The Rediscovery of Milk and other foods

[weinoo]

Milk is not something I normally drink. Nor have I normally drunk milk for the past, oh, let's say my whole adult life. Oh sure, I may throw a splash into a cup of coffee when I'm forced into buying a cup of coffee while on the road; I'll certainly use it when making gelato or ice cream, but as I said, it's not something that takes up any space in my refrigerator.

Until recently, that is. On a whim, I decided to buy a quart of milk. Not just plain-old milk, but milk from NY State, from grass-fed cows. Label claims it's organic, too. And unhomogenized as well, which was certainly recognizable as soon as I opened the container and saw the big glug of cream on top.

And you know what? It was freakin' delicious. My taste memory of milk is not that great, but this stuff had to be better than any milk I can recall drinking. Creamy, sweet and delicious, that milk was. When I ran out, I bought some more, only this time I went with skim (2%, anyway) and it was still delicious. Now I'll drink 1/2 a glass with a biscotti occasionally, but it's even better with 2 Mallomars! Who knew?

So I'm wondering; are there any foods you've given up for a long time and now you're back to eating again? And was milk always this good?

[Jaymes]

I remember a couple of decades with no peanut butter. Thought about it a time or two, but it didn't sound all that good. Was smugly congratulating myself for my "adult tastes."

Then I made a PB&J for one of my children. Just thought I'd have a quick taste.

Big mistake.

I'm definitely back on the PB train.

As for milk, can't help you there. We all love it in our family. Always have.

[lancastermike]

Milk is not something I normally drink. Nor have I normally drunk milk for the past, oh, let's say my whole adult life. Oh sure, I may throw a splash into a cup of coffee when I'm forced into buying a cup of coffee while on the road; I'll certainly use it when making gelato or ice cream, but as I said, it's not something that takes up any space in my refrigerator.

Until recently, that is. On a whim, I decided to buy a quart of milk. Not just plain-old milk, but milk from NY State, from grass-fed cows. Label claims it's organic, too. And unhomogenized as well, which was certainly recognizable as soon as I opened the container and saw the big glug of cream on top.

And you know what? It was freakin' delicious. My taste memory of milk is not that great, but this stuff had to be better than any milk I can recall drinking. Creamy, sweet and delicious, that milk was. When I ran out, I bought some more, only this time I went with skim (2%, anyway) and it was still delicious. Now I'll drink 1/2 a glass with a biscotti occasionally, but it's even better with 2 Mallomars! Who knew?

So I'm wondering; are there any foods you've given up for a long time and now you're back to eating again? And was milk always this good?

Whole milk=3.5% fat

2 percent=2% fat

Skim=0.00% to .05% fat

Thus 2 percent milk is not the same as skim milk

But milk is wonderful stuff always drank it and always will. Here in the country I can get it from dairy farmers right from the cow. it is lovely.

[Darienne]

We did didn't eat meat for about 30 years. Then we became less meatarians. We are not big meat eaters, but we do enjoy some, particularly pulled pork. Yummmm...

I didn't eat ice cream past childhood. My parents got one of the earliest freezer plans with big containers of ice cream...which I learned to loathe quickly. Thus I never ate the stuff. Then I bought a 2nd hand Ice Cream maker two years ago for $5...I have no idea why...made my very first homemade ice cream and was away to the races. OMG!!! :wub:

[andiesenji]

I've always loved milk and drink it every day. I really have a problem drinking non-fat milk. It may be healthy but it has a flavor I don't like. My cholesterol and triglycerides are low so I'm not worrying about it.

The only things I did not eat for a number of years were melons because one of the allergists I consulted told me I had an allergy to melons.

I carefully avoided eating them for at least fifteen - twenty years until I had an interesting (and delicious) salsa that, after consuming quite a bit, I learned was made with melons.

I had no allergy symptoms so I tried a melon on its own, no problems.

Since then I have consumed melons with no problems at all. Apparently the allergist misinterpreted the scratch tests on my back or had one mislabeled.

In any even, I am very happy, I love melons!

[xxchef]

Milk is not something I normally drink. <snip>Until recently, that is. <snip> It was freakin' delicious. <snip> And was milk always this good?

Welcome back to reality, Mitch! Yes, good milk was always that good. The trick is in finding good milk.

Industrial dairy products may, on whole, be a lot of things (readily available, inexpensive, safe to consume etc) but they are usually not very good - at least when compared to what they could and should be. As with so many things in today's grocery stores, peak product quality and exceptional product flavor are simply not the primary focuses of the system that brings milk to market these days.

I get probably half a dozen dairy industry periodicals sent to me. Do you know when the last time I saw an article about a company who was making great tasting milk? Never. Creative marketing: all the time. Innovative packaging: constantly. Cost saving production upgrades: every issue. Latest and greatest "functional ingredient" advances: yada, yada, yada. And let's not even talk about the widespread use of hormones, defoamers etc in large-scale dairy settings. Yuck.

Tasting good dairy after submersion in mass market dross is like the first bite of heirloom tomato, warm off the vine after a winter's worth of hard, tasteless supermarket specials. Epiphany! (quickly followed by "Why did I even eat that other crap?") Viva la revolucion!

[andiesenji]

In Southern California, if one lives near a store that carries it, there is Broguiere's milk which indeed, tastes the way milk is supposed to taste.

No store up here in the Antelope Valley now carries it but there used to be several - all now taken over by other chains or closed.

I have to drive down to Santa Clarita to buy it at the Whole Foods market.

Huell Howser - on PBS has done two shows over the years about Broguiere's and there have been mentions in magazine and newspaper articles, as well as a large number of online posts

A couple of weeks ago one of the Charlie Sheen bits that was widely aired shows him holding a bottle.

I know someone who lives at June Lake and flies his own plane down to the El Monte airport twice a month to pick up a few cases of Broguiere's as well as produce and other supplies for their B&B that are not readily available up there, especially in the winter months.

If any milk could be said to be addictive, this is one. The Strauss Family creamery milks are also very good but I like Broguiere's better.

I particularly like milk in bottles, it may be my imagination, but it just tastes better.

[Lindacakes]

It's about the quality of the milk. I can't drink grocery store milk and I like it from a bottle, I think it picks up a taste from the carton. I've been drinking Milk Thistle from the farmer's market.

Nothing washes down a brownie quite the same way.

And it elevates oatmeal to dizzying heights, especially if full fat and properly dressed with muscavado sugar and dried white peaches . . .

[nolnacs]

And it elevates oatmeal to dizzying heights, especially if full fat and properly dressed with muscavado sugar and dried white peaches . . .

I'm going to have to disagree. Undried peaches are essential! That is my preferred breakfast - steel cut oats cooked in whole milk with a bit of sugar, some raisins and topped with peaches. Sadly, I've used up all the peaches that I froze from last year.