Japanese Milk

[Bingo]

Hey everybody,
I've found that I really enjoy the donuts here in Japan. Seriously, I like the convenience store donuts here better than a Krispy Kreme or a Dunkin'.

When I'm eating donuts, I like a nice cold glass of 2% or whole milk. So last night I go grab a donut and some milk.

I open up the milk and it just didn't smell quite right to me. Not like it was sour or spoiled, just... weird. I tasted a little and it was just bad. It kinda had like a shrimpish taste. Now that I think of it, shrimp flavored milk doesn't sound outside the realm of possibility here in Japan. I can't read Japanese yet, so, for all I know it is something like that.

This is the kind of milk I bought. Is all the milk here like that? Did I get a bad one? Or did I buy some weird shrimp milk? Any tips for getting good milk?

On a separate note, I might try this milkybaby place. I may or may not bring donuts.

 

[MikeH]

That milk is unhomogenized, no wonder it tasted strange.

On the other hand I think all milk in Japan tastes bad. That's why they cannot make decent cheese either.

 

[Bingo]

Oh man. That makes sense I guess. I just bought another one and it smells the same and tastes slightly less disgusting. I still can't drink it though. Could you possibly tell me how it says homogenized and un-homoginized in Japanese? Google translate says
Kinshitsu-ka sa remashita
均質化されました
Is that right?

 

[MikeH]

It says 成分無調整 where the middle kanji is the important one. Homogenised would be 成分調整.

 

[Bingo]

It says 成分無調整 where the middle kanji is the important one. Homogenised would be 成分調整.

Hey Mike,

Thanks for that.

 

[BIPSY]

YMMV but I always just buy this stuff at 7-11 and it tastes fine to me

http://7premium.jp/product/?e=4241

That's the low fat one, the whole milk is

http://7premium.jp/product/?e=4244

I'm not too picky though, can't remember the last time I had milk and thought it was weird.
For my money 7-11 has the best donuts of the convenience stores as well!

 

[Bingo]

YMMV but I always just buy this stuff at 7-11 and it tastes fine to me

http://7premium.jp/product/?e=4241

That's the low fat one, the whole milk is

http://7premium.jp/product/?e=4244

I'm not too picky though, can't remember the last time I had milk and thought it was weird.
For my money 7-11 has the best donuts of the convenience stores as well!

Thanks man. I'll try that one.

 

[zer0ed]

The low temperature treated milk is pretty good. You will have to look a bit through the fine print a little bit and the shelf life isn't as good. But I personally like the taste of milk with more than 3% MF. Not healthy but once in a while is okay.

Oh look for 低温 if ur interested.


On a semi-off note: anyone just LOVE the soft serve at COSTCO???

 

[e-smile]

Oh man. That makes sense I guess. I just bought another one and it smells the same and tastes slightly less disgusting. I still can't drink it though. Could you possibly tell me how it says homogenized and un-homoginized in Japanese? Google translate says
Kinshitsu-ka sa remashita
均質化されました
Is that right?

I know this one, bought it once and I'll never buy it again.
I wasn't satisfied with most milk there but this one was among the worsts.

 

[roots reggae]

I do not drink milk. I have never liked it. When growing up, a chronological term-in my mind it's an ongoing process, I was forced to drink milk and felt sick every time I did so. No, not lactose intolerant, just tastes gross!

That said, my two boys, who are for all purposes except biological-half and half, completely Japanese, drink milk. The oldest not as much, the youngest, eagerly. They have never commented on a negative taste.

I use it for making Caspian Sea yogurt, which I eat daily. I've never noticed a foul or shrimp taste. I do not eat much of Japanese seafood based foods finding the taste as disgusting as you do the milk.

I also really like the ice cream, made at the local dairy in Miura. The dairy is quite an attraction, by the way. It's out in the middle of nowhere, and is always crowded. They serve two varieties of ice cream, changing daily, a huge portion for only ¥ 300. It's called Sekiguchi Farm.

