How is cheese alive?

Here's why:

* No cells: Living things are made up of cells, the basic building blocks of life. Cheese is a product made from milk that has been curdled and aged, but it doesn't contain any living cells.

* No metabolism: Living things take in nutrients, convert them into energy, and produce waste products. Cheese doesn't perform any of these metabolic functions.

* No growth or reproduction: Cheese doesn't grow or reproduce on its own. It only changes as a result of the aging process, which involves chemical reactions.

* No response to stimuli: Living things respond to changes in their environment. Cheese does not respond to stimuli in any meaningful way.

While cheese is made using living organisms (like bacteria and mold) during the aging process, these organisms are not part of the cheese itself. They are simply used to create the unique flavors and textures we associate with different types of cheese.

So, while cheese is delicious and complex, it is ultimately a food product and not a living organism.