Just when I thought things couldn't get any more bizarre ...
Did you hear about that bunch that bills themselves as The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine? They put up a billboard near DePere, Wisconsin, near Green Bay, reading, "Warning: Cheese Can Sack Your Health," followed by the words, "Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium." No kidding. Pictured on this billboard is the Grim Reaper himself, adorned in his spooky cape, holding his scythe. Careful - he's coming for you.
This billboard triggered a potential lawsuit. No, not because it is anti-cheese in this cheese-producing state. It was because the original version adorned the Grim Reaper with a wedge of cheese resembling those foam wedges worn by enthusiastic Green Bay Packer-backers. The manufacturer of those foam wedges, Foamation, Inc., threatened a lawsuit, prompting the billboard company to insist that the image of the cheese wedge be removed. The sign remains with the Grim Reaper minus the cheese wedge.
As is customary, the media missed the main point. Let the Physicians Committee and Foamation, Inc. go to the mat over the image of the foam cheese wedge; who cares. The main issue is the absurdity of attacking cheese, as if there were not fatter - no pun intended - targets in the campaign for improved health.
Okay, I'll admit I'm terribly biased. I'm the grandson of Swiss immigrants coming from a long line of cow milkers and cheese makers. I was raised on a local Wisconsin dairy farm and grew up milking cows, making hay, and all that goes with both. Our milk went to the old Northside Swiss Cheese factory and later to the Milwaukee Cheese Company. Our high school mascot is "The Cheesemakers," the only such high school mascot I know other than the Tillamook High School Cheesemakers of Tillamook, Oregon. Green County is the Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA, site of the National Historic Cheesemaking Center, and boasts more master cheesemakers than any other county. And, of course, Wisconsin leads the nation in cheese production.
So, I'm biased. And it's nice for a bunch of medical practitioners to embrace a campaign for good health. But let's focus on that and keep this whole thing in perspective. Sure, cheese contains some calories and fat. But in contrast to the barrels of sugar water and tons of junk food that is consumed in this nation, cheese is loaded with powerful nutrients including, but not limited, to calcium, phosphorous, protein, and vitamins including A and D.
Not even the most ardent promoter of cheese remotely suggests that anyone should gorge themselves on cheese, or any other product for that matter. But whether it's with respect to politics or nutrition, moderation is a quaint concept (out of vogue in this all-or-nothing society prone to extremes).
But we shouldn't be too surprised. Silliness with respect to nutrition goes back a long way. As kids, many of us remember the campaign against butter when unwelcome - at least to us dairy farm types - oleomargarine came on the scene. Margarine was supposed to be better - er, less harmful - for you than butter. Now we're told that butter is better for you after all, not to mention far superior in taste.
Then there was the campaign against eggs. People were scared stiff to eat eggs because they contained cholesterol. Now we're told that eggs have less cholesterol than previously believed, along with more nutrients. Of course, anyone with a positive IQ should be able to figure out that it is better to feed your kid eggs, fruit and milk for breakfast than that sickly sweet sugar coated cereal that does nothing more than get your kid addicted to sweets.
A half century ago, there was a flap about another great Wisconsin product, cranberries, that they would give you cancer. I have always loved cranberries and never paid much attention to that nonsense.
There is absolutely no reason why cheese should not be part of sensible eating. This reminds me of alcohol. Moderation is the key. If you're addicted to alcohol, stay away from it. And stay off the road after drinking. But for those of us not addicted, there is no reason to avoid a glass of beer or wine, especially with the evening meal.
We all know that cheese is a great accompaniment to beer and wine and to many foods. I have lived in the Southwest long enough to develop a taste for green chiles. Cheese is an especially great accompaniment to Mexican food, whether it's chiles rellenos, cheese dip with jalapenos, ingredients of tacos and enchiladas, or many other items.
I'm willing to give the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine the benefit of the doubt in that they are well-intentioned. But if they want to promote better health, there are more productive avenues to pursue then to wage a campaign against cheese. Come to think of it, they might start with the damage to health caused by over prescribing pharmaceuticals. According to recent reports, this practice is too pervasive in their own profession. They might do well to get their own house in order.
In the final analysis, I doubt that these worthies will curb cheese consumption. The more likely result is to reduced their own credibility and generate ridicule of that committee.
I couldn't resist the temptation myself.
