Milk Drinkers

[setsuled]

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Milkfed is a Japanese brand, despite the fact that they seem to exclusively feature Caucasian models in their advertisements (a common thing in Japan). At first I thought its name was a reflection of Japan's preoccupation with milk but to-day I learned the brand was launched in the mid-90s by none other than Sofia Coppola.

"What do you mean, 'Japan's preoccupation with milk'?" you may ask.

This is one of the enduring mysteries of Japan for me. Before I came here, I figured living in Japan would be really convenient for me as someone who doesn't drink milk. I'd heard most people in eastern Asia were lactose intolerant. Maybe Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans will remember the line from season seven when the Chinese girl thought Giles was trying to kill her by feeding her ice cream. That would be an awfully inefficient method of murder, wouldn't it?

Anyway, I got here and found that not only did people drink milk but the kids at school had to drink milk and all the teachers apparently drank it too, with the school lunch. I've never been able to get a satisfying answer as to "why". One woman I asked a couple years ago gave me the same answer you'll get if you google it, which is that it was heavily promoted after World War II as a source of nutrition for a malnourished populace and retained a reputation as an exceptionally healthy beverage ever since. I didn't feel like this was enough of an explanation for people to continue drinking it despite the bloating and gas it must cause. I suspect the schools, as government institutions, enforce milk drinking because an industry was built up around it in the mid 20th century and it needs money to survive. And consumers aren't voluntarily buying it in sufficient quantities.

I didn't actually know if I was lactose intolerant, just that at some point milk and many milk products started making me gassy and, in many cases, gave me diarrhea. My mother thought I actually had irritable bowel syndrome and, it's true, other things also set me off. So when I first came to Japan, I decided to really test myself and drank the milk with the school lunch. Mostly, I was fine but there were times when I had to run for the restroom because I would defecate uncontrollably after consuming milk. Obviously this was inconvenient when there were two classes scheduled after lunchtime. I also tend to participate in club activities after school and on one occasion I was with an English club I was very fond of and they were about to present me with a Christmas present when I realised I had to make an urgent trip to the restroom. "Really, now?" said the Japanese teacher. I had to run down all three storeys to the teachers' restroom. The wonderful students kindly waited for me.

After a couple more inconvenient and embarrassing incidents, I realised I had to stop drinking milk. At first I quietly put the little carton of milk back into the box at lunchtime. Someone from the lunch staff would ask "Who didn't drink their milk?" I started telling them that I couldn't drink it anymore. I didn't expect it to amount to much but I was astonished to find it was treated as a very serious issue. People who'd previously been friendly to me became hostile. One vice principal remarked that I was clearly not a real teacher, a favourite bullying tactic among a lot of the staff I've worked with. Some people who liked me would occasionally visibly choose not to drink their milk in solidarity, as mirroring behaviour is a common form of camaraderie in Japanese culture. In the past year, there hasn't been much fuss about my abstaining from milk drinking but recently someone had been quietly putting milk on my lunch tray. I didn't pay it much mind and just took it off my tray. The lady on the lunch staff asked me if I was unable to drink milk, to which I said yes. The next day the main dish on the lunch menu consisted of curried rice. I didn't realise at the time that Japanese curry typically contains milk because most recipes I see online call for cocoanut milk, which is how I always made curry back in the U.S. So I was surprised when I had some painful gas after lunch before realising what had happened. No-one had warned me.

Is this all just because milk is seen as nutritious? Is it all just because of the dairy lobby? I feel like this is one of the mysteries I may never get to the bottom of.

Anyway, the past few days I see everyone online has been talking about David Lynch due to his recent birthday and the anniversary of his death. I have been watching a lot of Lynch's Twin Peaks this weekend so here's a milk related Twin Peaks clip for you:

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X Sonnet 1975

A commanding milk is marching forth to throats.
No year or age can pass without the stream.
The pearly fluid floats the sickly boats.
From mighty udders flows the costly cream.
The bev'rage choice befits an evil bot.
The sort who leads a crew to acid blood.
For every chest the bursting creatures got
The cow would chew a lump of making cud.
A rain of white obliterates the night.
An endless void became a shapeless pale.
The bane of guts would obfuscate a right.
The precious stuff has filled another pail.
'Twas once for only bovine babies meant.
'Tis now to helpless humans daily sent.