Velveeta, like "American" cheese is cheddar cheese mixed with oil & dye but with some seasoning added & way more oil.

Not true, I'm pretty certain there's no cheddar in there. It's dairy proteins and thickening agents as far as I know. There are some European countries where similar products aren't legally allowed to be called cheese at all.

Same here in the US. Read the the labels and you will see American "cheese" is called "processed cheese food."

The original "processed cheese food" was a cheese spread produced by the original Mr. Kraft. Cheese makers sued because he was calling it "cheese spread" and they wanted it to be called "embalmed cheese." So "processed cheese food" was the compromise.

We went through a similar thing with potato chip manufacturers getting their knickers in a twist over Pringles.

American fake foods have lots of those weaseling phrases to fool idiots into thinking it’s not a processed product or an outright imitation. just looking for maple syrup you’ll probably find 5 different descriptions on the imitation syrup products.

>>>The other explanation is that adults have less sensitive sense of taste than kids and are more tolerant of intense flavors

I don't know what is known about the phenomenon of acquired taste, but i don't think it happens in the mouth. I think it probably happens in the brain. Think of all of the tastes that you love that are acquired,. That could include uncooked sushi, pickled food, fermented foods, whole grains, spicy foods, alcoholic beverages, for some people smoking, Most of these are tastes acquired as adults. I've heard the taste of semen referred to as an acquired taste. Over the years, my palette hasn't become duller, but increasingly I desire complex flavors. Children simply haven't acquired many tastes in their young lives.

I reluctantly agree.

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whoa bold

There's a lot of confusion here, even the wikipedia entry seems muddled,

Kraft singles are "cheese food".
Velveeta is "cheese spread"

But there is an American Cheese that is all cheese, but it's "processed cheese", which is a combination of more than one cheese, one of which is usually cheddar. I get the feeling that some of you haven't experienced "real" American cheese. It's not bad, in my opinion. It's tasty, but it's mild enough that you can eat a lot of it. It's the cheese in your big mac and your egg mcmuffin. In the eighties, the government famously gave it away to the poor and elderly in five pound blocks. My grandmother gave me about 2 pounds of her government cheese, and I melted it over homemade bread with sauerkraut. It was a vegetarian Rueben that I would call a "Reagan", and it was a good sandwich.

Processed cheese may have originated in the US, so the nomenclature may be appropriate, but I've heard somewhere that in Canada, the same stuff is called "Canadian cheese"

I don't think that this is about millenials. Outside of McDonalds, I haven't had American cheese in years. Stores don't seem to sell it very much. We all have more sophisticated tastes than we used to. Forty years ago, nobody drank espresso or put sriracha on anything or knew what pesto is Somehow, blaming millennials gives this story legs.

But this whole idea that American cheese is "dying" is just nonsense. Sales of American cheese declined 1.6 per cent last year. That's al long way from death, metaphorical or otherwise. People die, animals die, but most things keep going. Greek Tragedies have declined since the days of Sophocles, but they haven't died. Somewhere in the world, a greek tragedy is being performed right now.

By a right wing, anti-union Texan no less, so it scooped them on irony too.

It's revolting. It's like slightly tangy vinyl, only with more orange coloring.

Ive noticed people who tend to go for really intense blue cheese (eg. Roquefort) Tend to be smokers or were smokers..

I think its reasonable to assume that people who prefer intense flavours have less sensitive taste buds.

I like intense flavored foods and fermented foods. I’ve not smoked in any significant amount. It’s possible though that my sense of taste is dulled by the overflavored/salted processed food that’s omnipresent in the states.

The other explanation is that adults have less sensitive sense of taste than kids and are more tolerant of intense flavors

>>>I think its reasonable to assume that people who prefer intense flavours have less sensitive taste buds.

Not necessarily. In 1980, I spent a summer in a farmhouse in Pennsylvania, where I had to drink my coffee black and unsweeted, and after I acquired the tastes I drank it that way for 20 years. I lost the taste after being introduced to latte and red bulls around 2000. Black coffee is more bitter than coffee with cream and sugar, but I can tell you that I could detect all kind of subtle flavors in black unsweetened coffee back then. i think that a love of strong flavors often goes hand in hand with refined tastes

i don't know what the neuroscience is regarding acquired taste, but I wouldn't assume that the change occurs in the mouth, instead of in the brain.

I love blue cheese on a salad or a burger, but does anyone really like blue cheese straight up?

I do