Glancing over at the desk of my officemate, Ian, I noticed a familiar and lovely sight. A five-inch cardboard puck adorned with a bright red cow wearing jewelry. Yes, it was The Laughing Cow cheese, and no sooner did Ian spot that covetous look in my eye than he flung that puck in my direction and it was mine. Now I know I have some pretty shameful culinary habits, but Laughing Cow is probably a new low. It smells weird and looks like melted plastic, but smeared across a rye crisp cracker it is the tastiest snack imaginable. My gift from Ian was a double bonus because it was Laughing Cow Light, which means I'll eat twice as much without feeling nearly as guilty. Maybe Laughing Cow is scary to some because it doesn't need to be refrigerated. It was shipped to Ian without ice, and it's placed on the opposite side of the chilled dairy aisle in my supermarket. But "cheese food" this is not. Delving further, I was surprised to discover that Laughing Cow contains some real cheese ingredients, among them cultured milk enzymes, whey, cream, and salt. Maybe it's the sodium preservatives that lend its shelf life magic? Billed as having "Swiss" flavor, originating in France, and made in Wisconsin, it strikes me that this is probably the French equivalent of Velveeta. And while its multinational roots are a tad puzzling, they certainly don't make it any less tasty.