American Cheese: Lucy Wan

American Cheese

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.


Daniels, Jim. "American Cheese." Poetry 180. Library of Congress, 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/028.html.





This poem reflects a specific cultural aspect of the authors'- eating American cheese- but its theme is universal. While the poem centers around the idea of the author craving the American singles of his childhood even after tasting fancier cheeses, the theme of the poem is wanting to return to one's roots. While most Americans can relate to the ubiquitous cheese sandwich as a cultural experience, many more can relate to the feeling of comfort in the norm. The author has a physical craving for cheese due to his mental craving for solidity; he takes comfort in what he knows. The fancy cheeses at department parties are all new to him, and while he enjoys them, he also feels the need to stay close to his roots. 

I love the imagery in this poem, particularly the line "A house built like a square of sixty-four American singles". It's powerful without using superfluous words. I am also fond of poems that take an experience that seems ordinary and turns it into something deeper. The act of wanting American cheese is not necessarily meaningful, but the author crafts it into a relatable theme. The theme of staying true to where one comes from resonates with me. I often want to break out from my culture to try something new, but my culture is a part of my self-identity. It is embedded in who I am.