Got Milk?

I haven’t forgotten about my blog, I just haven’t had much that interesting to say. After months of living in a hotel and being away from my husband, my cat, and my belongings, I am in fact just enjoying “playing house.” Shopping, cooking, and cleaning don’t make for interesting blog posts, though.

My biggest excitement yesterday was not buying the car from my friend, but getting the vacuum cleaner and microwave oven. I will probably be using these appliances more often than the car anyway. I did drive to work this morning because it was raining. I can hardly believe that for the 2 weeks I didn’t have a car, I did not get rained on once! It rained plenty, but not when I was biking to and from work. How lucky is that?

At any rate, I have another Dutch observation for you. This time, it’s about milk. The Dutch people drink tons of milk. I’m not sure if I believe that drinking milk makes you grow taller, but there seems to be a positive correlation here in the Netherlands. In the US, I’m considered a bit short. Here, I’m freakishly short – bordering on midget. As an example, the built-in microwave oven in my kitchen is at the height of my nose making it impossible to see the food. My husband on the other hand, who is considered quite tall in the US, is just plain normal here.

At this point I must let everyone know that my Mom tried very hard to get us kids to drink our milk. She dutifully served us milk with every meal and despite our constant complaining, never gave up the fight. Of course, since my Mom is shorter than me, all the milk in the world wouldn’t have made me tall.

I still don’t like milk very much. It’s OK on cereal and for cooking, but I cannot bring myself to drink a glass of milk. Yuck! Like most Americans, I drink pop with my lunch and water at dinner. Despite the high cost of Diet Coke, I allow myself the luxury every day at lunch. I’m definitely in the minority on this one.

A couple weeks ago, I attended a training program at work that included lunch. I was shocked to see that milk was the only beverage supplied at lunch, no iced tea, no pop, no bottled water. And no complaints about it either! In the US, there would have been a mutiny!

Most people drink half-fat milk which is about 1.5% fat. Buttermilk is also a popular option. You can get skim milk, but it’s hard to find. At the grocery store, we can only get skim milk in 1 liter containers, which is about 1 quart. Yogurt and yogurt smoothie drinks are common also. Some of them are quite good – but I’m still attached to my Diet Coke!