Not quite connected with vegan cheese yet?

No offense, but it seems a bit processed. (public domain photo)

It's OK. Neither am I. I just plain don't like it and I'm OK with that. I'm from upstate NY. As a child, I was surrounded by dairy farms. Wisconsinites are not the only cheese heads in the universe. I was a big one before I learned about the horrors of the dairy industry. Now, I don't touch cheese but I don't eat vegan cheese either.

Have you tried a lot of vegan cheese?

Me too! I really would like this too work. I'd love if they could make one that actually tastes like conventional cheese without the negative connotations. I know, you guys. I have tried the Daiya. I'm not impressed. It's not real enough for me. In fact, I think I've tried just about every commercially made vegan cheese in existence. It's just not the same.

For some, vegan cheese is a good alternative.

My boyfriend likes it. But he didn't grow up in dairy country eating the highest quality cheese on the planet. I'm sorry if that offends my vegan friends, but I'm an honest person. I know that the word quality shouldn't apply to something made from suffering. I get it. Not only that, I agree. Still, I really hate vegan cheese and I still love conventional cheese, even though it's banned from my food list forever.

Why is it so hard?

I don't understand why it's so hard to come up with a tasty vegan cheese. Cheese is made from fat, correct? There's all kinds of fat in coconut oil and nuts, right? Now, I know that out there somewhere, there is a conventional cheese maker who could pull it off, quit exploiting cows and make some awesome cheese. I don't have those skills, but surely someone out there does, yes?

Meanwhile, I'll keep searching.

Somewhere out there, there must be some vegan cheese that actually tastes like cheese rather than a processed wannabe. I detest processed foods. Never liked the fake cheese made from milk, either. I haven't tried making homemade vegan cheese yet. It seems sort of daunting. I'm no cheese-maker, after all. But maybe that's the answer. Maybe I have to come up with my own vegan cheese that's made to my taste. By the way, I'm not a big fan of cashews. I'll eat them, but they are my least favorite nut. So, cashew cheese? Meh. Not so much.

I'm also surprisingly OK with not eating any cheese at all.

I'd rather go without eating cheese altogether than go for the “good enough” vegan option or go back to eating dairy. I'll never do that. I just can't stomach dairy cheese now that I know the price that's paid to make it. (Both by us and the other animals.) It just feels wrong. I'm OK with not eating cheese at all. I miss it. But it's not the be all end all of food. There are plenty of other foods out there.

How about you?

Vegan cheese: Yay or nay?