dear cheese.

Dearest, Beloved Cheese,

I miss you. I think about you all the time. I miss the special moments we shared together... satisfying lunches on sunny mountaintops, admiring the 360-degree views; ski trips where you were so cold but still such a trooper; romantic nights by the fireside, sharing a bottle of wine, a hearty loaf of bread and dark chocolate; summertime salads with friends on the backporch. You were always there, adding such joy to every moment in your subtle, humble way.

There is no substitute for you. I know that now more than ever as each passing day goes by without you in my life. I admit it; I do occasionally try to enjoy a pathetic breakfast or dinner with your evil twin- the non-frigerated processed cheese wedge- but nothing holds a candle to you. How you can be both soft and strong at the same time is inspiring; your complexity makes you who you are.

Sometimes I see your likeness all the way over here on the other side of the world, in an expensive shop or fancy restaurant, and the memories come flooding back in. Yes, I miss you, but half a day's salary for one fleeting moment together?

I can wait. I can hold out for that distant day, sometime after May 2012, when I return to you.

The first thing I want to do (maybe after seeing my family and taking a shower) is savor the world's largest plate of nachos piled high with your goodness. I just hope you won't be too cruel after all this time.

Yours faithfully,
Vanessa