Asa really, really, really loves cheese.
Judging by the number of people who say things like, "I could totally be vegan if I didn't have to give up cheese," it's safe to say that cheese is favorite staple among the general population. Apparently, Americans in particular are big cheese fans, with the U.S. alone producing a whopping 523 varieties of cheese and 96% of Americans saying they consume cheddar cheese regularly.
But perhaps no one is as big a fan of cheese as a toddler named Asa, whose heartbroken reaction to having his cheese shreds taken away has people crowning the wee one King Cheesehead and begging for his mom to give the not-yet-2-year-old all the cheddar he wants. Though he only says the word "cheese," he manages to take viewers on an entire emotional journey in this video with over 18 million views:
With some combination of "Yeah, same, kid," and "Give that boy all the cheese his heart desires," the consensus was loud in the comments:
"That is not a tantrum cry, that is true pain. 😭"
"Oddly enough, I have the same reaction."
"Me too, bud. Me too."
"That’s a normal human reaction when cheese is taken from anyone. If you don’t react like this, I’d be concerned."
"Don’t you ever take the cheeeeee again from my little ginger baby!!!!"
"Internet Auntie here and I’m on the way Ginger."
"Ready to send the U.S. military after mom."
"DON'T MAKE THIS PAWPAW COME OVER THERE!!😡😡 Quit messin' with that baby's cheese!😍"
Wallace And Gromit Cheese GIF Giphy
"The cheese police are on their way ma’am, taking away a precious angels cheese is a felony."
"I'm his lawyer and I can confirm you are indeed not allowed to confiscate his cheese again."
"Give him an Oscar. He just expressed Love, fear, pain, forgiveness and gratefulness only using one word 🫶. 'Cheeeeesee.'"
"His only lines are four 'cheese's but he won Academy Awards for Best New Actor already. 🥰"
This is not Asa's only viral cheese experience, by the way. Like the true cheese lover he is, he also represented his fellow cheddar heads by demonstrating a perfect example of "cheese rage," the dairy equivalent of "cute aggression." It just builds and builds until his little body can't contain it.
And now Asa has a die-hard fan base of followers who relate to his cheese obsession.
"I’ve never met someone who MAY, in fact, like cheese more than me. 😂"
"Someone called him RON CHEESELY on the viral cheese reel and I can only think of that name every time I see him. He’s so adorable. I hope Santa brings him lots of cheese this Christmas."
"Cheese Baby™️ brings me so much joy. And evidently the whole world. Please give him lots of hugs 🫂"
"Love it! My husband just heard it too and came running in - is it a new cheese baby video?!! Wishing you all the best for the festive season - and thanks for sharing the cheese love. It makes so many of us smile! 😁"
"I watch every video of my new cheese nephew at least 42,458 times. He looks SO much like my little brother when he was little! Please let us gather and pray to the cheese baby mother so we can continue to be gifted with more cheese baby videos! ❤️❤️❤️"
"The Cheese council should make this cute guy their spokesman. Every video of him I watch makes me want to eat some."
"He needs to be paid for all the promoting of cheese. My whole family just keep saying cheeeeese. 🤣🤣"
What is it about cheese that makes it so delectable? It's hard to go wrong with fat and salt, of course, but some people have gone so far as to claim that cheese is addictive, largely due to a misreading of a 2015 study on food addiction and specific foods' impact on the brain. According to Houston Methodist, "There's no scientific evidence that cheese is addictive or that it significantly affects the brain similar to drugs or alcohol. That's not to say that eating cheese can't affect your brain's reward center, which may even cause you to crave it from time to time. But food cravings aren't the same as addictions. And they're also not specific to cheese."
Like all of us, Asa does eat other things besides cheese, of course. Check out his "charCUTErie" board meal:
Straight for the cheese first. Kiddo knows his priorities.
For more Cheese Baby videos, you can follow Asa's mom on Instagram.