Desert was generally rare, but that made it something special and appreciated. I remember loving hot, cooked pudding (Jello brand) and pouring a little cold milk in. I've loved that feeling of hot and cold co-existing in my mouth for as long as I can remember. Ice cream was always stirred into a soft-serve consistency, and I was always scolded for playing with my ice cream. I will teach my grandkids how to turn a bowl of hard ice cream to a bowl of soft serve.
It's not that I never had pie, or sticky buns, or cake, or cookies. They just were rare, and truly enjoyed when gotten. It was the same in my house, with my kids. Desert wasn't a regular thing, but when it was served, it was really good.
As for cheese, I never really have thought of it as desert. I have used it as part of a meal, but then, it has to be the right cheese for the particular meal. Usually, I purchase really good cheese. Due to its price, and the fact that really good cheese is rare where I live, it's like desert. DW eats Kraft cheese slices and crackers daily. Me, I want stuff that Kraft just doesn't and can't make. I cut a little slice off, make sure it's left to sit and become room temperature, then take a bite and roll it around in my mouth, slowly chewing and letting every bit of flavor wash over my tongue. I concentrate on the flavors, recognizing the salt, sour, bitter, and sweet components, and how they mingle to make the whole flavor. I concentrate on what's going on in the back of my nose, the aroma. I'm concentrating on the texture, whether it's creamy, or crumbly, how moist or dry it is, whether there is the little mineral crunch, etc. Then again, that's how I experience most foods, including whole milk. When you concentrate on tasting everything that food has to offer, it really makes that eating experience sensual, that is, it briefly takes over your senses, and becomes your whole world, even if it's only for ten seconds or so.
Can you tell that I enjoy what I eat?
And you you know why I love to cook from scratch. Then, I can make it taste the way I want it to taste.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North