Is this Strange? How do You drink milk? NSFW
 

Apparently the milk that we buy here in Ontario in 4 litre bags (skim, 2% & homo) is an oddity. What say you TFP? I do remember the 4 quart red-handled jugs from back in the 1960's & '70's, but these bags are pretty well common now:




http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/...-us-wierd?bn=1


So we drink milk out of bags. Does that make us wierd?Be the first to comment »
Published 22 minutes agoEmail Print Republish Add to Favourites Report an error Share In her video, Sheryl Ng shows the world how to prepare a milk bag for pouring.


In the video, Sheryl Ng lays out a bag of 2%, a jug and a pair of scissors.

She runs through the milk drinker’s skillset: the proper triangular cut, the cautious first pour, preventive measures to keep an overfull bag from collapsing.

Collectively, the viewing world outside Ontario leaned back in its seat and said, “What. The Hell. Is that?”

“My friends find in pretty amusing, because we all grew up in Toronto,” Ng, a 22-year-old York University student said. “We thought it was normal.”

Apparently not. Ontario, the world has seen your milk drinking habits, and the world now thinks you’re a weirdo.

Ng posted her milk-drinking video as a way of illustrating the differences between Canadians and Americans. They drink milk out of jugs. We drink it out of bags. She titled the whimsical instructional, “Milk in bags, eh?”

When it went viral a couple of days ago, it was retitled “How Canadians Drink Milk.” Any Albertan will tell you that is plain wrong.

On the popular Web aggregator Digg, feeling about Ng’s milk expose is running strong. Commenter sentiment ranges from ‘Whaaaat?’ to ‘Ew’. A few Americans managed to make it a public health-care issue. A few Canadians made it a We-hate-Toronto issue.

“Only in Ontario,” someone reassured the panicky herd. “They also cheer for the Leafs, so you can see where the problem begins.”

They drink bagged milk in Quebec and the Maritimes. But it rarely passes the other direction, across the Ontario/Manitoba border, unless it’s packed away for a camping trip.

“Ahem. This … should read ‘How East Coast Canadians Drink Mlk’,” one uppity cowboy sniffed. “Out west we do it like normal people. Carton or plastic jug.”

Yeah, well, in Saskatchewan they think there are 12 beers in a “case,” so who are they to judge?

Bagged milk also hits an impassable imaginary wall at the 49th parallel. Almost uniformly, Americans are jug/carton people. Wisconsinites, people who know something about dairy, buck that trend.

Among other forward-thinking nations that have warmed up to the plastic udder – South Africans, Argentines, Hungarians and Chinese. Those latter also bag beer, which means we have some catching up to do.

The Soviets used milk bags, though central Europeans rushed to embrace the carton once the Wall came down. For ten shekels, Israelis can buy a Kankomat – a bag-holder that includes its own cutting device.

The U.K. is in the midst of a painful switch to bags, driven by complaints that Britons refuse to recycle jugs. When they first appeared a couple of years ago, the Daily Mail sounded the alarm: “End of the milk bottle? Supermarket begins selling milk in a BAG.”

In 1967, DuPont debuted the milk bag in Canada using equipment developed in Europe. The local dairy industry jumped on the change, happily abandoning the hassle of breakable glass bottles.

For a while, bag popularity lagged behind a new generation of reusable plastic jugs. But bag adoption picked up speed in the mid-70s, spurred by the conversion from imperial measurement to metric.

Retrofitting a bag-making machine from a gallon to a litre was a matter of cutting the plastic in a different spot. Resizing a plastic jug meant redesigning entire production lines.

All Ontario retailers made the switch by 1983 – except Becker’s corner stores. They doggedly clung to their trademark jugs, even after they were absorbed by Mac’s Convenience.

“We still have a core group of customers who have a strong loyalty to the jug,” said Mac’s spokesperson, Bruce Watson. Today, Mac’s sells jugs and bags side-by-side.

