Sharon I can close my eyes and see you doing that! I love, love tomatoes. My friend lived with her Granny and I stayed with her, her Granny always sliced commodity cheese and left it on the table to warm.. There were also thick slices of tomatoes. The best sandwiches ever.

Tell you what, Jo Ann, you find the cheese and I'll find the tomatoes and I'm coming to your house for lunch, how's that??

You know, now that you mention it, commodity cheese came to a lot of picnic dinners they sometimes had at church when I was growing up. It would sit out on a table during the service and by the time it was over, the cheese would be nice and warmed. I loved that stuff and could never figure out why it wasn't available in the stores.

We also had it in our cafeterias at every school where I taught. I sure do miss that cheese!

Thanks Jo! Nice to see you here.

What is commodity cheese? I've never heard of it.

Here's Wiki's definition:

"Government cheese is processed cheese that was provided to welfare and food stamp recipients in the United States from the 1960s through to the early 1990s. (The style of cheese predated the era, having been used in military kitchens since the Second World War and in schools since as early as the 1960s.)"

I think what I remember at the church picnics was the cheese that was distributed during and right after WWII, but then later I do remember the school cheese.

Seems like Aunt Bett got some of the early cheese because she was a widow with no adult children to help her. Not sure about that but a lot of old folks had it.

I remember too that it was unsliced and in big chunks.
I don't know how it was distributed, I guess through welfare offices or wherever food stamps were given. I might be wrong but I do remember something like that prior to 1960, because by then I was in college and wouldn't have been home very much. That's why I think it was earlier distributed more widely than just in military kitchens.

I don't really know, Marylyn. I hadn't thought about it since I retired. Guess I ate my last bite of it at school. It was excellent, mildly cheddar-ish.

Thanks, Sharon!