my life as a turophiliac

so, richie and i are watching tv last night-we rarely agree on what to watch, him usually opting for discovery or history channel, me usually going for mtv or bravo...our compromise-anything that has to do with food.

tlc was airing "best food ever" episodes-first we watch an hour of the top 10 bbq spots-we've watched several shows on bbq, one of richie's faves-he goes on about wanting a smoker, wanting to go to obx, getting hungry etc. same ole story-he's salivating, i'm a little grossed out. he often goes on and on about meat, and i just don't get it-to each his own. what comes on next made me look at my husband in a whole different light.

BEST FOOD EVER: CRAZY ABOUT CHEESE

i am immediately happy even thinking about it and began to understand how he may feel watching pulled pork coming out a dirty smoker. for those of you that know me personally, i LOVE cheese. while watching, i learned that i'm a "turophiliac"-otherwise known as someone obsessed with cheese. did you know that an average american eats 1/2 lb of cheese a week? and that our cheese consumption has tripled since the 70's? no wonder we're an obese nation. but we'll put that aside momentarily to discuss the magical wonders of cheese. cream cheese icing, mozzarella sticks, pretzels in chive and onion cream cheese, wheat thins dipped in port wine cheddar, classic slice of yellow american, reduced fat babybels, meunster melted on half a bagel, tomatoes with fresh mozarella and basil, a hunk of aged provolone, pepperjack cubes, white pizza, and a million other combos are probably daily snacks in my house.

the show runs through cheese fondue, pimento cheese fritters, cheese stuffed burgers, french onion soup with ooey gooey cheese, cheese fries, multiple takes on grilled cheese and all sorts of delicious treats. it's enough to make anyone start thinking of all the cheesy possibilities. i quickly think of my all time favorite meal. i was in hamburg, germany visiting a friend living there temporarily-she was fluent in german, me-not so much. so, i'm looking at the menu and i see the word feta. in my opinion, best cheese ever-could eat blocks at a time. anyway, i ask my friend what else is in it-apparently it was some sort of cheese soup with several different cheeses in it-mostly this feta melted goodness. i think, can't go wrong with cheese! it was very rich, and i couldn't finish the whole thing and was terribly upset about this 1) the idea of this going in the trash is truly tragic and 2) i have no idea what else was in it!!! but omg-so good. so, if anyone happens to read this and happens to visit hamburg, let me know! could go for some mystery feta cheese soup:)