The great early ‘80s bag migration of was a matter of no little disruption at the time. Everyone seemed happy buying jugs, and then returning them for a 25 cent deposit. Kids especially. Gen X got fat trading those empty jugs for candy.

At the time, manufacturers pointed out that bags are better at preserving milk. Some finicky types still say they prefer the taste of milk in the carton.

Bags also use 75 per cent less plastic than jugs. What killed the returnable jug system was your uncle’s habit of storing gas or weed killer in it before returning it for washing and reuse.

“I ran a store at the time,” said Watson. “People did bizarre things to those jugs.”

Today’s jugs are shredded and recycled after a single use.

Drinkers discovered that milk in bags costs less than a comparable amount sold in a jug. Mainly, that’s got to do with economies of scale. As bags began to dominate the market, the cost to manufacture single-use jugs jumped.

Today, you can’t find a young Ontarian who remembers that unhappy time when you risked a shoulder injury trying to get a drop of milk out of a 3-quart jug.

Alain Lamarre, DuPont’s marketing and sales manager for liquid packaging, estimates that 75 to 80 per cent of the milk sold in Ontario is bagged. Across the entire country, about half of Canadian milk drinkers use bags.

The other half? They’re still suspicious. Like Stones/Beatles, this is an issue with the ability to divide families.

Ng’s been buried under the response. Enough American doubters piped up that she felt compelled to film a follow-up showing bagged milk at the supermarket, “just to prove it really exists.”

If they think that’s discombobulating, the next entry is going to blow their minds.

“Hey, everyone,” she begins. “Today I’m going to be showing you guys ketchup chips and dill pickle chips.”

I think it's strange because I've never seen it before. I had no idea milk came in bags!

Here in Florida, our milk comes like this:

I just bought a "tri-bag" today.

My question, obviously is how you get the milk oot.

Of course I'm less interested in getting the milk oot than in making fun of the way you guys say "oot".

As with many/most Ontarians my age, I don't recall ever having milk in jugs. I've seen them at the corner store, but these days we don't go through enough milk for that; we just buy cartons and dodge the whole thing.

I do also remember that every family had one of these stuck to their fridge:

http://www.tangiblesltd.com/Images/snippitarray.gif

Probably still do.

ratbastid, milk extraction is accomplished using the above pictured implement, and one of these to hold it:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ic_Pitcher.jpg

I say out perfectly fine, thank you.

ha ha, when I saw this graphic several years ago I thought it was a joke

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...nadianmilk.jpg

Uh hunh, sure. Does it rhyme with "boot" or with "goat"? ;)

I'm from ontario and this is EXTREMELY common. I only drink it from cartons because I have to drink lactaid beatrice milk 2%. if it came in bags, I would be buying those for sure!

Neither.

It rhymes with lout. You know that word, don't you? Means a big, clumsy, oafish fellow?

So does lout rhyme with oat or boot?

In North Carolina (Note Care-linah) in rhymes with fowut.

Alright, to be fair, I'm not trying to divert the discussion at all, but merely adding an anecdote that relates to "milk oddities" and the containers /conveyances in which they once stemmed, and perhaps still remain in establishment.


I know this still may be regarded as common knowledge, but back in the 1950-60s, from when I can recall it was most common, a fair majority of American homeowners living in the suburbs received their milk by delivery. Riding around in their refrigerated trucks, not all too unlike their counterparts from the afternoon (ice cream truck, and in a diferent manner, the mailman), the milkman would make his dailly rounds of both providing milk bottles to suburban families, as well as retrieving the empty bottles once consumed. Throughout the years in which this practice was most commonplace, it would result in a veritable fleet of milkmen that are designated specific neighborhoods to patrol, deliver, and recover bottles to every single weekday. As the refrigeration technique in homes progressed, these daily milk deliveries would be reduced slight to every other day, then to 3 days a week or just a single bulk 6 bottle download for a week's ration. This practice was not only seen in North America (often a synonym for USA) but among her counterparts, being the British isles, European mainland countries, as well as Australia and Russian bloc satellites (though sans modern refrigeration methods). I'm not exactly sure how long this routine of a regulary milk-deliverer endured for, but I would not be surprised to learn if it was maintained for multiples decades.


