What About This…? By Wayne William Cipriano

I was at a meeting the other day and the folks putting on the program set out some snacks for those of us who were attending. One of the goodies they laid out was something I had never seen before. It was a cheese snack called “Mini Babybel.”

Circular, about the diameter of a 50-cent piece, and 3/4” thick, these tiny wheels of cheese come wrapped in cellophane and are sealed within a plastic covering that is removed by pulling a tiny drawstrap that splits the plastic and frees the mini wheel of cheese.

I don’t know why I explained that all, because I am sure you knew what I was talking about the moment I mentioned “Mini Babybel.” Everyone knows about “Mini Babybel.” and, it seems, always has…except for me.

The cheese is really good, and after I removed the outside cellophane wrapper I was enchanted by the fun-to-use drawstrap that opened the plastic covering on the mini wheel that is supposed to resemble the wax covering that protects large wheels of cheese. I couldn’t wait to tell others of my “discovery,” but as I said, everyone already seemed to know about it.

Every person with whom I tried to share this “new” product I had never seen before looked at me with studied ennui and said something like, “Oh, yeah, I really like then. I always have.” And when I effused over the unique packaging, everyone was nonplussed having been opening Mini Babybels with that drawstrap for years.

When did all of these people first come into contact with Mini Babybels, I would ask? Few said they could remember, but it was a long tine ago. Heck, everyone was agreed; everyone knew about them.

Everyone but me.

When I called my bother Jim to set up our bets for the divisional playoffs, I mentioned how surprised I was at how many people were familiar with Mini Babybels and I was not. Jim said he was sure I had had them before, I must have since he knew them so well and has liked them for so long.

My cousin Billy, when asked about them, went into a long rap about how tasty they are and how much fun they are to unwrap. I didn’t even ask him how long he has known about them. He probably would have said he thought he remembered that he first tried them at my behest.

Rosalie, saying she thought I was being sarcastic, laughed when I told her that the cheese snack with which everyone was familiar had somehow escaped my notice. Surely, she declared, I must have had Mini Babybels before.

No! I haven’t! I never even heard of them until the other day! And, I do not understand how all of you can possibly have gotten together to play this massive practical joke on me by pretending I am the only person in the entire world who has not had Mini Babybels cheese snacks before.

Not funny!