Archive for October 20th, 2007:
Don’t Drink the Milk
Just a little shopping tip in case any of you ever move to Japan: milk here isn’t what it is in the US. You can’t find much other than whole milk, and it generally only comes in 1 liter bottles. On top of that, it’s expensive as hell.
That said, there are a number of perfectly drinkable milks here, and if you mix them with cereal the difference doesn’t matter at all. However, one brand has been a thorn in my side and a repeat offender for me: Meiji Milk. This particular brand has a nice looking carton with happy little cows grazing in a field. However, the smell and taste betrays the secret of its name: this milk actually tastes like it was made during the Meiji period.
I bought it the first time because it had enough English on it to convince me that it was actually milk, and not some other strange white liquid (believe me, there is no shortage of that here). It was terrible, but I hadn’t had milk in weeks so I drank it anyway. The second time I bought it, I gave it the benefit of the doubt… boy was I wrong. The last time I drank it was because there are so many milk cartons that look very similar that I accidentally picked it up again while specifically trying to avoid it.
I just went shopping, and I definitely did not buy Meiji Milk. I’m hoping this new brand (all in kanji, so I don’t know what it says) is actually drinkable, and is actually milk for that matter…