Cheese and olives

There are a few things I miss about America (public toilet seat covers, mostly) but I can't for the life of me understand why America has such bad cheese and olives.

You have two olives: Green and black, contrasting mostly for color, not taste, because both taste like water.  And while I can understand why that would be advantageous if put in, say, a martini, I can't understand why you'd eat it.  And, in fact, I rarely did.  When I moved here, however, I practically lived on Kalkidi olives in chili.  (Jess once referred to them as the third person in our relationship.)  The variety and the flavors here are overwhelming--they even have "olive bars" in supermarkets!

Cheese is the same: In America you have 32 types of cheddar, all artificially colored, plus some swiss, mozzarella (dry or stringy), and maybe a brie. (The powdered stuff in the green can is NOT cheese!)  Ever have baked Camembert? Grilled halloumi? Welsh Rabbit on toast?  Goat's cheese tart?  All indescribably delicious.  My favorite, though, is Pie d'Angloys, a French cheese that smells like limburger but tastes like brie.  Amazing.

It was easy being vegan in the States, where cheese tasted much like the plastic it was wrapped in, but since I moved her, I haven't been able to give it up.