One of the great pleasures of being home in the USA is the incredible variety of foodstuffs available here. From produce to bread to beer. Most amazing for me is the cheese.

Sure, we had a fine selection of cheese from New Zealand available in Samoa. There was fresh mozerella, parmesan, all types of cheddar, even the occasional import from the States like Precious Romano. But it was nothing like what's available even in the smallest corner store here.

Havarti, Edam, Gouda, Cheddar, Jack, Goat (even something called "drunken goat, which I've seen around in many places in NYC, but never before in my life), Sheep, Manchego, and list goes on and on. Smoked this, Rosemary enrusted that. It's all so fucking delicious.

My favorite of all-time is Jarlsberg. It's simply delicious. From the time my dad introduced it to me when I was kid, I've always had a yen for it.

Say what you want about the Norwegians, but they make a damn fine cheese.

In case you were wondering:
Jarlsberg cheese is a Norwegian Emmentaler type cows milk cheese with large holes, a rich buttery texture and mild, sweet nutty flavor. It has a slightly lower fat content than Swiss cheese, and melts easily.