It's yummy, it's cheesy, it's a roll model!

MANILA, Philippines - I love cheese and anything cheesy — and that includes cheesy movies, cheesy teleseryes, cheesy jokes, cheesy quotes, cheesy pick-up lines, cheesy pop songs. Gee whiz, I practically grew up on cheese! In school, it was my favorite baon — in fact, I think I had it daily and never once did I complain or tire of it. I would make my own sandwich at home, laying the cheese on real thick. For me, the cheesier, the better. But before piling those big fat slices of cheese on top of my bread, I would smother it with gobs of butter for a guilt-free indulgence. For me, cheese always tastes better with butter — it’s a perfect storybook marriage, they’re simply made for each other. And we’re meant to be together happily ever after — me, my cheese, and my butter.

Geez, It's Cheese!

For ages now, cheese has been a part of the diet of people in Europe and practically every country in the world that has a cold climate. I guess it’s the high-protein cheese that fuels them up and keeps them warm when the thermometer dips below zero.

This may sound cheesy to you, but I think a lot of dishes taste a little better with cheese. Cheese adds a creamy texture and taste to food that simply makes the taste buds tingle.

Believe it or not, some 5,000 cheese-inspired dishes concocted by Pinoy cooks were featured at an event held in 2009 to vie for a spot in the pages of The Guinness Book of World Records.    

The great thing about cheese is it’s good for the bones and teeth. Cheese is rich in calcium for strong, healthy teeth, and strong, healthy bones. Looking back, having had more than my fair share of cheese and milk, I need not fret about osteoporosis when old age starts creeping up on me. Or if you’re an athlete and you need to bulk up, cheese may work wonders for you. One more thing: Did you know that calcium is also good for people who suffer from migraines? Wow! I must have such a formidable reservoir of calcium I don’t have splitting headaches except maybe once or twice a year. And to all ye beauty-conscious women out there: Cheese is good for the skin as it contains B vitamins that help keep the skin healthy and glowing.

Through the years, I’ve not been able to kick my cheese habit — I guess it’s an incurable addiction. Even now, my heart turns to a putty at the mere sight of cheese. Until now, whenever I get a snack attack, I reach for my favorite cheese, which I keep handy in the ref at home. I even bring some to the office to share with my officemates in the middle of presswork when our weary spirits need a quick filler-upper to wash away the day’s blahs and shake off the blues.

Say “Yummy Cheese Roll!”: This nutritious, delicious cheese snack from Red Ribbon will make you roll over with delight.

Roll over, here it comes!

And now that I’ve grown older and wiser, I no longer make my own cheese sandwich — thank goodness, I no longer have to clean up the mess I leave behind in the kitchen. Now, I simply have to comb the pastry shops for anything cheesy I could find. And guess what I just found? Clue: Of course, it’s something cheesy, but it’s also something truly yummy you’d roll over in sheer delight! Why, it’s Red Ribbon’s Yummy Cheese Roll! I’m a self-confessed shopaholic, and in the middle of a shopping marathon, I make a dash for my favorite snack at any of Red Ribbon’s cozy outlets. I like snacking on those little sweet treats that instantly appease my grumbling tummy like Red Ribbon’s all-time favorite ensaimada, which I never fail to bring as pasalubong for my sister who lives in Canada, the good old mamon, brownies, mango bars, cinnamon rolls, empanada, banana crunch — which are conveniently sold in pasalubong packs so you can just pick ’em and go, and bring home to family or hoard for yourself to satisfy your cravings anytime, anywhere. And now, with the Yummy Cheese Roll that’s been added to Red Ribbon’s family of great little snacks, I have one more sweet reason to keep going back to Red Ribbon.

Cross my cheese-loving heart, the first time I tried the Yummy Cheese Roll, it was love at first bite. It’s got that yumminess that I have never tasted before in a cheese snack. Is it the bread or is it the cheese? Both!

So Light, So Tight!

I’m a bread eater — good (high-fiber) bread is one of the healthiest foods around. Yummy Cheese Roll’s bread is everything I want in a bread. It’s so deliciously light it melts in my mouth. It’s so deliciously light I could easily demolish three Yummy Cheese Rolls (or even four or more) in one sitting. It’s so soft to the bite, but not at all spongy and soggy. It’s got that good chewy feeling. It’s oh-so-tasty, sprinkled with just the right amount of minute sugar crystals that add an irresistible crunch to the bread. It smells so good and so fresh you can be sure there are no chemicals added. Imagine the fragrant aroma of bread fresh off the oven — it’s enough to make you feel good on a bad hair day.

Let’s cut to the chase and go straight to the cheese in the Yummy Cheese Roll. You can taste the generous cheese fillings throughout the roll, from the first bite right down to the last. Now, you know your P24 (the cost of a single Yummy Cheese Roll) can go a long, long way. It’s real cheesy goodness — no artificial ingredients here — guaranteed to delight the taste buds and warm the hearts of cheese lovers.

Surely, this will be an instant hit with adults and children alike looking for a nutritious snack vis-à-vis the junk food we’ve been so used to snacking on. Note that a British study has linked junk food to lower IQ in children as junk food lacks the vital vitamins needed for cerebral development. With Yummy Cheese Roll, mommies can now provide a nutritious, quality, better-tasting snack for their children when they’re in school — it’s like moms’ way of being there in spirit when they’re not around to supervise what their kids are eating. Truly a roll model, this yummy cheese snack!

They’re so conveniently packed, too, mommies can just slip a Yummy Cheese Roll or two or more in their kids’ lunchboxes. As for me, I simply squeeze a Yummy Cheese roll — or a whole pasalubong pack of six — into my really huge bag that also holds, among an assortment of paraphernalia, a bottle of mineral water. The better to enjoy my Yummy Cheese Roll on the run! Gee, it sure pays to bring really ginormous bags!

Of course, Yummy Cheese Roll goes best with coffee or a cup of hot choco. I have yet to try eating it in the store, where your Yummy Cheese Roll is served with whipped butter on top. Whoopee! When I eat it at home, usually as a nightcap, I heat it in the toaster — and voila! A grilled Yummy Cheese Roll that thrills no end! I lay it ever so gently on a saucer and surrender myself to this nightly indulgence while curling up with a good book. I partner my Yummy Cheese Roll with low-fat milk, and then I’m off to sweet slumber!

Say “Cheese!” Better yet, say “Yummy Cheese Roll!”