TIL that in the 1980s the USDA distributed government cheese to low income neighborhoods

Government cheese inspired many amazing dishes in my household.

https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/chris-farley-matt-foley-van-down-by-the-river-snl-origin

Not just the 80s, I had some in the early 2000s. It was delicious

And powdered milk!

We had both in my house and referred to the powdered milk as “backup milk.”

We had government cheese in the late 90s and early 00s. Honestly, it was good. I don't know wtf the difference between gubment cheese and American cheese was, but it was so much better than regular American cheese.

Government cheese, government butter, we even got government HONEY one time.

I'm sure my parents were embarrassed to even qualify for government aid, but I loved it and didn't think about it. I loved that little apartment, and I'm glad to see it's still there on satellite.

My grandma used to get free government cheese (Velveeta-like block) that was out of date.

That stuff didn't melt no matter how hot you got it.

"Government Cheese" by The Rainmakers"

From the Repo Man (in which this sort of shit was depicted) soundtrack:

Circle Jerks - When The Shit Hits The Fan (acoustic)

https://youtu.be/J04NXYkUd8c

I ate a ton of that cheese.

I worked at a food bank a couple years ago and we regularly received pallets of government cheese through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). They were massive blocks of orange cheddar with almost no text on the label. We also received pallets of government pistachios and dried cherries that were as good as any you'd buy in a store.

They gave out two huge blocks right before Christmas break at my Catholic high school every year. Delicious. We were pretty poor then, so it did help.

I still remember how both of those things taste exactly. We also had freeze dried steaks from the Vietnam War.

My old partner and I used to travel to rural areas in our rv, to work on low income ppl's houses, as part of a different government program, and our clients often gave us some of their commodities. That cheese made some mighty good tacos. I used to make them directly on the propane flame to melt the cheese and toast the tortilla. We'd stuff them with avocado and alfalfa sprouts because we were hippy weirdos. The honey was great, too.

Get Busy Committee has a really good song about what the 80s were like:

Shit was fucked up when Reagan was in office

Food stamps, government cheese, and cocaine

I never knew a single soul who owned a rope chain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO3NqMvinkU

The USDA distributed the what?

Distributing a lactose-based food as charity to low-income neighbourhoods, when people of colour, who are most overrepresented amongst the poor, are also most likely to be lactose intolerant, has a certain energy.