Mmm…cheese…

Okay, another food post, and this one is dedicated to just cheese.

I mean, who doesn’t love cheese?

Just kidding…but not really. Is there anybody in the world who hates cheese?

But hear me out.

Essentially, I am a shufu, the Japanese word for housewife. Or more like, because a part of my life is dedicated to doing stuff around the house, I jokingly call myself that. Don’t get me wrong, I do work.

I have to.

But hubby, being the typical Japanese man that he is, doesn’t know how to cook, so that task falls to me. I also have to do the grocery shopping. I usually grab a few supplies here and there on my way home from work.

And recently, I have been obsessing over the price of cheese. Since October, in conjunction with the tax hike in Japan, it’s gotten more expensive. This is why any time there is a sale on cheese, I pounce on this chance to stock up and buy as much as I can.

It’s not just any type of cheese, it has to be the natural kind that is produced in Hokkaido.

I usually buy two kinds: camembert cheese and fresh mozzarella cheese.

For camembert, two of the popular brands sold at the grocery stores are Tokachi Meiji brand:

I prefer the taste of this particular camembert cheese. It is creamier and smoother. It is also less salty than the brand below. The only thing I don’t like is that it comes in a smaller package than the other one.

The other brand that I get is Yukijirushi brand:

For about ¥300 yen for 100 grams, this brand is more economical than Yukijirushi, which is sold at 90 grams for the same exact price. I know 10 grams won’t make that much of a difference, but psychologically, something hits me and tells me that I am losing out if I buy the other brand.

No matter, though. Both are delicious.

I like to eat camembert just as it is, sliced up and served with wine. I also put it in my own and my husband’s bento box for lunch.

However, my favorite cheese would probably be the fresh mozzarella cheese:

This one is made by a brand most people will be familiar with: Kraft. However, everything is made from Hokkaido milk, so it’s still a local product in my eyes.

I like that this cheese is very flexible. You can put it in a lot of dishes because the taste is so bland. You can tear it up and put it in salad. You can even add it to pasta as a topping. But most of the time, it is served on top of pizza.

When you open the product and take out the water it is served with, you get just a white, solid, blob. This description is just so tasty.

My favorite way to serve it is to slice it up into eighths, then take a whole tomato and slice it up the same way. Arrange them on the plate, sprinkle salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and olive oil and you’re done. You’ve got a nice cheese and tomato salad. It’s simple, but it’s one of our favorite dishes.

As you can see, I love cheese.

I think I might have been Italian in my previous life 🙂