GO CHEESE NECKS!

Mention "Cheese Heads", and we automatically think of Wisconsin and exurberant fans of the Green Bay Packers wearing their quaint headgear resembling huge slabs of cheese. Presumably, cheese head hats are derived from the well earned native reputation for making of all things cheese, not to mention beer, of course.

According to a recent published report, the concept of wearing a cheese head hat may actually have evolved, as Darwin might say, from an ancient Chinese ritual.* The report states that archaeologists found 3,600 year old cheese curds draped around the necks of Bronze Age mummies in China. So, should these mummies be called "Cheese Necks" with their expectation of enjoying curds in the afterlife? In Wisconsin, one may find curds available for consumption at bars and groceries, but there does not seem to be any report of wearing curds around necks.

The same article reports the find of a 3,200 year old slab of solid cheese in the Egyptian tomb of the mayor of the city of Memphis. There was no indication that the slab was around his neck or even on his head. Oh well, that's how the world curds.

*Martin, "Egyptian Tomb Held 3,200-year-old cheese." Science News, Sept. 15, 2018, p.5
© Daniel J. Kucera