- John Waelti's column appears in the Monroe Times every Friday. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
Did you hear about that bunch that bills themselves as The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine? They put up a billboard near DePere, Wisconsin, near Green Bay, reading, "Warning: Cheese Can Sack Your Health," followed by the words, "Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium." No kidding. Pictured on this billboard is the Grim Reaper himself, adorned in his spooky cape, holding his scythe. Careful - he's coming for you.
This billboard triggered a potential lawsuit. No, not because it is anti-cheese in this cheese-producing state. It was because the original version adorned the Grim Reaper with a wedge of cheese resembling those foam wedges worn by enthusiastic Green Bay Packer-backers. The manufacturer of those foam wedges, Foamation, Inc., threatened a lawsuit, prompting the billboard company to insist that the image of the cheese wedge be removed. The sign remains with the Grim Reaper minus the cheese wedge.
As is customary, the media missed the main point. Let the Physicians Committee and Foamation, Inc. go to the mat over the image of the foam cheese wedge; who cares. The main issue is the absurdity of attacking cheese, as if there were not fatter - no pun intended - targets in the campaign for improved health.
Okay, I'll admit I'm terribly biased. I'm the grandson of Swiss immigrants coming from a long line of cow milkers and cheese makers. I was raised on a local Wisconsin dairy farm and grew up milking cows, making hay, and all that goes with both. Our milk went to the old Northside Swiss Cheese factory and later to the Milwaukee Cheese Company. Our high school mascot is "The Cheesemakers," the only such high school mascot I know other than the Tillamook High School Cheesemakers of Tillamook, Oregon. Green County is the Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA, site of the National Historic Cheesemaking Center, and boasts more master cheesemakers than any other county. And, of course, Wisconsin leads the nation in cheese production.
So, I'm biased. And it's nice for a bunch of medical practitioners to embrace a campaign for good health. But let's focus on that and keep this whole thing in perspective. Sure, cheese contains some calories and fat. But in contrast to the barrels of sugar water and tons of junk food that is consumed in this nation, cheese is loaded with powerful nutrients including, but not limited, to calcium, phosphorous, protein, and vitamins including A and D.
Not even the most ardent promoter of cheese remotely suggests that anyone should gorge themselves on cheese, or any other product for that matter. But whether it's with respect to politics or nutrition, moderation is a quaint concept (out of vogue in this all-or-nothing society prone to extremes).
But we shouldn't be too surprised. Silliness with respect to nutrition goes back a long way. As kids, many of us remember the campaign against butter when unwelcome - at least to us dairy farm types - oleomargarine came on the scene. Margarine was supposed to be better - er, less harmful - for you than butter. Now we're told that butter is better for you after all, not to mention far superior in taste.
Then there was the campaign against eggs. People were scared stiff to eat eggs because they contained cholesterol. Now we're told that eggs have less cholesterol than previously believed, along with more nutrients. Of course, anyone with a positive IQ should be able to figure out that it is better to feed your kid eggs, fruit and milk for breakfast than that sickly sweet sugar coated cereal that does nothing more than get your kid addicted to sweets.
A half century ago, there was a flap about another great Wisconsin product, cranberries, that they would give you cancer. I have always loved cranberries and never paid much attention to that nonsense.
There is absolutely no reason why cheese should not be part of sensible eating. This reminds me of alcohol. Moderation is the key. If you're addicted to alcohol, stay away from it. And stay off the road after drinking. But for those of us not addicted, there is no reason to avoid a glass of beer or wine, especially with the evening meal.
We all know that cheese is a great accompaniment to beer and wine and to many foods. I have lived in the Southwest long enough to develop a taste for green chiles. Cheese is an especially great accompaniment to Mexican food, whether it's chiles rellenos, cheese dip with jalapenos, ingredients of tacos and enchiladas, or many other items.
I'm willing to give the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine the benefit of the doubt in that they are well-intentioned. But if they want to promote better health, there are more productive avenues to pursue then to wage a campaign against cheese. Come to think of it, they might start with the damage to health caused by over prescribing pharmaceuticals. According to recent reports, this practice is too pervasive in their own profession. They might do well to get their own house in order.
In the final analysis, I doubt that these worthies will curb cheese consumption. The more likely result is to reduced their own credibility and generate ridicule of that committee.
I couldn't resist the temptation myself.
- John Waelti's column appears in the Monroe Times every Friday. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
