I went to the store the other day. We needed milk, but they were out of the half-gallon size of 2% milk. So, I bought whole milk. What a difference. The rich taste of the whole milk whisked my memories back to the days when the milkman made deliveries.
You could hear him coming a block away – the engine chugging on the old, white truck and hundreds of glass bottles clinking inside. He was the milkman. Believe it or not, there was a time when you didn’t go to the store to buy milk. Rather, the milk came to you in the milkman’s truck.
We had pasteurized milk in those days. It came in quart bottles with a small paper cap. Before taking off the cap, it was imperative to thoroughly shake the bottle so that the heavy cream on top was blended with the white milk below. Otherwise, your first glass from the bottle tasted more like whipping cream than actual milk.
Homogenized milk began to gradually take over the milk market from the pasteurized version in the late 50s. Pasteurized milk went through a process of heating and then a rapid cooling. This slowed the microbial growth process and helped milk to stay fresh a little longer. But the cream was always on top and the white milk below. Later, a product called 2% milk hit the market. When first introduced to 2% milk, my son Jimmie called it “gray milk”, quite a step down from the richness of whole milk.
Many may recall the days of two-cent milk in school cafeterias. This was a by-product of the National School Lunch Act signed by President Truman in 1946. The intent was to make milk and other healthy foods readily available to children. One half-pint carton of milk generally came with a 25c lunch, but for an additional two pennies, you could order an extra milk. The two-cent milk was also available at recesses.
Beginning in the late 50’s and into the 60’s, the quart jars were gradually replaced with rectangular cardboard boxes, including a new half-gallon size. These boxes allowed more milk to be carried and displayed in a given space than did the old glass bottles.
I can never recall anyone being lactose intolerant when we were growing up, and we all drank milk. Today they offer almond milk, which isn’t milk at all but some sort of white liquid. The whole milk I put on my cereal this week was a refreshing and delicious change from the “gray milk” we have been drinking, which got me to thinking.
There are about 150 calories in a cup of whole milk compared to 125 in 2% milk. Instead of pouring a full glass or bowl, I think I’ll use about 1/8 less and enjoy the more satisfying flavor of whole milk.
