- This is not good. Oh my god.
- Wow.
(french accordion music)
- Hi, I'm Melissa and I'm French.
- Hi, I'm Anthony and I'm American.
- Hi, my name is Elliot and I'm French.
- I'm Bekki and I'm American.
I love all cheeses.
I've never found a cheese I don't love.
- I have had American cheeses but I'm not a huge fan.
- Brie is French?
- Yes. Yes.
- It's the only cheese I know for sure is French.
- It's mellow.
- It's delicious.
- But it's good.
- Yeah.
- I expect something very smelly.
Something really pungent.
- That makes sense.
- Yeah.
- I stand by the line, "The stinkier the cheese,
"the better it is."
- Yes. Okay. Good. Then you'll love French cheese.
- This is gonna be the best day ever.
- I expect to eat something
that doesn't taste like anything.
(laughing)
- Like chemicals?
- Yeah. Exactly.
- Let's bring on the cheeses.
- We're starting with Brie.
- Yes.
- Which is excellent.
What a way to start.
- It's a little more mellow than other cheeses,
like Camembert but it's good, it's creamy,
it does the job and it's delicious.
- So for the American side, we have a nice Baby Swiss.
You can tell by the holes that it's a Swiss.
I assume it's a Baby Swiss
because it's less mature than an adult Swiss.
- I think so.
That sounds right.
- So we're going Baby Swiss first, right?
- Yeah, with a cracker, I believe.
- Okay.
- That's how you eat it, right?
- We have to use a cracker.
- It's like a Ritz cracker kind of thing?
- Yeah.
That is, like, such an American thing.
- All right.
Ready?
- Cheers.
(crunching)
- This is very American.
I feel like I should have, like,
a small glass of cheap wine.
- Of cheap wine.
- Yeah.
- This is actually good.
- Mm-hmm.
- I mean, it does taste like cheese.
- Yeah.
- There's not a lot of flavor in it.
- It doesn't taste like anything.
- It needs mustard.
Swiss cheese always goes better with mustard.
- Now let's do some real cheese.
- Yes, that's fair.
- Cheers.
Mmm. That's more like it.
- Mm-hmm.
- So creamy.
- Yeah, it's pretty good.
- It is very mild, now that you say that.
- Yes. This is a little more mild.
- Like, yeah.
But it's very creamy and, like, it coats your mouth.
- Mm-hmm. Compared to the Baby though,
it's got a lot more flavor, no?
- I think that they do different things.
- Yeah.
- Like, I wouldn't put the Swiss
and the Brie on the same sandwich.
- Totally.
- Like, I would put them on different sandwiches.
- Totally, totally.
- And I would also be more likely
to eat the Brie just like this.
- I think I like the Brie better.
- Yeah.
- Personally. - Oh yeah.
- It's got more flavor to it, more
- More character.
- Yeah, more character.
- It's really, yeah, no, I agree.
- Brie.
- No one told me there'd be choices.
If I had to pick, I think I would go Swiss
because I would like it on a really good grilled cheese.
- This is Epoisse.
This is kind of, it really melts in your mouth.
- It looks like a brain.
- So I'm not kidding when I say the smellier the better.
Really.
So I think maybe we should start with the American one
because after this one, you're not gonna taste that one.
- Okay. - You know what I mean?
- Yeah, it'll probably blow it out of the water. Sure.
- For the American, we have a Colby,
which is a bit of a stronger flavor.
- Yep.
- Most often, it's paired with,
like, a Jack cheese or something.
- Totally.
- Not always on its own but I like it.
It's delicious.
- Colby's always been good.
You know, it's like a safe cheese.
- It is.
- You know?
- It's like a kid's cheese.
- Yes.
- It's just kind of like a right down the road cheese.
- I agree.
- Yeah.
- I don't see a lot of difference with the previous one.
- I agree.
- See, that's the problem with American cheeses
is that, to me, they all kinda taste the same.
- This is something you would serve to a kid.
- Yeah.
- Like an after school snack cheese.
