government cheese
State-issued dairy block
Government cheese is processed cheese distributed through U.S. federal food assistance programs, particularly from the 1980s when massive dairy surpluses led to widespread distribution.
The cheese became associated with poverty and welfare dependence.
The phrase now evokes government aid generally, often with undertones of grudging acceptance or stigma: Growing up on government cheese.
Firm aged English cheese
- pasteurizedHeat-treated for safety
- meltingSolid-to-liquid transition
- orangeCitrus with segments
- mildModerate in intensity
block · sliced · texture · flavor · cooking · casserole · sandwich · queso
Subsidized grocery purchasing vouchers
- SNAPFederal nutrition assistance
- public assistanceGovernment help for poor
- TANFFederal cash assistance program
- unemployment benefitsState aid for jobless workers
means-tested · poverty line · beneficiary · low-income · social safety net · entitlements · federal assistance · WIC
Amount exceeding requirement
- distributionAllocation across recipients
- USDAFederal agriculture bureau
- stockpileAccumulated reserve supply
- processedSubjected to operations
warehouse · federal · allocation · nonperishable · bulk · ration · conservation · reserve
Fourth-to-last twentieth-century decade
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- projectsOrganized efforts toward goals
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- powdered milkDehydrated dairy product
peanut butter · canned goods · school lunch · struggle · working class · makeshift · recipes · resourcefulness
Nonprofit distributing free groceries
- pantryHousehold provisions closet
- soup kitchenFacility feeding the poor
- donationVoluntary charitable gift
- handoutFree distribution to recipients
shelter · volunteer · distribution center · hunger relief · community service · nonprofit · feeding program · free food
cheddar
Firm aged English cheese
- pasteurizedHeat-treated for safety
- meltingSolid-to-liquid transition
- orangeCitrus with segments
mild · block · sliced · texture · flavor · cooking · casserole · sandwich · queso · nachos
food stamps
Subsidized grocery purchasing vouchers
- SNAPFederal nutrition assistance
- public assistanceGovernment help for poor
- TANFFederal cash assistance program
unemployment benefits · means-tested · poverty line · beneficiary · low-income · social safety net · entitlements · federal assistance · WIC · housing vouchers
surplus
Amount exceeding requirement
- distributionAllocation across recipients
- USDAFederal agriculture bureau
- stockpileAccumulated reserve supply
processed · warehouse · federal · allocation · nonperishable · bulk · ration · conservation · reserve · dairy farmers
1980s
Fourth-to-last twentieth-century decade
powdered milk · peanut butter · canned goods · school lunch · struggle · working class · makeshift · recipes · resourcefulness · family
food bank
Nonprofit distributing free groceries
- pantryHousehold provisions closet
- soup kitchenFacility feeding the poor
- donationVoluntary charitable gift
handout · shelter · volunteer · distribution center · hunger relief · community service · nonprofit · feeding program · free food · need
- welfarewelfare, welfare reform, welfare system, SNAP benefits, public assistance
- institutional foodcafeteria, school lunch, hospital food, mess hall, chow hall
government cheeseartisanal cheese
Handmade dairy in small batches
aged cheddar · imported cheese · Parmigiano-Reggiano · raw milk cheese · Gruyère
government cheesediscretionary spending
Non-obligatory personal expenditures
government cheesecaviar
Cured fish eggs
champagne · truffle · foie gras · Dom Pérignon · fine dining
government, cheese, govern, governed, governing, governor, governors, governmental, governance