AMERICAN CHEESE
by Jim Daniels
At department parties, I eat cheeses
my parents never heard of—gooey
pale cheeses speaking garbled tongues.
I have acquired a taste, yes, and that's
okay, I tell myself. I grew up in a house
shaded by the factory's clank and clamor.
A house built like a square of sixty-four
American Singles, the ones my mother made lunches
With—for the hungry man who disappeared
into that factory, and five hungry kids.
American Singles. Yellow mustard. Day-old
Wonder Bread. Not even Swiss, with its mysterious
holes. We were sparrows and starlings
still learning how the blue jay stole our eggs,
our nest eggs. Sixty-four Singles wrapped in wax—
dig your nails in to separate them.
When I come home, I crave—more than any home
cooking—those thin slices in the fridge. I fold
one in half, drop it in my mouth. My mother
can't understand. Doesn't remember me
being a cheese eater, plain like that.
~ from In Line for the Exterminator. © Wayne State University Press, 2007.
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Raise your hand if you grew up with Kraft American Singles — *looks around* — okay, I see that’s most of you. 🙂
Did your Mom tuck them in your lunchbox sandwiches along with baloney or ham? Did you ever snack on a slice to satisfy between-meal munchies? Remember how your mouth watered as you anticipated that first bite of a juicy grilled burger with melty cheese oozing down the sides? Or best of all, what about the fine art of slowly pulling apart a warm grilled cheese sandwich just to see how far those gooey strings would s-t-r-e-t-c-h?
Kraft Singles are pure iconic Americana. Whether you’ve “outgrown” them or not, they’ll always be part and parcel of our culinary identity. Sure, our mature palates might prefer a sharp cheddar, rich gruyère, or spicy Jack — even, at times, eschewing (dear Lord) our familiar standby. Luckily those humble Kraft singles don’t really mind; they remain ubiquitous and can still do things “real cheese” cannot.
For one, nothing melts as well as American cheese with its soft, creamy texture. It also wins top prize for shelf life, is largely mold resistant, and because of its mild flavor, doesn’t overpower any paired meat(s). When it first hit the market in the 1950’s, it was revolutionary, the homemaker’s friend. Still, it’s now burdened with the ongoing stigma of being plastic, artificial, and that dreaded word, “processed.”
But. Kraft Singles are made from real milk and contain decent amounts of protein and calcium at only 60 calories per slice. The percentage of fat and sodium could be considered unhealthy, but perhaps that’s a reasonable trade-off for its virtues.
Daniels’s poem is a good example of how impactful food memories can be, especially childhood ones. We can infer that the “department parties” he refers to at the beginning indicate his is a white collar profession, a direct contrast to his working class background. American cheese was a no-nonsense staple that defined a solid, traditional upbringing. Nothing fancy, but you could count on it. Sometimes we crave a taste of simpler times, flavored with nostalgia.
Every so often, I’ll crave a good grilled cheese sandwich. I still enjoy peeling the plastic off each slice before placing it on the bread. I think of how my mom pressed down on the sandwich with her spatula to ensure it would brown to perfection. When I was little, she’d always cut my sandwich into four squares, never triangles, because then they’d resemble little books.
Are there any particular comfort foods you crave now that remind you of your childhood? Are Kraft singles a staple in your household?
*
Lovely and talented Janice Scully is hosting the Roundup at Salt City Verse. Be sure to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up around the blogosphere this week. Enjoy your weekend!
*Copyright © 2025 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.
Jama's Alphabet Soup 
LOL. Oh, the memories I didn’t realize I had until reading this post. My Mom was squarely against wrapped slices. But, we got five pound bricks of land-o-lakes sliced cheese in a big wrapper and took slices from that in the fridge. The home-made mac and cheese from those bricks of cheese are still in my bones, I swear. What a great post with fun and funny illustrations. Thanks, Jama!
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My mom never bought bricks of cheese since my Dad was anti-dairy. So no Mac and cheese for us growing up. Kraft singles was less of a commitment I guess. 😀
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Thanks for the memories, Jama! Kraft singles and Kraft mac and cheese are among the food memories of my childhood. I remember the singles on sandwiches and right out of the wrapper, ripped into tiny squares. But my mother always used Velveeta cheese – a big block she sliced with a hand slicer – for grilled cheese.
