Soy Milk

When my grandmother Nettie was in her 80’s she came to visit us here on the Island for the first time. We had a grand old time, and helped her accomplish many “firsts” for her life: first time she ever went through a drive-thru (the source of my favorite story: I’m in the drive-thru line, placing my order, and Nettie, from the back seat, says “who the hell are you talkin’ to?”); the first time she ever went to a brash rock and roll-drenched movie; the first time she ever ate lobster.

It was a fun visit.

About the second or third day, I came down for breakfast and noticed that she was putting cream and sugar in her coffee. This was unusual, as I’d always remembered her taking her coffee black. When I asked her why she’d changed she told me that she’d been drinking coffee black for 60 years and had never tried it with cream and sugar. Earlier that year she had and, much to her surprise, she said, “it just tastes a lot better.”

In this same vein, Brian Cudmore announced to me the other day that he had started drinking soy milk. And he likes it. A fact confirmed to me by the feisty woman at the Uncommon Grocer who sells it to him (and who went to school with Brian’s daughter [PDF file]).

It goes without saying that it has not been an easy couple of weeks for the Cudmore family and their employees, but it’s heartening to know that, in the midst of all the hullabaloo, soy milk can sneak up and seize the day. Not because it tastes better (does it?), but simply as proof that no matter who you are and what’s going on, if go off the beaten track once in a while, you might just find you’ve been missing something all along.

And that’s a lesson we can all take something from.

Comments

Alan McLeod's picture
Alan McLeod on September 7, 2001 - 14:48 Permalink

Check out President’s Choice Vanilla which I use on my cereal in the morning — 1.99 a litre. There is lots of thought that soy is the dietary component that differentiates Asian and North Amercian diets and explains the very much lower rate of heart disease and cancer. I am not a big food + health faddy but this is such an easy accomodation that I have found I am keeping with it.

Kevin O's picture
Kevin O on September 7, 2001 - 17:52 Permalink

I’m kinda wondering if you’ll ever tell “the world” the “Goat Parade” story…

Peter Rukavina's picture
Peter Rukavina on September 7, 2001 - 18:13 Permalink

By the way, it’s Brian Cudmore’s birthday today. Honk your horn if you see him around town.

Oliver Baker's picture
Oliver Baker on September 8, 2001 - 02:05 Permalink

Soy milk is passe. The new millennium belongs to rice milk (try it for a thousand years and you’ll never go back).

Sandy Nicholson's picture
Sandy Nicholson on September 8, 2001 - 06:29 Permalink

I have to weigh in on the soy milk, rice milk debate. I have not been able to drink my much-loved soy milk for over a year now (because of a food sensitivity with my breastfeeding daughter) and have switched to rice milk. I find soy milk much richer and creamier and at times still long for a glass. I have to admit that as soon as I can go back to soy milk, I will.

Alan McLeod's picture
Alan McLeod on September 8, 2001 - 20:20 Permalink

Does rice milk have the same or similar “I’ll never really know” health claims attached to it as soy milk?

Gary's picture
Gary on July 25, 2005 - 21:33 Permalink

If President’s choice Soy milk is so
good. Why do so few stores stock if.
I can’t find it anywhere.