Atan Orofarnë

"He's still out there, somewhere. And I'll find him, Gramps. Even if I have to wait a hundred years, I'll find him."

American Cheese is a processed cheese made of Cheddar, Colby, or similar, combined with Sodium citrate. The Sodium citrate keeps the cheese fats from separating during the pasteurization process.

The patent for processing American Cheese was granted in 1916 to James L. Kraft, a Canadian of German descent who had immigrated to the US in 1904. Pasteurizing the cheese prevents it from spoiling, allowing it to be shipped farther and stored longer. It was actually WW1 that gave Kraft (and his company) their big break, as the US government provided cheese (in tins) to the armed forces abroad.

So no, Project Paperclip here, although the US Armed Forces and Germans were involved. His ancestors left Germany for Mennonite reasons, not because they were Nazis.

That labelling is actually regulated by the FDA, and to call it cheese, it must be 95% cheese, with the rest being milkfat and a few other allowable ingredients.

There are American Cheeses that do just say "Process American Cheese" on the label with no fudging around the "cheese" part. And those really are pretty much just cheese plus an emulsifier, generally the aforementioned sodium citrate. Kraft Deli Deluxe falls into this category, and it is a LOT nicer than the "cheese food product" stuff.

Mostly tastes of cheddar, but it melts really nicely for a burger. And for the other thing that folks have neglected to mention: a really gooey delicious grilled cheese. That's the other place American Cheeses shine. (There are non-processed cheeses that work, but if you want that perfectly gooey interior on the sandwich, American is the way to go.)

Oh! Oh! And on a bagel breakfast sandwich! American Cheese and egg on a warm bagel are just heavenly. Again, that melted gooey goodness of the cheese blends perfectly with the rest of the sandwich. There are a number of places in NYC that make an absolutely divine bagel sandwich with American.

But the real Cadillac of American Cheeses, if you ask me, is Cooper. It's only available on the east coast, unfortunately, and it's a skosh less melty than some others, but it's got a great flavor, a little sharper and more cheddar-y than some of the others.

I swear, one of these days during the winter months we're going to order some, packed in a shipping cooler, from their one distributor who ships nationally. Or just twist my parents' arms into bringing some out with them in their RV fridge when they visit. I legitimately miss being able to go to the deli and get slices.

Fallingwater, most famous private residence in the world

And not even one that's entirely correct, in terms of the house or how it interacts with the terrain around it, which is a critical part of the architecture of this house as Wright designed it. I think this looks like it might be from someone's model train setup, based on a slightly different angle of what's clearly the same model.

It's also definitely not that close to the Youghiogheny River (there is a substantial hillside in between 🟡) nor is situated between it and the rail line 🟣. I've actually driven past (but sadly haven't had the opportunity to visit yet).

(Also Youghiogheny is pronounced roughly like "Yock-a-GAY-knee", similar to "Allegheny", aside from the first syllable.)

I do not know why this has been circulated so much as a real photo, to the point where it's a top result on Google for "fallingwater aerial shot". But here's an actual aerial shot from an official social media account for the property.

And a video that includes a lot of really beautiful angles on and in the home:

Indian Bullfrog (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus), mating, family Dicroglossidae, India

In the breeding season, the males turn bright yellow.

Satyr Tragopan (Tragopan satyra), male, family Phasianidae, order Galliformes, Bhutan

Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica), family Corvidae, order Passeriformes, Morocco

White-throated Magpie-Jay (Cyanocorax formosus), family Corvidae, order Passeriformes, Costa Rica