A tale of two cheeses - Washington, DC

American Demographics, Feb, 1998 by Michael J. Weiss

Washington, D.C., is a town divided between rich and poor, Democrat and Republican. But the most stark division in D.C. may be the one that divides Brie-lovers from Velveeta-eaters.

Washington is a city divided between white and black, rich and poor, Republican and Democrat. But a more telling fault line exists between the fans of Brie cheese and those of Kraft Velveeta. A recent survey of consumer spending reveals a stark contrast between Brie-eaters, who hold down executive jobs and write the laws of government, and the devotees of Velveeta, who maintain the service economy.

The buyers of Brie, the soft and savory French cheese, are concentrated in the upscale neighborhoods of Northwest D.C. and the western suburbs of Montgomery County, Maryland, and Fairfax County, Virginia. The capital area as a whole is a haven for Brie lovers: its 13 percent market penetration rate is more than twice the 5 percent national average. And in the top-ranked zip code, (1) Sandy Spring, MD (20860), nearly 19 percent of households buy Brie. Three-quarters of Sandy Spring residents are executives and white-collar professionals. And a hefty 15 percent are Brie fans in the power center of (2) McLean, VA (22101). McLean is home to Senators Charles Robb (D-VA), Strom Thurmond (R-SC), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Byron Dorgan (D-ND); ex-Senators Alan Simpson and Paul Laxalt; Congressmen John Dingell (D-MI), Michael Oxley (R-OH), and many others; media-politicos Patrick Buchanan and David Gergen; and super lawyers Robert S. Bennett (Clinton defense attorney) and Kenneth Starr (Whitewater special prosecutor).

As a group, Brie fans tend to be college-educated professionals with six-figure incomes and an activist spirit. They are more likely than average Americans to write letters to the editor and contact government officials over current issues. Marketing surveys show that these well-traveled consumers also buy large quantities of imported wine, bottled water, and pita bread. In other words, they possess all the ingredients for that Washington institution--the Brie-and-Chablis party, typically organized for book signings and political fund-raisers. Yet Brie fans aren't entirely predictable. Although a disproportionate number identify themselves as moderate Republicans, they also support leftist causes such as legalizing marijuana and abortion rights.

The aficionados of Velveeta--the rubbery, processed cheese brick developed by Kraft in 1928--live in a different world. They are concentrated in the middle-class, family-filled suburbs of Prince George's County and predominantly black District neighborhoods like Le Droit Park and (3) Anacostia (20020), the home of Washington Mayor Marion Barry. Velveeta buyers tend to be married with children, high-school educated, and employed at modestly paying service and blue-collar jobs. Although Velveeta's market penetration nationwide is 16 percent, the D.C. area average is just 14 percent, and only a handful of zip codes surpass that figure. One of the largest havens for Velveeta consumption is (4) Capitol Heights, MD (20743), where 95 percent of the households are black and 29 percent work for the federal government, although only a small minority of Capitol Heights residents hold executive positions.

Fans of Velveeta appreciate its mild taste (from a mix of Colby and cheddar), lower cost (about half that of Brie), and smooth texture (especially when melted for dips), according to analysts at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Velveeta consumers also gravitate toward supermarket convenience foods such as packaged cold cuts, instant mashed potatoes, Pop Tarts, and Spam. These are products that appeal to what nutritionists term "unsophisticated palates" Velveeta fans tend to be self-described conservative Democrats who express support for school prayer and enjoy listening to Christian music.

While no doubt there are Washington households where residents eat both Brie and Velveeta, there are few zip codes where both are purchased at above-average rates. One is (5) Chevy Chase, DC (20815), where an eclectic population includes home-owning journalists (such as National Public Radio's Susan Stamburg and Newsweek's Eleanor Clift) and a fair number of artists (singer Mary-Chapin Carpenter), along with a smattering of apartment-dwelling nannies from Asia and Central America. But this kind of cheesy mixture is the exception. In most of Washington, there is an almost total lack of crossover appeal between Brie and Velveeta.

"It's a yuppie thing," explains Laura Welch, administrator of the American Cheese Society in Darien, Wisconsin. "Once you taste cheese that's really aged, it's hard to go back to the generic, processed stuff," And in the nation's capital, crossing that cheese line occurs about as often as changing political parties.

Michael J. Weiss is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C., and the author of Latitudes & Attitudes: An Atlas of American Tastes, Trends, Politics, and Passions (Little, Brown, & Co., $14.95).