By the way, I used to go there a lot, since it is just a thirty minute bike ride away. I would rationalize that I burned off the calories with the one hour round trip. Since I was a regular, the lady in the picture often gave me a glass of fresh milk. Then, I had to drink it in front of her and pretend to enjoy. I did not taste anything foul, except my normal reaction to the taste of milk.

Here's the official link:

http://www.sekiguchifarm.com/

and one from a blog in English with pics:

http://yokosukafoodcorner.blogspot.jp/2015/02/sekiguchi-farm-ice-cream.html

 

[MossBoss]

I thought this thread might have been from the guys who like ploughing pregnant ladies.

Where are the preggers brigade these days? They seem to be keeping a low profile....

 

[Bingo]

So, I tried again.
I didn't feel like walking all the way to the 711. So, I went to the closer place called daily Yamasaki. I spent about 20 mins searching for the right milk. Finally, an employee asked if I needed help. Her English was good and I thought I got what I wanted.
This is what I ended up with.
Now, I don't know what this is, but it is definitely not milk. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like it will kill me(like the other stuff might). It isn't terrible. However it doesn't go with donuts very well at all. Anybody know what this is?

 

[MikeH]

Now, I don't know what this is, but it is definitely not milk. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like it will kill me(like the other stuff might). It isn't terrible. However it doesn't go with donuts very well at all. Anybody know what this is?

It is yogurt!

The label says Bulgarian Drinking Yogurt.

 

[BIPSY]

Bulgaria Drinking Yogurt is the SHIIIIIIIIIT!
I love that stuff. Its definitely not milk, but it is delicious and full of probiotics

 

[Wwanderer]

I went to the closer place called daily Yamasaki.

I don't consider Daily Yamasaki places to be real konbini; they are more like a chain of slightly enhanced bread stores.

-Ww

 

[Sudsy]

The milk here tastes "off" for a couple of reasons, but the main one is that it's either 4% milk, much fattier than North Americans are used to, or it's skim.

 

[e-smile]

It is yogurt!

The label says Bulgarian Drinking Yogurt.

Bulgaria is a brand, not the country
it's like the chocolate called Ghana

 

[MikeH]

Bulgaria is a brand, not the country
it's like the chocolate called Ghana

Actually they are claiming that the origin of their yogurt is in the Republic of Bulgaria.

http://www.meijibulgariayogurt.com/about/

 

[RandomTokyoGuy]

Love this thread. Brings back a bit of the feeling when everything in Japan was new (was even more fun without smartphones and goggle translate

 

[e-smile]

Actually they are claiming that the origin of their yogurt is in the Republic of Bulgaria.

http://www.meijibulgariayogurt.com/about/

the origin of yogurt is said to be Bulgaria and Bulgarian style of yogurt is still famous but I don't think this yogurt is made in bulgaria, I rather think it's a claimed to Bulgarian style yogurt [Redacted #91].

edit : actually at first they imported bulgarian lactose

 

[Wwanderer]

I didn't know that yogurt was invented in Bulgaria, but I have noticed that A LOT of the dishes at my fave Bulgarian restaurant in Tokyo have yogurt as an ingredient. It surprised me...makes more sense now.

-Ww

 

[e-smile]

that what they say but I don't know if it's true, I'm sure it existed in many cultures to have curdled milk. the word yogurt itself comes from turkish word for "curdled".
but well Turkey is close to the balkans or can even be counted in it along with Greece and Bulgaria

 

[User#8628]

I didn't know that yogurt was invented in Bulgaria, but I have noticed that A LOT of the dishes at my fave Bulgarian restaurant in Tokyo have yogurt as an ingredient. It surprised me...makes more sense now.

-Ww

I always thought yogurt was Greek, but then a Japanese person swore to me it's Bulgarian.

 

[MikeH]

I always thought yogurt was Greek, but then a Japanese person swore to me it's Bulgarian.

As @e-smile said the word is originally Turkish but that stuff is probably invented everywhere around the world where they kept cows for milk. Even the Indian curd is pretty much the same thing.

The Greeks and Bulgarians have had the best marketing guys this far so they are claiming inventorship.

 

[MacMackerson]

Haha I love Japanese milk but not a fan of the donut style!