When I tell people that I signed up for the Cheese Co-op this semester, they always hate on me. To everyone else, it costs too many points (100 points for one person, 50 if you split it—which I did), or they just don’t like or want that much cheese. They should, though, and you should too.

Cheese is immeasurably versatile, and there are countless varieties. It is thus objectively impossible not to find at least one type of cheese that you enjoy. You can devour cheese by itself to get the full experience or use it as a flavor boost for snacks and sandwiches. Cheese tops all of your favorite pizzas, many salads and pastas, and even some soups. There are hard cheeses, soft cheeses, and in-between cheeses; warm and cold cheeses; sharp and mild cheeses; fancy and everyday cheeses.  You can never really have too much cheese.
Below is a sampling of my favorite cheeses. Not literally, because we can’t yet put cheese in a newspaper, but it’s only a matter of time.

Manchego
If you really forced me to choose, Manchego would have to be my all-time favorite cheese. It’s a Spanish cheese with a hard, grainy texture and a salty taste that makes it perfect as a topping for crackers or a side with fruit, like apples or grapes.

Gouda
A pretty mild, slightly sweet, and semi-hard cheese, sliced Gouda is a perfect snack by itself or eaten with crackers. Honestly, I could eat a wheel of Gouda cheese by myself. Try it; you won’t be disappointed, I promise.

Pepper Jack
Pepper Jack is a buttery and spicy cheese that is excellent for sandwiches or burgers because it adds a strong extra zest to the usual. It’s also tasty sprinkled over Mexican salads or baked into quesadillas.

Goat cheese
Goat cheese is delightfully sweet and fluffy and is absolutely scrumptious as an addition to salads or a spread for fruit or crackers. It’s especially yummy if it’s baked or fried so it’s gooey and melts in your mouth.

Asiago
This is a hard and crumbly Italian cheese with a tang, and it is delectable served both hot and cold. Melted, it makes for a rich and velvety panini topping, and grated, it is a flavor booster in salads, soups, or pastas.

White American
The only acceptable cheese for your classic grilled cheese is sliced white American because grilled cheese is an American staple, and I’m all about ’MURICA. Seriously, I eat about five slices of white American plain every time I go to Usdan.

Mozzarella
Awesome on panini, mouthwatering when breaded and fried and dipped in marinara sauce, and a classic on pizzas. Melted mozzarella is the way to go. This semi-soft cheese can also be super fancy served fresh in an insalata caprese: cold and sliced with tomatoes and basil leaves drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Brie
It’s French, so you know it’s fancy. Creamy, warm, pungent Brie spread on a cracker topped with fig jam is mouthwatering. Literally, right now, water in my mouth.

Gruyère
An earthy and nutty cheese from Switzerland, melted gruyère is a staple in heavy cheese fondues and French onion soups and a savory addition to bread and sandwiches. When served cold, gruyère is hard and sharp, making for a great pair for light white wines.

Pecorino
Pecorino cheese is super salty and hard, making it nice to munch on by itself. When grated, it makes for a tasty salad or pasta topping. It’s also a fantastic complement to apples and pears, as the contrast between sweet and salty is truly glorious.

Feta
A classic for Greek salads, feta cheese is crumbly and tangy and the perfect match for kalamata olives and grape tomatoes. Try an unusual combination of feta and watermelon. It’s surprisingly delicious.

Boursin
Boursin, another French cheese that is smooth and buttery, has similar texture to cream cheese. It’s often seasoned with herbs and spices, making it a great spread with crackers or bread.

Honorable Mention: String Cheese
Usually a cylindrical stick of plain mozzarella or of mozzarella and cheddar cheese swirled together, string cheese is quite a yummy and fun-to-eat snack.
Surprisingly, I used to be vegan, and it wasn’t until I gave it up about three years ago that I developed an extreme appreciation—read: borderline obsession—with cheese. Cheese, because it exists in so many different types, can quench just about any craving you might have; whether for hot, cold, salty, sweet, spicy, creamy, crumbly, you name it. Cheese always hits the spot.