An Ode to Kirkland Signature Mexican Style Blend Cheese

    Dear Kirkland Signature Mexican Style Blend Cheese,

    I write to you as a long-time consumer and fan. From sprinkling you on plain white rice to squishing you into small, grubby balls and eating you straight, you were a significant contributor to my youthful dairy intake. Before I knew how to properly cook a meal, I watched you with anticipation in the microwave, watching each strand flatten into a gooey pool. I always ate it with my fingers. (I know, gross.)

    Then one day I found a thick green and white mold growing within the bag I’d left alone for too long, and stopped eating Kirkland Signature Mexican Style Blend Cheese for a few years.

    In any case, the other day I found that my Costco-card-holding roommate stocked our fridge with several bags of Kirkland Signature Mexican Style Blend Cheese – the kind that comes in big packs of two, connected by a little red plastic handle at the top. I remembered fondly the way I used to stuff shredded cheese into a slice of salami and eat it rolled up like a weird panino. Then I went and made myself a chicken quesadilla (I am much better at cooking now); I am happy to report that your cheese tastes just as good as I remember.

    Anyway.

    I’ve come back from Thanksgiving break refreshed and rejuvenated, after crying almost every day for a week leading up to my flight home. For me, November mirrored the freshman panic I saw each year as an RA at BU: the fear that I’d made the wrong choice, I don’t fit in, I’d be happier somewhere else, it would be better if I just quit everything and went home.

    Thankfully all of that quieted down once I went home and I realized I just needed a break. It was nice to rely on my family for a week. I played piano with my mom, went on walks with my grandma, and laughed with my sister until I cried. The relentless anxiety eased and I could make future plans that weren’t clouded by homesickness. I ate handfuls of Kirkland Signature Mexican Style Blend Cheese, straight from the bag.

    In November, I listened to the podcast episode titled, "Goldwater Girls to Regan Women: Gender, Georgia, and the Growth of the New Right". I started re-reading Harry Potter; I'm currently on The Goblet of Fire (I skipped the Chamber of Secrets because it is still too spooky to read alone at night).

    I also watched seasons 3, 4, and 5 of Bojack Horseman. At one point, Todd says, “Sometimes I feel like my whole life is just a series of loosely related wacky misadventures.” Diane replies, “I think that’s just what being in your twenties is.”

    Cheers to all of us, for sharing our wacky misadventures on this blog.

    With teeth and love,

    Hanna

P.S. Here is a list of what I am thankful for:

My family, for encouraging me through everything;

My mom, for being my biggest supporter, shoulder to cry on, and role model;

My friends all around the world – I am never truly alone because I have all of you;

To play hockey, the sport I love more than anything else;

My roommates, for buying and installing new windshield wipers for me after I stood in front of my car in the rain for 10 minutes without figuring it out;

Kirkland Signature Mexican Style Blend Cheese, for never changing.