Just for today, I could try to live through this day only: not deal with all life's problems, just for today
Hi. My name is Mike J., and I am addicted to cheese.
Whew – that feels good to get that off my chest. It has been a long time coming, but I have to admit that. Admission is the first step to recovery. I am not sure I want to be completely controlled, but I want to control the cheese addiction instead of it controlling me. When my nephews talk about “breaking off some cheddar” I don’t want their money, I want their cheese. I have dreams of a world where we all carry hunks of cheese around and pay for goods and services based on a cheese currency.
I know I’ve said before in the past that I was going to moderate my cheese intake. I know I’ve promised myself that I would limit the cheese on certain meals. I know I’ve “tried” in the past. I know now that I have failed.
It all started back as a child. Gov’ment cheese was what we had, and I was hooked almost immediately. We were poor, and I know addiction knows all social levels, so it is not an excuse, but it was good, and it made me forget the taste of the broccoli, the taste of the cauliflower. It made it all easier to take. The USDA Grade D hamburger meat with some cheese – so much better than plain.
Then I noticed that I was putting cheese on everything, and not just the good gov’ment American cheese. I was putting provolone, Colby, jack cheese on everything. I started shredding cheddar and putting it on chicken noodle soup. I would have a little bit of salad with my shredded cheese. I would top of a pork chop with some muenster.
And then, I realized that I was not using cheese as a side, or to enhance the flavor of a meal. It started becoming the main course. I would only order dinners out that included as much cheese as possible. My home page on my computer is www.ilovecheese.com. On any given week, I would go through 4-5 pounds of cheese.
And then last night. I was cooking some chicken, and I had one of those mini South Beach diet pizza’s. Of course I put on extra mozzarella cheese on the pizza. Then, while cutting up some veggies to cook with the chicken breast, I got out my pound of havarti. If you don’t know the joys of havarti, you don’t know what you are missing. It is creamy, buttery and has a slight kick to it that makes it near the top of my list of great cheeses. So I had a small chunk of it, dipped in a mustard. Then I had a little more. I was cutting and cooking and cleaning pots, and would have a slice, a small piece, a cube.
I realized it was all gone. In the matter of one hour, I’d eaten a whole pound of havarti. Without even trying. Without the intention of eating more than a mouthful. It was like the many times when I used to smoke, I’d be hacking up a lung at night, say that I was quitting, that I had smoked my last cigarette, that it was all over. And then, in the morning, while walking to work, I’d stop off at the W. H. Smith, get a pack of Camel Wide Lights and light up. I’d be almost through the first one when I’d remember that I promised myself I’d quit the night before. And by that time, I’d owned a whole 19 more cigarettes, so I’d just keep smoking.
I think it was then that I realized that I have a cheese problem. I can’t control my cheese intake. If there is cheese in my house, I will eat it, and I don’t think I can control it anymore.
My name is Mike J., and I am a cheese addict. This is the first step.
I gotta go now. I’ve got some asiago in the fridge to snack on before my lunch.
Whew – that feels good to get that off my chest. It has been a long time coming, but I have to admit that. Admission is the first step to recovery. I am not sure I want to be completely controlled, but I want to control the cheese addiction instead of it controlling me. When my nephews talk about “breaking off some cheddar” I don’t want their money, I want their cheese. I have dreams of a world where we all carry hunks of cheese around and pay for goods and services based on a cheese currency.
I know I’ve said before in the past that I was going to moderate my cheese intake. I know I’ve promised myself that I would limit the cheese on certain meals. I know I’ve “tried” in the past. I know now that I have failed.
It all started back as a child. Gov’ment cheese was what we had, and I was hooked almost immediately. We were poor, and I know addiction knows all social levels, so it is not an excuse, but it was good, and it made me forget the taste of the broccoli, the taste of the cauliflower. It made it all easier to take. The USDA Grade D hamburger meat with some cheese – so much better than plain.
Then I noticed that I was putting cheese on everything, and not just the good gov’ment American cheese. I was putting provolone, Colby, jack cheese on everything. I started shredding cheddar and putting it on chicken noodle soup. I would have a little bit of salad with my shredded cheese. I would top of a pork chop with some muenster.
And then, I realized that I was not using cheese as a side, or to enhance the flavor of a meal. It started becoming the main course. I would only order dinners out that included as much cheese as possible. My home page on my computer is www.ilovecheese.com. On any given week, I would go through 4-5 pounds of cheese.
And then last night. I was cooking some chicken, and I had one of those mini South Beach diet pizza’s. Of course I put on extra mozzarella cheese on the pizza. Then, while cutting up some veggies to cook with the chicken breast, I got out my pound of havarti. If you don’t know the joys of havarti, you don’t know what you are missing. It is creamy, buttery and has a slight kick to it that makes it near the top of my list of great cheeses. So I had a small chunk of it, dipped in a mustard. Then I had a little more. I was cutting and cooking and cleaning pots, and would have a slice, a small piece, a cube.
I realized it was all gone. In the matter of one hour, I’d eaten a whole pound of havarti. Without even trying. Without the intention of eating more than a mouthful. It was like the many times when I used to smoke, I’d be hacking up a lung at night, say that I was quitting, that I had smoked my last cigarette, that it was all over. And then, in the morning, while walking to work, I’d stop off at the W. H. Smith, get a pack of Camel Wide Lights and light up. I’d be almost through the first one when I’d remember that I promised myself I’d quit the night before. And by that time, I’d owned a whole 19 more cigarettes, so I’d just keep smoking.
I think it was then that I realized that I have a cheese problem. I can’t control my cheese intake. If there is cheese in my house, I will eat it, and I don’t think I can control it anymore.
My name is Mike J., and I am a cheese addict. This is the first step.
I gotta go now. I’ve got some asiago in the fridge to snack on before my lunch.
posted by Mike at 7:26 AM
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