A terrible event seems to have transpired. Gina Marie cream cheese, produced by Sierra Nevada, has disappeared and been replaced by Gina Marie cream cheese spread. I talked with someone in their operation, and they swear it’s the same – same ingredients, same process, same product – but a side by side taste test, conducted before the original was taken off the market, revealed important differences. Especially: the original cream cheese was dense and crumbly and could be spread only on a hot surface, like a freshly toasted bagel. The spread was smooth and airy, and spread easily on anything. And: the original was tangy and cheesy, while the spread was milky and bland. It was as if the progeny of Philadelphia had finally completed their takeover of the cream cheese universe. No longer would an aggressive white substance hold its own against the onslaught of lox from above and garlic bagel from below. It was the end of an era.
Is this true? Is it really over? Are we all Philadelphians now?
