AIBU to not understand the appeal of a cheeseboard?

[ClaraThePigeon]

I like some cheeses, cheddar, feta, mozzarella, halloumi and emmental for example but usually melted or as part of a dish. I don’t really understand the appeal of eating big pieces of cheese and I can’t stand brie or blue cheese.

Yet people positively go into raptures over cheese. It seems to be a positive obsession with some. A friend is incredulous at my relative indifference over cheese and wanted to give me an expensive cheeseboard so I could share her obsession but though incredibly kind of her it’d be wasted on me.

I’m a big believer in each to their own but I wonder what it is about cheese in particular that makes so many people positively evangelical about it?

OP you are brieing very very unreasonable.

Can your friend gift me the expensive cheese board?

Ask my young adult son what he wants for Christmas and he will answer ‘cheese’
We all adore cheese. In fact if I gave my lot a choice between a full Christmas dinner and a big board of their fav high end cheese ( not talking big standard supermarket cheese) they would say cheese every time.
I don’t like pasta but that doesn’t mean I ask why other people do.
Life is for living and enjoying and everyone likes different things, nothing hard to understand there..

Oh poor @ClaraThePigeon

You might as well have posted saying the women of Mumsnet are not supportive enough to Husbands with Hobbies! Where are the people rallying to your post to argue that Sticky Toffee Pudding is better than Comté or that a tiramisu beats Stilton any day?

If I'm eating out I generally do have a pudding rather than a cheeseboard. At home, you can easily create a better cheeseboard than restaurant versions. Your cheeses can be at the right temperature. There won't be any musty biscuits and there will be grapes and celery (not just a floppy stick).

Last night I broke into the Daylesford Fig and Balsamic chutney bought for Christmas. It is delicious. I bet you could even serve it with cheese strings and people would be impressed.

There was someone on Saturday kitchen this morning doing a cheeseboard and it was very Interesting especially the chocolate covered almond with the Stilton. Also they said white wine especially sweet white wine was better than red with cheese. Something to do with two big flavours rogether and white being more subtle with cheese or something like that.

So your question is 'Why do people like something I don't like?'

Because of individual, subjective tastes?

I love cheese.

I don't have a sweet tooth and don't like cake - can never understand why there is so much talk of cake, baking, lemon drizzle, cake, muffins, cake, mince pies, cake, Xmas cake...

And so many baking programmes - all about CAKE!

Let's hear it for the cheese! 🧀

Might make this the centre piece on Christmas Day once I’ve decided on which cheeses

All the cheese is the best part of Christmas. During that weird bit between Christmas and New Year where you can't quite work out what day it is, I pretty much exist on cheese.
With a variety of crackers. And red onion chutney. And quince jelly.

🤤

I am getting the impression that many cheese lovers would much rather you insulted their Granny than their Gorgonzola but I am finding it genuinely interesting to hear why some are so passionate about cheese and to hear that a few are about as indifferent as I am.

I hate alcohol which may not help if they have similarly complex flavour profiles and they so often seem to be served together.

@ClaraThePigeon you might be a supertaster or have a generally sensitive palate?

Personally I have a palate that prefers strong flavours, I love all cheeses ( except the ones with fruit in ) but the stronger and more pungent the better, I have various blue cheeses in my fridge all year.
I also much prefer very dark chocolate, black coffee, red wines, sparkling water
I like my food well (overly to my husband ) seasoned, adore salted foods and quite often have ulcers on my tongue because of that.
Cheese has such a spectrum of flavours, textures, it's a sensory experience to me and pairs well with other foods I like that it's just a perfect food for me and something I enjoy as more than just nourishment.

Your palate develops as you age @JustWhatWeDontNeed and the OP was wondering why she doesn't like cheese.

I have always loved cheese, but know others who took years to get it.

I am not dissing you get people who like cheese!

Good point. I do have a very sensitive palate which probably doesn’t help.

Savoury, not sweet, so give me a cheeseboard every time! Or fondue. Or raclette. Proper crusty bread with everything. Massive green grapes on the side

I loved fruit as a child but now I find most of it too intense, that is too sweet or too sour and much prefer vegetables.

i am disappointed to hear about Yarg though. That’s one of the few cheese that I actually wanted to try.

Why do you keep mentioning BIG pieces of cheese..

There are big pieces on the cheese board... and then you cut bits off that and put smaller bits with things, on things, over things, next to things.... mmmmmm cheese.

You don't just grab a whole piece and take a bite, we're cheese lovers, not labradors.

" You don't just grab a whole piece and take a bite, we're cheese lovers, not labradors. " - @WiddlinDiddlin speak for yourself! 🧀🐕

I seem to remember a post-your-cheeseboard picture thread on here last Christmas. So I don't think you're going to get a sympathetic hearing.

I bought some Aldi Comte today for the Christmas board. Quite tempted by their Manchego too. Haven't tried either before from Aldi, but I'm really impressed with most of their stuff so happy to just go for it. My usual favourite is the Wensleydale with Cranberries. I've quite taken to oatcakes recently instead of the regular crackers but that's a whole other thread...

Agree. I like lots of SMALL pieces of cheese.

I would hate to eat a massive piece of one cheese. It's too rich for that.

YABU

Also I asked because I enjoy reading about food generally, whether or not I care for it. It’s always interesting to learn more about a subject hence why I picked up a book on Whisky this week and another on English wine growing though I can’t bear alcohol.

God, I love cheese.

There is no better moment at Christmas than early evening when relatives have gone home and then getting into new nice pj’s you have been given, making sure the fire is really roaring, music on and a massive great cheese board on the coffee table to graze on all evening, my favourite part of Christmas. We then live off the cheeseboard for the next few days.

I love cheese, it’s an essential part of life. One of the nicest things my DH did for me when I was having a particularly hard time recently, was buy me a bottle of champagne and a selection of lovely cheeses.

As said above it’s the variety of cheese but also the bits; the fruit, crackers, chutney, bread, olives, tapenades… i wonder if you are not a savoury person op? I’m not keen on sweets, chocolate, ice cream, deserts in general, haven’t a sweet tooth, but love crisps, nuts, salty yumminess…