Fried Cheese Curds

This is mean.  I know and I am really sorry.  Here I am on the first week of the New Year, when I am sure some of you have set from weight-loss or healthy eating goals, and I am writing about fried cheese.  Gooey.  Crispy.  Buttery.  Deep fried.  Cheese curds.

I discovered cheese curds on my first trip to Wisconsin a few years ago.  The state takes cheese seriously!!  Everywhere you go there are wheels and wheels of cheese.  I am not kidding you.  Pick up a bottle of water at a newsstand at the Milwaukee Airport and you will find a refrigerated case of cheese.  Go to any run down convenience store and there is an entire section devoted to cheese.  Cheddar.  Havarti.  Gouda.  Swiss.  Pepper Jack.  The state churns out more than 600 types of cheese!!  Including the infamous cheese curd.

MMMmmmm... cheese curds!

What is a cheese curd, you ask?  A NYT writer described them as cheddar in it's freshest state.  So fresh it "squeaks" when you eat it.  No really, it does.  Eating them sounds kind of like chewing on a rubber balloon... but obviously tastes much, much better!