Many locals experience a shock the first time they visit Liu Yang’s shop: they’ve never seen something quite like this before.

Some just pass by, merely peeking in the windows of his tiny, two room workshop.

“I think some people before they come by prepare themselves psychologically,” says Yang. “Maybe they’ll come back, maybe they won’t. We won’t get disappointed because of this. Most Chinese people are not used to cheese culture.”
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Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray.

Once again, it is upon us - National Cheese Day, June 4. Admittedly, this is one of those tricky holidays. One wouldn’t want to confuse it with, say, National Cheese Lovers’ Day (January 20), National Cheese Doodle Day (March 5), National Cheese Ball Day (April 17), National Cheese Pizza Day (September 5) or, particularly, International Respect for Chickens Day (May 4), because if there’s anything a chicken hates, it’s being mistaken for a large wheel of Gouda.

Be that as it may, there’s a lot of cheese in the world - hundreds of different kinds, made from the milk of everything from buffalos to yaks - and every last bit of it, to my mind, tastes even better with wine. Well, except for casu marzu, a Sardinian cheese with live cheese-fly larvae in it. I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would eat that, as it could not possibly taste anything other than revolting, no matter how powerful the alcohol was that you poured with it.

Anyway, generally speaking, here are a few thoughts about pairing cheese with wine. Of course, as always with pairing, these are suggestions - there are no rules, other than to eat food you like and drink wine (or whatever else) you like with it.
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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.

Editor's Note: Emiliano Lee is the Artisan Market Manager at Farmshop in Los Angeles, California. He also serves as a judge for the American Cheese Society.

One of, if not the most, frequently asked questions I field on the cheese counter is, "What's your favorite?" To which I almost always reply, "Well, that depends."

What's ripe? What's tasting particularly good at any given moment? What am I in the mood for? What's the weather like? What am I drinking? Ah, yes, the age-old pairing question.

In the end, it really does boil down to personal taste, but there are certainly some combinations that work better than others.

Many people want to pair wine and cheese, and while I can dance to that, I'm personally more of the malt and hops persuasion. For me, beer is a more natural choice, and as many others will attest to, it plays tremendously well with cheese.

Looking at my cheese case right now, here are a five wheels that are tasting particularly nice along with some of their best drinking buddies.
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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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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.

Don’t know goat cheese from gouda? Or Comté from Camembert? Well, you certainly don’t have to have a culinary degree to put together a simple yet tasteful cheese plate. After all, the extent of the kitchen aptitude required is how well you can unwrap and place things on a platter.

But if you're still worried about making an asiago of yourself at your next gathering, Cathy Strange, the global cheese buyer for Whole Foods Market, has some tips to get you on your way to cheese pairing success.

A Beginners' Guide to Assembling a Cheese Plate: Cathy Strange
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Brandon Ancil is a digital content producer for CNN.com

Artisan cheese - it’s not as scary as you may have thought.

“It’s blue, it’s green, it’s furry, and it might smell funny. That’s what people think when they don’t know about artisan cheese.” Says Liz Thorpe VP of Murray’s Cheese in New York and author of ‘The Cheese Chronicles. “But artisan cheeses, which by definition are hand-crafted in small-production, are made in every type of cheese style.”

Nathan Arnold, a cheese maker from Tennessee, knows people can be intimidated by artisan cheese, but he says they'll end up liking it.

“It tastes like our farm. It’s got hints of the open air and grass from around the Cumberland Plateau where we live.”
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Food in the Field gives a sneak peek into what CNN's team is eating, and the food culture they encounter as they travel the globe.

CNN International sports correspondent Patrick Snell samples the classic pimento cheese sandwich at The Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia - for "work purposes," you understand.

Read more on the storm-based pimento cheese shortage earlier this week and the other, bizarrely economical items on the menu at The Masters.

More from Back|Story and dispatches from The Masters

John Kim covers golf for PGA.com

Every year, tens of thousands of golf fans, and millions worldwide, look towards Augusta National Golf Club with visions of Amen Corner, the world’s best players and - pimento cheese?

It’s true. The culinary offerings of The Masters may not rival your five star listings in terms of presentation, seasoning nor taste for that matter, but the fame of the Masters branded sandwiches, sweet tea, lemonade and even their own potato chips make it one of the hottest menu items in town and the price - $1.50 for drinks, $1.50-2.50 for sandwiches, $1 for chips - is always right.

Though pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches draw the most demand by tradition alone, their barbecue and chicken sandwiches are starting to build quite the following as well. A $10 bill will feed two easily, grab a spot under one of the stately pines near Amen Corner and you’ll have one of the best lunches you could ever hope to have – anywhere in the world.

Follow all the golf action from The 2011 Masters at majorschampionships.com

Read and get recipes - Pimento cheese freeze-out at the Masters

Heartbreak ensued yesterday at the annual Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia when a power outage at the golf club's production center temporarily interrupted the availability of pimento cheese sandwiches to hungry fans.

Augusta.com reports that severe thunderstorms were the cause of the power loss and that at least one patron was pretty cheesed off at the lack of sandwiches.
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It's not like you didn't know this day was coming. Same date, every year, as long as there's been a calendar - it's just that the 364 other planning days just happened to flap on by, and you're left with nary a bottle of bubbles in the fridge, and guests set to arrive within the next 12 hours.

You don't need excuses - you have us.

We've got recipes, hosting tips and everything you need to know about buying, speed chilling and opening Champagne to get through tonight.

Your mantra - revised slightly from Thanksgiving
Remember how we said "It's just a meal...it's just a meal...it's just a meal?" It worked then and it works now - "It's just a night." Unless you've been running around talking up the tremendous culinary adventure upon which you will personally sherpa your guests this evening, you're in the clear.

No one's got far-flung food ambitions for New Year's Eve. They want to be with friends and loved ones, sip something with bubbles in it, and eat simple things that allow them to drink more bubbles. If you wanna get schmancier than that with the menu - mazeltov. We encourage embracing the low bar.
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