I have many friends who are enamored of all things cheese, enjoying the subtle nuttiness of a fribble-frabble cheese or the elastic grassiness of an imported Rückwärtspilzhaus. To me, on the other hand, they all just taste like cheese. My friends would probably enjoy this weekend’s Seattle Cheese Festival. (Word on the street is that it gets really crowded by midday, so get there early.)

I, on the other hand, would struggle to come up with commentary even as insightful as “Gee, that’s salty.” I’d probably start with “Hm, I think this tastes like cheese.” For people like me, here are some tips on putting together a cheese plate.