A few weeks ago, I sat down to eat lunch with my co-workers. Most days, I drink water with my meal, but today I was in the mood for a nice, big glass of cold milk. I poured myself one and sat down to eat. A few minutes later, I noticed my friend Brant staring at the glass with an odd expression on his face:
“You’re drinking milk?”
“Um… Yeah.”
“What are you eating?”
“Club Sandwich.”
Brant looked shocked, suggesting that he found it quite weird to drink milk with lunch. I asked him if he ever drank milk with a meal. “Only breakfast, with cereal. Or dessert.” I found that to be shocking. A large discussion evolved, including everyone at the table. “What if you had a steak — would you drink milk?” “Sure.” “Disgusting.” It was obvious that we were split into two distinct camps: Four (who all happened to come from the same Upstate NY region) who drank milk with our meals growing up. Three (who all happened to grow up in NJ) who found it utterly bizarre to drink a glass of milk with a meal. Especially a savory meal.
We attempted to find the source of this difference. One theory we thought to be promising was the fact that all three of them came from Jewish families. They didn’t keep Kosher, by any means — but, perhaps it was more a habit that had been passed down through the generations. I asked other people, family and friends, trying to break it down by region, etc. — I also posted the question on this site.
The results, so far:
New England: Milk = 5, Water/Juice = 1 (because she hates milk)
Upstate New York: Milk = 5
NYC/LI/SI: Milk = 1, Crystal Light/Iced Tea = 1
Jersey: Iced Tea/Crystal Light = 6
Texas: Milk = 1
Nebraska: Milk = 1
Of these results, no one from a Jewish family drank milk. BUT, they were also all located in New Jersey, which happened to be anti-milk across the board.
Things are still inconclusive. Ideally, we need to get some responses from our Jewish pals our west, to see if things trend more towards the “regional” or “cultural” angle…
Either way, I found it to be a fascinating question. Whenever asked, those from both sides of the “debate” seemed shocked — shocked! — at how the other side lived. Go figure.
Please, feel free to pitch in and ask your friends (or have them send me their answers). It does a body good!
