5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

The label 'American cheese' gets a bad rap because of plastic-wrapped singles. Though some may argue the processed cheese slices are the necessary ingredient for the best grilled cheese sandwich, it's safe to say you won't see those slimy suckers flopping onto the cheese plate du jour any time soon.

But American cheese - American-made cheese, that is - isn't as flimsy as its made out to be. And fromager Dimitri Saad says it's about time our cheese plate is proud to be an American.

Five American-Made Cheeses to Try Right Now: Dimitri Saad
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Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• The French government, in a moment of sauciness, has outlawed school cafeterias from serving ketchup with anything but French fries. - Los Angeles Times

• Eating baby animals is in poor taste. - TIME

• A curry-eating competition in Scotland heats up a little too far. - NPR

• We don't mean to sound mushy, but we long for long-cooked vegetables. - Saveur

• My first time ... with Chanterelle. - The Amateur Gourmet

Ashley Strickland is an associate producer at CNN.com. She likes cajoling recipes from athletes and studying up on food holidays.

After the “office funk” attacked for the third time this fall, I decided to take action. I needed to find an antioxidant powerhouse with the strength to fight off any and all germs and allergies. The usual suspects just weren’t cutting it and I needed a new weapon.

During my frantic search, I stumbled upon something with such a miraculous list of healthy ingredients, I couldn’t say no. And last week, I’m proud to say that green soup entered my life.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Give it a twirl - October 6 is National Noodle Day!

We're just crazy for the oodles of noodles to be slurped down all across the world. Whether you like to twist long ribbons around your fork, slip strips into soup, dish out bow-ties and spirals, or layer sheets with all kinds of savory delights, today is all about canoodling with noodles.
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We are utterly thrilled when readers want to hang out and talk – whether it's amongst themselves or in response to pieces we've posted. We want Eatocracy to be a cozy, spirited online home for those who find their way here.

Consider the daily Coffee Klatsch post as your VIP lounge – the primary comments thread for readers who'd like to chat about topics not related to the articles we're running. That way, everyone knows where to find each other, and each post's comments section remains on topic.
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