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Believe it or not, to this day I’ve never eaten Velveeta. Been curious about it for years, though . . . 😀
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Good morning! My memory of Kraft singles is having a grilled cheese with Campbell’s tomato soup! In addition, I would eat them along with pickles. The combination of creamy and sour was my favorite snack right out of the fridge. Baloney and pickles was another of my favorites! In fact, I’m getting a hankering for it even though it’s 7:10am!!! Have a great weekend!
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Yes, tomato soup with grilled cheese is an iconic pairing. The pickles and cheese thing is new to me, though. 🙂
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The cheese book is terrific, glad it’s found an eternal purpose… thanks Jama! Fun graphics too!
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Amazing that the cheese book never spoils . . .
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Thank you for this walk down memory lane and the “clank and clamor” of Jim Daniel’s poem! Yes!!! I remember very well those clear-wrapped slices, still to be seen on 4th of July cheeseburgers!!!:) (Sorry if this is a dupe comment as I was struggling with my WP sign-in).
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Kraft Singles are definitely part of Americana — and no better way to prove that than with 4th of July cheeseburgers!
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Ha! Jama, this post is full of good stuff – memories, humor, self-depreciation (in a good way), and yes, the joys of childhood. I also remember those gooey toasted cheese with the singles! Yum! Americana – what a great subject for poetry!
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Just read that grilled cheese is America’s favorite sandwich. 😀
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Not a fan of American cheese, but my favorite comfort food is pastina & parmigiano :).
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Yum!! “Pastina and parmigiano” sounds so poetic.
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Just bought some fancy cheeses for Thanksgiving. So expensive. So yummy. But I grew up on Velveeta and to this day, there is nothing better for cooking with. Talk about the best grilled cheese. But when that’s not around, a folded snack of Kraft singles can’t be beat. I never thought about writing a poem about cheeses. But I get it, and enjoyed every memory it brought me.
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There’s definitely a place in this world for fancy cheeses as well as Kraft singles! Each feeds a different part of us.
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This is such a fun post! I will admit that I dislike American cheese, but it was definitely part of my upbringing. I can still feel that thin plastic static-y wrapper in my hand! I love Jim Daniels’ poem and especially this: “gooey/ pale cheeses speaking garbled tongues.” Fabulous! As are the illustrations you included throughout. I was just thinking about how my mother used to keep a pot of split pea soup in the garage during the winter. No need for a freezer as it was reliably cold outside…you have me considering other powerful food memories as well. Thanks so much for sharing!
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I love homemade split pea soup! Your comment reminds me of my MIL, who also chilled foods on the porch during the winter (she lived in NH). That was a first for me and hard to imagine being from Hawaii. But now I see how sometimes it’s colder outside than in the fridge!
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Oh, yes, Kraft singles are definitely a part of my past (in more ways than one), lol! Loved the trip down memory lane, Jama, and loved the poem by Jim Daniels. The book of slices is hilarious. It reminds me of the experiments to see how long a McDonald’s burger or order of fries can last.
Thanks for this fun jaunt!
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Yes, it’s kind of frightening, isn’t it — how long foods can last. I still have a slice of Pepperidge Farm white bread from at least 5 years ago that I used as a prop in a blog post. Not a speck of mold. Talk about preservatives!
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I loved Jim Daniels’ poem. A keeper!
Nothing beats a good grilled cheese sandwich. So good. (I am flexible about the type of cheese and toppings!)
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Glad you liked the poem, Tabatha!
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Mom never bought Kraft singles – always a generic brand that was cheaper. That’s how you shop when you’ve lost everything to war. Still, the memories are similar – grilled cheese was one of the few American snacks mom made us. I love how your mama cut your grilled cheese into squares to resemble books. Aw… so heartwarming.
Did you see Tony Shalhoub’s Breaking Bread episode when he returned home to Wisconsin? You can imagine the grilled cheese he covered!
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Haven’t seen Tony’s Breaking Bread episode. Now I’m curious!
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What fun memories this brought on, Jama. Kraft Cheese was a staple in our house! I only liked melted cheese, so it was perfect for me. I always wanted mom to cut my sandwiches in triangles, because I thought they were cooler, but my mom was a traditional square cutter.
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