Also, a personal anecdote for those who have ventured in and around Florida for some time: there are several 'milkstand' establishments that have been operating in Florida for decades now. The basic premise for these mini-stores is simple: they are much like convenience stores, but most of the ones I'm familiar with are exclusively 'drive-thru milk mongers'. You cannot walk around in the 'store', but when you drive up to it, everything that you can buy, say from gum, candy, cigarettes, soft drinks, or the main attraction, discount milk, is in full view from the moment you pull up to the window. Also, a commmon practice for these establishments is to offer a sort of 'incentives card', whereby if you are a frequent visitor, or not, you are offered a card that can be stamped, and once you reach a certain allotment of say, 10 or 12 purchases of single gallons of milk, you get the next gallon of milk free.


Last word: I honestly don't care if my milk comes in a carton, or a bottle, or even a bag, or a plastic jug; nowadays, not even powdered milk fazes me that much, and I've even had it delivered fresh, via pail. But so help me, if it should ever come in a can, I'm finished. (not condensed, mind you; fully drinkable. I use the condensed to make my 'dulce de leche' and caramel)

I don't think I've ever heard a Canadian say "oot" like boot. It is more likely that you will hear "oat" like boat. And even then, it's not the same with everyone.

As for milk in bags, it's a very convenient way to store. The largest containers we have here are 2L plastic jugs. I buy two when I do the weekly groceries. They take up a lot of space in the 'fridge. The bags take up a lot less space and use fewer materials to produce.

My milk comes in a reusable half-gallon Merlon bottle:

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/members...lk-bottles.jpg

Those reusable bottles just make me think... BPA.

I just drink directly from the udder.

It's not a big risk with cold milk containers; BPA leaches out of polycarbonate if it's heated or exposed to acidic conditions. The milk company is trying to find an alternative container but the process is slow-going.

As a huge milk fan (despite the fact that I believe I have a mild intolerance to it) I was pleasantly surprised when I moved from 500 ml tetra paks ...

http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikiped...a_pak_2008.jpg

to Gallon jugs.

The only thing I hate is the over processing of the milk. If I could boil it as soon as it came from the udder myself then that would be rad!

I like my milk bags. :D
And if anyone thinks I'm weird, they can suck it. ;)

ohhh the double meanings there.... haha

:)

I grew up on that!

On a dairy farm. Ever drink raw milk? Non-pasteurized milk. Been so long ago, but I can still recall it being somewhat sweeter. Much tastier.

The whole bag thing seems very inconvenient in comparison to our gallon jug method...

That is weird. We get milk in cartons.

http://www.mimosa.com.pt/mimosa/prod...omeiogordo.jpg

We'd call that a box. We'll purchase soymilk in boxes like that.
One of our cartons looks something like this:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/imag...nCarton144.jpg
These days, we get our milk in gallon jugs. We drink far too much milk to go with a half-gallon carton.

Pasteurization is merely just boiling it to a certain temperature to remove bacteria from it that grows naturally from the cow. The proccessing the milk in the US undergoes is extensive it's not even funny. They remove the best parts of the milk whole milk is no where near as whole as it's supposed to be.

Well, kids died by the bucket load from non pasteurized milk in the early 20th century. So some hysteria is to be expected.

I drink skim, and love it. It's no longer blueish!

What Martian said... you can get those little slicers, or use scissors (i've used a paring knife on occasion).

The lovely young lady does give a demonstration in the attached video...

(and I have only heard Americans say 'oot' when they are trying to imitate us. We pronounce 'out' and 'about' just the way it's supposed to sound, like the word 'lout' as per Charlatan. and lout doesn't rhym with boat or loot, it sounds closest to shout. And shout doesn't sound like shoot.)

Does it sound like "shoat"?

This is what I love about Canadians--they stay good-natured even when you rib them about their oatlandish pronunciation.

ummmmm...... no. Shoat sounds like boat.

just step a little closer and I'll pull your sweater over your head....

