1967 was a very good year for milk, it was the first time I actually remember drinking the stuff in vast quantities. We would always run out too, probably due to my gluttony and love of cereal. No need to go to the shop for more though, we would simply roll up a note and stick it in the top of an empty bottle and Arthur our milkman would drop off an extra order.
Full fat was the way we had it with the cream at the top, none of this homogenized nonsense, or 1%, 2% fat, just pasteurized to prevent mad milk disease. We had 2 choices of milk back then, normal and Jersey milk, which is a rich creamy milk very high in protein and good fat content. It’s the 18 year single malt of milks.
The FDA’s definition of milk is “The the lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy mammals”. Milk therefore is, by definition, NOT Almond Milk, Soy Milk, Cashew Milk, Hemp Milk, Coconut Milk, Rice Milk, Pea Milk, Lentil Milk, Italian Squash Milk…the list is endless.
Milk is also a verb, which involves grabbing the animals teat, squeezing and pulling on it and extracting the liquid. Last time I checked almonds don’t have teats and I have never seen anyone successfully milk a coconut.
So how did all these non milk come to be. Clever marketing and preying on fear, and weak minded people like Cassandra in Newport Beach who suddenly develops stomach pains after drinking milk. Others follow on despite not being lactose intolerant or allergic to milk, but are like sheep and follow the stupid fads of their friends, despite the fact that almond milk has nowhere near the protein levels of cow’s milk and is not a good source of calcium.
Let’s face it humans have been drinking milk for 7,500 years and we will continue for another 7,500, be it from cows, goats or camels. So I suggest we rename those imposters calling themselves milk and kick them out of the dairy section. Isn’t Almond Milk or Almond Flavored Water is coming to a store near you in 2017.