- It's good.
- Smell it first.
- Okay.
So that's something.
- (laughing)
- Oh, that smells delicious.
- Yeah, it's strong.
Yeah.
- It smells almost, like, nutty or toasted?
- Yeah.
- I don't know.
- It almost smells like wine.
- That's got some character to it.
- Mm-hmm.
- Super good.
- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
- It's very pungent but like, in a taste way.
I don't know how to, it's like, not tart
but it's got a little bit of almost, not sourness,
I don't know what I'm looking for here but it's.
- I see what you mean, yeah.
- That's strong.
- You can taste the funk in that.
- It burns, yeah.
- It's got a good amount of funk.
- That's good though.
It's super creamy.
- It doesn't taste like the smell, right?
- No.
- Because the smell can be repulsive to certain people.
- Yeah.
- But when you eat it, it's actually delicious.
- If I had to pick,
I would probably pick the French one in this case.
- Me too, 100% French one.
My breath is already.
- Yeah.
- For me, it would really depend on the situation.
Like, this is more something that I would eat with a meal
versus at a party
and, again, if I'm in a party,
I would go for the Colby, probably.
- I, no, that's a great way to put it.
This is more of, like, a nibbling cheese.
- Yeah, exactly.
- And this is sort of like you build something around this.
- Yeah because this really, like, you have to imagine it
with, like, grapes and things like that around it.
- That would be great.
- And it really makes it delicious, yeah.
- Okay.
- Well, that's an interesting looking cheese, I have to say.
- Yeah.
- I mean, this is very creative.
- It's just regular old Cheddar.
This is Wisconsin Cheddar.
- Okay.
- It's just wrapped in a delightful black wax.
- Oh, see, I've never tried that.
This is Roquefort.
So a Roquefort is blue cheese.
It goes really well with sweet stuff as well,
like honey and fig jam and things like that.
- Yeah. Well, it's really powerful,
so, like, to be complemented with something sweet.
- Yeah, I don't eat that much blue cheese,
I'm not gonna lie.
- I'll eat that whole block in front of everyone.
- Oh my God.
- God as my witness,
I will eat that in front of this camera.
- I'm, let me smell it.
- Just smell it.
- This is good.
- It's strong and it's just America.
(hawk screech)
- Mm.
- That's more my style.
I love a good, sharp Cheddar.
- I like this one.
Yeah, this is really good.
- This is what you want in a mac and cheese.
- This is good, yeah.
- This is just.
- For American cheese, this is good
and this is a good Wisconsin Cheddar, you know?
It's a little, it's almost a little funky, you know?
- Yeah.
- This actually has character.
This is why this is
probably the most popular cheese in America.
I'm just gonna say that.
I don't know if it's true.
- I actually like this one a lot.
- Yeah.
- I think it tastes great.
- You can just nom on this all by itself.
- I'm so ready.
I love blue cheese.
- Well, we're gonna.
- And this looks like the funkiest blue cheese I've ever
like, I've ever (beep) with.
- We're gonna pile it up on yours then.
I'm nervous.
- It's strong.
- Oh, I may have eaten a little too much.
- (laughing)
- Oh my God.
- (laughing)
Oh, that's got a tang.
You know it's strong cheese
when you can, like, feel it here.
- Burning, yeah.
- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
- No, I can't.
- I forgot how powerful this one is.
I actually just got a little tear in my eye.
- Oh my God.
- Wow, yeah, it's really tart.
It's very, it's almost sour.
It's really so much better when it has something,
like, in a salad or something else to really complement it.
- This is not something that you eat just on its own.
- No, you don't just take blocks of this
and really go at it, that's for sure.
- I have to say, even in France, like,
not everybody's a big fan because it's so strong.
- Mm-hmm.
- Cheddar.
- Hold on, I'm still thinking about it.
- That's too funky.
Too funky for me.
- It depends on what I'm doing.
If I have to be around other people, I'm going the Cheddar.
- You don't.
- If I'm just alone.
