Why do Americans eat cheese before a meal ?

Everywhere else in the world they treat cheese as a desert, served with biscuits, crackers or fruit and with a desert wine like a port or maybe even a cognac. Yet in the US its eaten before a meal, why ? its heavy and strongly flavoured not what you want early in a meal

Don’t know where you’re getting your intel on American dining habits but most of the multicourse meals I’ve had for years had the cheese course at the end. Only exception would be an appetizer that contains cheese.

You might want to chastise Italians for antipasto plates while you’re at it.

Just speaking for myself, I love chevre as an appetizer, but if hard cheeses are served before a meal I abstain.
Other soft cheeses are a maybe. If I’m famished and it looks like other food courses are going to be a long time coming, I’ll tamp down hunger pangs with a small amount. This usually happens at informal meals, particularly neighborhood or large family gatherings. Like Joe says, serving cheese before other courses is not normal at multi-course sit down dinners.

Everywhere else in the world? many parts of the world don’t even eat cheese…

It’s nice to be American (or Indian or Australian, etc) and not have to worry about following silly French and British etiquette. neener

Only time we have cheese before a meal is if we have a couple over for dinner, or a small party, and have cheese out for appetizers/snacks with wine

You mean culture ?

I eat cheese as my meal. Ever heard of nachos?

yet another thread i don’t understand
isn’t cheese generally served at or near the end?

Because it is delicious, bite sized and pairs well with wine.

Similar question about salads before the main course not after.

…anything worth a damn.

This… I don’t particularly like something heavy like cheese after a meal. I very much prefer to have some really nice cheese and wine then a lighter dinner.

I guess I am a heathen.

George

^exactly

Nah I meant etiquette for sure. Eat what you want, when you want and in any order you want. It’s weird enough to scrutinize people for eating cheese or any piece of food before or after anything else. If you’re enjoying good food and wine and meals and allowing the snobbery of centuries old customs and lame-azz food rules to interfere with the way you like to do it, it doesn’t make much sense, unless you’re aiming for a traditional experience like a traditional French multi course menu.

So they can cut the cheese after the meal.

Because at family gatherings someone usually brings a cheese and vegetable tray that gets set out before a meal for people to gather around and eat something while dinner is being put together. Usually has Swiss and yellow cheddar too, but I’m going for that before the celery. We are an unrefined group.

This nails it. Most of us are peasants, so cut us some slack, Alan!

Because it’s there

i don’t understand a big cheese plate before the meal. However we sometimes start with a caprese salad or a burrata and broccolini- (recipe from Suzanne Goin at Sunday Suppers at Lucques)