I wouldn't recommend drinking non-pasteurized milk now. But in my case it was straight from the cow to the fridge to the table. And replenished each day. Fresher than anything sold in the store. Very little opportunity for bacteria to grow.

The milk has to be boiled before consumption or even refrigeration. The bacteria comes from inside the cow. It helps the calf's stomachs digest and breakdown coarse grass as well as boost it's immunity.

I had the same thing. Though we stored it in bottles, which we had to shake frequently to distribute the cream.

Back when I was a wee lad, I remember my family getting milk delivered. I think it was only twice a week and the milkman would show up around 530-6am.

I don't remember if we ever got glass bottles but I do remember when we started getting either 2 gal. or 3 gal. plastic containers. These were huge rectangular containers that had a spring-loaded spout and you'd lay them on their sides in the fridge. My older brother and I used to run in for a quick drink... no need for a glass, just stick your head under the spout and drink like you would from the kitchen sink.

When my family moved to a different town we, of course, got milk from a different company... and it was in plastic bags. It took a little getting used to but we managed. The bagged milk also weened my brother and I from drinking from the carton/bottle... I think you'd end up with more down your shirt than in your mouth.

For a while, you could get UHT milk in aseptic containers in the United States, too:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uima...09_16-Milk.jpg

Pretty sure it didn't last; Americans are weird about this kind of thing. I like the UHT shelf-stable milk; it makes a good backup for when I run out of fresh milk.

You can still get it, its just hard to find. The funny thing is what people don't realize is that the tiny creamers they get at cafe's are UHT as well. And people use those like gangbusters.

I see! Sufficient ribbing results in vicious Canadian clothing-related assault. Noted.

I'll say "abooooooot" stark naked from now on.

at your own peril.... muaha ha ha....

---------- Post added at 03:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:42 PM ----------



I don't make the rules: Greatest Canadian Invention


What is the single greatest Canadian invention?

Basketball? Pacemaker? Insulin? Kerosene? Standard time? Telephone? Zipper? Alkaline batteries? Blackberry? Electron microscope? Java? light bulb? Wonderbra? No!

While these are all fine inventions, there is one you're overlooking. One that could ONLY have been invented by Canada. I'm talking, of course, about Pulling the Jersey, or simply Jerseying.

Let me describe what this is to our non-Canadian friends. When you're in a fight with a Canadian, they might reach overtop your head and grab your sweater along your upper back. Then, they pull it towards them, over your head. This simple act results in your arms being helplessly straightened upwards by your own sweater. At this point the Canadian is free to "feed" you (punches to the face) until you go down.

Like many great Canadian inventions, like plexiglass, radio and the goalie mask, it was made for hockey. Which, ironically, we didn't invent. While many other countries play hockey, none of them consider fighting such an important part of the game, therefore no one would have invented this had Canadians not.

Inventions like Jerseying make me proud to be Canadian. It's a testament to our creative ingenuity and how we think outside the box.

Afterword:

One time I was bragging to some European guy about our great inventions:
Me: Jacques Plante invented the goalie mask.
European: Oh yeah? When was that?
Me: 1959.
European: What year did Canadians first play hockey?
Me: Oh it goes way back to the mid-19th century.
European: So it took you Canadians 100 years to figure out that the guy getting pucks shot at his head should protect his face?
Me: Uh... yeah.
European: Wow. You should be so proud.

NSFW
 

In a shake...or if it's chocolate. I never liked just plain milk.
Although this looks good.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kx...smdco1_500.jpg

We also get fresh milk in 'cartons'. But the most common is definitely UHT in 'boxes'. :) We also have a hybrid carton/box, which is shaped like your 'cartons' but instead of having a screw top you open the corner by pulling on either end and pour it out that way.

when I was in first or second grade (circa 97-98) I remember kids in my class talking about how the little cartons of milk we were so accustomed to would be coming in little plastic pouches soon. This never came to be, however, I remember thinking it was extremely strange.