More milk, please

The Good Life with Eli F.J. Tajanlangit

That barely scratched the surface, Good Friend Y said, reacting to that piece on milk and how it is being marketed to Pinoys these days that came out on this space yesterday. You haven’t even talked about soya milk and its many reincarnations and drinks like yogurt and Yakult that are not quite milk but are in fact in the milk shelves, too, Y said, sounding as if I had shortchanged people for not including these in the article.

Okay, okay. I was just thinking aloud, guys. I was in my usual “sang una ya...in the past…” mood the other day and found milk and the modern way it is being sold to within my range of vision. I have not done a scientific study on the matter, nor have I any authority on the subject matter. I was just musing about how things have changed so much from the way they were in the past to now, how the simple matter of drinking milk has become so complicated it now needs expertise as well as erudition to do.

Indeed, as the world enters the age when everything, right down to our personal needs, is designed according to specs, i.e., according to our unique requirements, we are watching an explosion of products meant for specific purposes, milk included.

For example, we now have, even in the mass market, a million and one designs for sports shoes. I understand manufacturers have realigned production so that they now produce lesser volume and more designs.

Yogurt and yakult, which are fermented milk, really produced with strains of bacteria, add to the many and merry mix of milk products in the market now. And yogurt has spawned its own long line of variants, as well: plain ones, flavored with fruits and essences, mixed with dairy cream, and even liquid yogurt. There are now yogurt shakes and yogurt ice-cream, which are now riding high on the wave of health and wellness trends. I have a particular bias for taste that sits in between traditional tastes, like the one that straddles between sweet and sour, this is why I love yogurt, particularly the ice-cream variant.

Yakult is akin to yogurt, except that I think the bacterial strain that is added to the milk is copyrighted by a Japanese scientist so that it has remained as it was when it was first introduced to the market: a drink. It hasn’t been used as an ingredient in any food, well, at least not in anything we are aware of. Besides, given its price, I don’t think it is practical to use it as an ingredient – although, given our frenzied exploration for new tastes and flavors, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a Yakult ice cream out there.

The development of milk of course has been fueled by the market’s needs and wants and this is best exemplified by its retail packaging. But every so often, milk is developed according to how the market uses it. In recent years, we have seen milk fortified and enhanced with other health-boosting minerals. A while back, I also saw something called “Kremdensada” – milk that is supposed to be creamier than the condensed variant we are familiar with but is just as sweet. It is being positioned as a convenient way to do fruit salad and other desserts – you know, just open the can and us it to dress your fruit cocktail. It is, so the wrapper said, also easier to whip.

Before I get another text from Y today, let me also mention the “milk” some people use to feed their babies. It is “milk” produced from rice washings and the froth formed when rice boils. I know some people swear by its nutritional value, aside from calming hungry, wailing babies.

It is called “su-am,” and I’ve tried it, and it tastes very interesting. It is an important number in our culinary culture, pediatric division, and I hope someone finally studies it to settle the question of its nutritional worth.*

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