82: Buried Below pt.1: The Big Cheese

Grant Thomas
Dec 4, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Aug 7

"Where is the secret government underground cheese cave?" The question is simple enough, the answer has more holes in it than a slice of Swiss cheese.

In this first part, Grant leads us into the hidden infrastructure that holds America together and the weird, wild stories buried beneath our feet. From Milwaukee’s decaying sewer system to a president with a dairy obsession, this episode uncovers how literal underground systems mirror the unseen pressures of urban life, identity, and survival. With his usual mix of curiosity and chaos, Grant reveals the history of American cheese, why it is called "government cheese". why American cheese looks and taste the way that it does, and what is underground Springfield, Missouri. A journey back in time and down below this week!

Chapters/Key takeaways to listen for

[00:00:00] Catch-Up
[00:21:40] The Big Cheese: Milwaukee’s hidden pipes and why they’re vital
[00:28:58] Toilet Time Bombs: How gas leaks and design flops turned loos into hazards
[00:46:30] The Cheese Wheel Incident: Jackson’s 1,400-lb White House cheese debut
[00:57:44] Dairy Propaganda: What rotting cheese said about power and image
[01:09:22] Buried Time Capsules: Forgotten bombs and plaques beneath our streets
[01:28:11] Infrastructure & Identity: What our pipes reveal about society
[01:37:33] Subterranean Mysteries: Legends and dangers in abandoned tunnels
[01:58:45] Buried Economy: How plumbing shaped labor, race, and class
[02:09:30] Smell, Shame & Surveillance: How bad odors became tools of control
[02:21:12] Underground Mirror: Why our buried fears define us
[02:34:57] Final Flush: A poetic wrap-up on waste, hidden labor, and why it matters

Photos Referenced:

Quotes:

"Ronald Reagan, famous hater of poor people and gay people, oversees the period where the horrific and harmful stereotype of a welfare queen emerges." - Grant Thomas
“By the time Carter leaves office in 1980, the government is buying one in every four pounds of cheddar cheese." - Grant Thomas
“We don’t just build over history, we flush it, forget it, and hope it doesn’t come back up.” - Maia Warner
“Infrastructure tells the truth about a city, even when the people in charge don’t.” - Maia Warner

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