Monday, June 29, 2009

Breast Milk Ice Cream....Anyone?


What is up with milk? I mean what is it exactly? Last I checked rice, almonds, and soy beans don't have boobs...so how on earth do they have milk? Milk is a vague word. Lets define it:

Milk: 1. a fluid secreted by the mammary glands of females for the nourishment of their young. 2. a liquid resembling milk in appearance as a : the latex of a plant b : the juice of a coconut comprised of liquid endosperm c: the contents of an unripe kernel or grain

Lil' Bit just started to drink a variety of new milks...cows, rice, soy. I even bought her a little hemp milk...why not? I just started putting these new milks in her bottle and tada! She sucked each one down indiscriminately. Humans love milk.

I often ask myself as an adult is it really okay to drink the milk of another species? Or what about cheeseburgers? Animal flesh grilled with its own milk. Delicious...but not so kosher. Then of course there is the whole enslaving of a species to produce the milk, which is a bummer. Milk is for developing baby mammals, and I am just not quite sure that we should be sucking down a tall cold glass of it as adults. No other adult species on earth does it...but I suppose there is quite a few things we crazy old humans do that other adult animals would not...like wax our you know whats.

About a year ago PETA sent a letter to the owners of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream requesting them to start making human milk ice cream instead of bovine milk ice cream. Granted I am all about the amazing health benefits of human breast milk, but that seems just a little much. Factories of women attached to breast pumps...no thank you. Ice Cream is better left to teats not tits, although I have tasted breast milk and it is pretty delicious...tastes kinda like vanilla rice milk only not as sweet.

The first documented use of cow milk as food is from the Middle East. India is the largest producer of milk, then the USA, followed by China. In Hindu culture, the Regveda refers to the cow as a goddess and mother of gods. Any animal responsible for cheese should be worshiped as far as I am concerned...and the culture which discovered this use for milk should be idolized. Cheese is one of the greatest gifts a culture could give humanity.

As a family, we don't really drink that much straight milk, but dairy products are an essential part of our diet. We love cheese. Sweet Grass Dairy is one of our farming partners and let me tell you they make some killer artisan cheeses. They are about an hour and half away in Thomasville, GA but we see them at the farmer's market, and get their cheese shipped directly to the restaurant. They ship all over the country and I totally recommend going to their website www.sweetgrassdairy.com and seeing if there is a cheese there that strikes your fancy.

We recently received a cheese making kit as a gift, and Chef can't wait to try his hand at it...but that will be another post soon to come!

Good Life Quest # 6/ Cheese Please
Go to the grocery store, or local cheese shop and pick out a cheese you have never tried before. Go home, open it up and take a big whiff. Then take a bite. Then try taking a bite while holding your nose. Notice how different it tastes without being able to smell it. Google the cheese, learn a little bit about it, including perhaps what types of foods or wine it goes well with. Pair it with a recommended food or drink and notice how the flavors play off each other. Try it melted and see how warming it also changes the taste. Enjoy!

4 comments:

The Blushing Hostess said...

Oh! I have been desperate to attend one of the Cheese Queen's classes - she is supposed to be, well, a queen at this. But I digress.

My first baby, now two, proved lactose-intolerent but was still able to have cow's milk formulas. When she turned 12 months though, organic milks were no problem! Phew.

My second baby has just been in the hospital with milk allery from ultra sensitive soy formula. Wait, what? I don't get it either. I feel awful for her. However, I need a more homeopathic doc because i am feeling as though no one really knows what is going on - of course there will be issues with milk meant for cows!

However, I was seated sunday next to an organic whole-life nutritionist who explained blood types are likely to blame for reactions whoch are strictly chemical... I want to look into this because it provides both common sense and hope!

Hope you both are well,
Catherine

Nan said...

My daughter had an allergy to dairy in my breast milk, so I had to put her on the allergy sensitive formula while I waited for all the dairy to get out of my system so I could go back to breast feeding. It was a total nightmare...but now she is sucking down organic whole milk no probs. I have a friend who is really into eating for your blood type, and it is something I definitely want to learn more about as well. We hope to see you sometime while you are in the area. Take Care!

Anonymous said...

Does Lil' Bit have a preference yet? Hemp milk is quite tasty. I'd imagine it's rather nutritious as well.
I just made fresh ricotta cheese last night from local Hatcher Dairy's milk for the first time. It looks great, was super easy and really fun. It's rewarding to be able to make your own cheese, even if it's as simple as adding vinegar and a little heat! It's for this tart recipe: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/lasagna-tart-recipe.html Yum!

Medela Symphony said...

I think it's only for babies right!