for Con. As I stated in the first round, "for the purposes of this debate, I'm just saying that American cheese is good enough that it doesn't deserve all the negative attitudes directed against it. My opponent in this debate will ideally be one of those anti-American cheese snobs who takes every opportunity to badmouth American cheese. The opponent will have to justify his culinary bigotry. My goal will be to persuade the audience that such bigotry is unjustified. " It's clear that my opponent is a culinary bigot: he "entered this debate as soon as possible" to "vent these feelings of living in america and hating this nation's cheese. " He said, "I hate American cheese. "The issue to be debated isn't whether American cheese is "the best" (though I think it is), but rather whether it deserves culinary hatred. My opponent wins this debate if he persuades you that American cheese is worthy of hatred. My goal, however, is merly to defend her honor. I still win even though you can prefer the taste of other cheeses (America is, after all, a free country), just so long as I persuade you that American cheese is worthy of some modicum of respect. As I said in the opening round, American cheese doesn't deserve to be bad mouthed. Flavor. American cheese has a uniquely smooth and mild flavor profile. It occupies an important niche in the pantheon of cheeses, all of which are suited to distinct purposes in part because of their flavor. The smooth mildness of American cheese is meritorious for several reasons. First, this allows the cheese to have broad appeal to diverse flavor pallettes (no pungency). By having such broad appeal, American cheese can be served to a diverse group of people without risk that it will be unappealing to the pallette of any individual. Second, because the cheese is mild, it is unlikely to dominate the flavor of a dish or meal unless the preparer of food specifically intends otherwise. It can therefore be used as an effective complement to other flavors. Third, American cheese's flavor profile enables preparers to use American cheese in fusion cooking: American cheese is not typecast into one culinary purpose or another, in the way that certain sharp or moldy cheeses are only suitable for a relatively narrow range of meal arrangements. Thus American cheese is not just used in burgers and sandwiches (grilled cheese, patty melts, mmm mmmm! ), but also in Tex-Mex cooking, casseroles, soups, meatloafs, hash, and myriad other dishes. American cheese also has some diversity within its flavor profile: there's swiss-style American cheese, for example, to suit people who want something a little tangier. . http://recipes.wikia.com... Texture. American cheese also has a distinct and versatile texture. It is firm when undistrubed but softens when eaten, thus combining the advantages of hard cheeses (like cheddar) with those of creamy cheeses (like brie) with none of the disadvantages. Moreover, American cheese can be purchased in a variety of textures, such as deli-style cheese logs, cheese sticks, canned cheese (Cheez-Wiz), cream cheee (Velveeta), liquid dips, etc. This is another level of versatility that allows American cheese to be applied in diverse culinary contexts. Complenting this versatile texture is the fact that American cheese melts faster and more uniformly (no grease pools, no lumps) than any other cheese, making it a perfect addition to hot sandwiches or hearty dips. It should also be noted here that American cheese is often purchased in single-serving slices, which is perfect for sandwich making because it allows for instant and predictable portions that are already sized to fit most burgers and sandwiches. Processing. American cheese, like Laughing Cow and other select cheese brands and styles, is a processed cheese. Basically this means that it includes a variety of dairy ingredients as well as additives, instead of just milk and bacteria. . http://en.wikipedia.org... Being a processed cheese has several advantages. Firstly, this is the reason that American cheese is able to achieve a hybrid flavor profile (cheddar and colby: . http://en.wikipedia.org... ) and it is also the reason for why it comes in a variety of textures and melts so easily. Second, it is easier to digest and can therefore be enjoyed by more people than other cheeses, whose bacteria can make some people gassy, or whose pure milk content may trigger lactose sensitivity. Third, the use of additives dramatically lengthens the shelf life of American cheese compared to other cheeses. This is advantageous for the obvious reason that it reduces the risk of waste and enables American cheese to serve as a staple: just buy a log and keep it in the fridge and you'll never have to worry about whether there's any cheese in the house (in America, public food dispensaries often don't even bother to refridgerate their American cheese logs! ). Slower spoilage is better than quicker spoilage. Fourth, due to the large scale processing and long shelf life, American cheese is probbaly the most affordable cheese in the world. Paying less is better than paying more. (One can argue, of course, that you get less value when purchasing American cheese compared to other cheeses, but a low price is good-in-itself notwithstanding. ) Fifth, the fact that it is a large scale production process that was only invented in the twentieth century should be a bonus to everybody who fetishizes progressivism, science, and technology. Many cheese lovers subscribe to pastoralism--the subculture that romanticizes "the simple country life"--and so they get off on the thought of hand-milking milking a cow or of cheese rolls aging in a musty shed. But for the rest of us, the giant vats and shiny metal machines and noise and busyness entailed in the processing of ingredients into American cheese is way, way cooler. America. Being christened "American" means that American cheese should enjoy all the positive associations of America: freedom, globalization, capitalism, hegemony, popular art, Nobel prizes, etc. (see, e. g. . http://www.youtube.com...). Moreover, the history of American cheese should reinforce this reverence: during World War II food shortages, American cheese was the only cheese eaten by law-abiding and patriotic American civilians. That's all I have for now. I look forward to my opponent's response.