what exactly are cheese curds? I like almost all cheese so I’m guessing I’d like cheese curds, even though they don’t sound good.
It doesn't sound good because it probably sounds like "curdled" which is kind of what it is. It's part of the cheese-making process when dairy starts to curdle into cheese after rennet is added. To form normal cheese, the curds are then pressed together to form the blocks of cheese you normally see in the store.
See quick vid on how cheese is made. Curds appear at 19 sec mark.
But the curds are just dollops of cheese. They're often a bit rubbery and squeak when you eat them fresh. (Tons of fun.) They can also be breaded and fried. On poutine, I believe they're melted a bit because of the hot fries and gravy. I haven't had poutine because I'm not a fan of gravy. And I do like my curds cold and squeaky as opposed to melted or fried.
It's basically cheese but has a very light flavor.