- You're alone.
- Then it's gonna be the Blue.
- It's the Blue?
- Yeah.
- So we're swapping this time.
- If I had to choose, I would pick the Cheddar.
My first American cheese so far.
- You know what, I kinda like the Cheddar too,
to be honest.
French people are going to hate me.
I'm so sorry but I like the Cheddar better,
although this is really good too.
I'm not saying it's not good.
- In its own way.
- Yeah.
- This is American cheese slices.
- "Cheese slices".
- This is "cheese".
- I mean, look at the presentation, it says it all.
- Yeah, this is so American.
- Is this cheese?
No, that's not cheese.
- I am not a fan.
I have not been a fan for a very long time, although.
- Grilled cheeses. On grilled cheese.
- No, use real cheese.
Be a grown up.
- Okay.
- You can just roll it up
and just kinda, like, nibble at it.
You're probably gonna want the cracker too
but let's just go like this first.
- Oh my God.
- Cheers.
- It's all sticky and stuff.
- Yeah, it sure is.
- This is not good, oh my God.
- Wow, so.
- It tastes like plastic.
- So my kid palate was way different
than my adult palate.
- It smells like nothing.
- It's not as bad as I remember.
- It tastes like nothing.
It tastes like cream of nothing.
- I used to be, like, repulsed by these
but now it's not so bad.
- I don't think this is a fair representation
of American cheese.
I know it's a cultural representation
but I don't think it's a fair one.
- Now, let's talk about real cheese.
- Yeah, what is this?
- This is Camembert.
- Ooh.
- Yes.
- I've heard of that from,
like, Wallace and Gromit, I think.
- Oh, really? - Yeah.
- It's like a Brie, it's a little creamier
and it's stinkier, so I think you'll like this for sure.
- Those are some of my favorite adjectives for cheese.
- If you liked the Brie and you liked the Roquefort,
then this is where it's at.
- Okay.
- So I cut you a huge piece.
- That's fine.
- Can you smell it?
Can you smell the smell?
- Whoa.
- Right?
- Whoa.
- Yeah.
- It doesn't smell bad like the other one I can't pronounce.
- The Roquefort.
- But, Roquefort.
It's still, it's got a lot of,
it's kind of appetizing, the smell.
- Yeah.
- Mm.
- Ooh.
- Oh, that is good.
- Really good.
- Yeah.
It's just good on its own.
- I think, yeah, this one's.
- Yeah.
- One of the best.
- Ooh.
Mild and then it, like, turns into something else
a little bit.
- Yeah.
There's that sharp sort of almost bitter thing.
- It is a little.
- Right.
- But it's not overpowering like the,
I keep forgetting the name of it. Roquefort.
- Roquefort.
- Close.
- I'm just gonna make this quick and easy.
I pick the French one.
- Yes, me too.
- I kind of pick this one over all the cheeses.
- I'm gonna pick this, no, I'm just kidding.
Yeah, I'm picking the Camembert.
- If you really picked that one,
I would flip the table and walk out.
- I would definitely pick the Camembert.
I hope you too.
- All right. I'm gonna go for the Camembert.
- (laughing)
- Yay.
- Yeah, sorry everyone.
- Trying those French cheeses was an amazing experience,
this is the best day I've had in a long time.
- I think that the French really have their cheeses down.
It's a lot more character.
- Yes.
- I like that it's creamy and that it's stinky
and that it has character and funk.
- It's very different from the American palate though
which, you know, some of them can be kind of revolting
in a way but you have to like, you can learn to love them
because they have a lot of different flavors to them.
- American cheese is good too.
It's a little firmer, it's a little more mild.
- Yes, yes.
- But, like, going hand to hand,
it's hard to beat French cheese.
- The French cheese is, like, really a whole cultural thing
for us, it's so magical and important,
it's such a big part of our culture.
- I'd absolutely try French cheese again.
It's got a lot of character,
it's got a lot of taste to it and flavor.
- Just like French people.
- It's a ride.
(French music)