The Processed Cheese Food that Binds Generations.

Last week, my daughter wanted to have a CHEEZ WHIZ SANDWICH.

I apologize to all my readers who come for my pearls of wisdom (yeah, right) on the avoidance of processed foods. My husband brought it into the house to make pasta with cheese, one of his favourite foods from childhood.

According to their latest ad, Cheez Whiz "adds personality". But does it also add healthy stuff? How much "real Canadian cheddar" is in it? And will it make me turn BLUE?

I remember hearing a rumour -- passed around in high school -- that Cheez Whiz starts off blue (which the kids at school said emphasized its rampant artificialness -- yes, that's word). I know it ends up blue -- or is that blue/green? -- if left to pass the expiry date. Most real foods do.

Frankly, I tend not to believe unsubstantiated, high school rumours, but Cheez Whiz does fall into the processed foods category I usually try to stay away from.

Anyway, I made my girl the aforementioned requested sandwich. Then I toasted a piece of bread and spread some of the orange stuff on.

OH, MAN. I was suddenly transported back to my youth when my mom would make me "Cheez Whiz on toas" (no finally 't' and said with a Filipino accent) every week. Total taste memory.

Mini and I bonded over our Cheez Whiz treats, crumbs all over the place and smiles on our faces.

Cheez Whiz and I have made -- albeit fragile and temporary -- peace.

9 comments:

  1. That's OK, at least you don't have fond memories of *spam* from childhood.
    Grilled spam sandwiches brings back fond memories.

    I think cheese whiz is the lesser evil here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have a friend who used to work summers in the Kraft plant in Cornwall, Ontario. She told me that when the product went into the jar, it was poured as a silvery powder. After the jar was sealed and had sat in the warehouse for a little while... it was Cheez Whiz.

    I had to share that, although I have come to understand that she was pulling my leg. Google reveals a posting from Elia Richard Shehady, Grad student, Food Science/Microbiology, Kraft Foods, Inc. who says it's just cheese trimmings melted with emulsifiers, preservatives, and colourings. So really, it's no worse than bacon, and certainly no less healthy than the rolled bacon braid we saw featured here last month. :-)

    Which provides a segue into the only reason we have Cheez Whiz in the house --- white bread, spread with cheez whiz, topped with small pieces of pre-cooked bacon (crispy, not limp), placed under the broiler until the cheez whiz browns and forms blisters.

    Excellent!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I forgot about Cheez Whiz turning brown and blistering when broiled! Man, I used to love those burnt bits.

    My Cheez Whiz memory is of my Mom's macaroni and tomatoes. As a kid, I hated the big chunks of canned tomato, but it was made better by the generous glop of cheez whiz that was added to the pot.

    ReplyDelete
  4. These childhood foods cannot be avoided eternally. Wagon wheels, Kraft dinner, grilled cheese sandwiches, Lipton chicken noodle soup . . . these are comfort foods, and highly necessary from time to time.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I actually kinda miss the orange stuff. One of my hubby's Canadian buddies (the hubby is Italian and we live in Italy) had me bring some back once when I went home to the States since the buddy was having withdrawal symptoms. My hubby was rather curious about it, his buddy and I were both "You're not gonna like it" Yes he tried it but did not like it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gross, gross & more gross!

    I have my share of gross things that I DO partake in. Mmmm.... Alphagetti (only when camping - which doesn't seem to happen anymore, since I acknowledged that I'm a princess) & KD come to mind. MY CW memory involves me BEGGING my health-nazi family to get some. The smartest thing they ever did was to cave! It WAS as gross as they claimed it would be, but of course I could NOT concede that to them, so I even convinced myself that it was awesome - to the end of the jar. And then it never came up again... Same thing happened to Pop Tarts (gross)

    I have to *strongly* (strongly) protest the bacon analogy, AB. I think you would be closer to align CW & weiners (the "ball park" variety et al). Bacon starts as a chunk of meat and ends as a chunk of meat, only much more smokier & delicious (and yes, less of a "chunk" when sliced). Yes there are additives (mmm... nitrates), but there's only so much you can soak in as opposed to stirring into a slurry... :-P

    ReplyDelete
  7. All of the sudden I am craving cheeze whiz on celery which is what my mom used to make for my school lunch box. Thanks for the flashback ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Woah, I haven't had that in years. The thought of Cheez Whiz on toast takes me back to my childhood too! All these eating healthy habits have caused this childhood fave to be put on the back burner. Ah, I guess it won't do any harm to make myself a Cheez Whiz sandwich this weekend. For old time's sake.

    ReplyDelete