Summer, strawberries ..... and yogurt yarns!

We, i.e. the PapayaFamily with the exception of Mom is a little weird when confronted with milk and milk products of a particular texture and consistency. To be specific, we hate them. To be even more specific, we have been known to suffer from
a) involuntary shudders
b) crawling skin
c) hair-standing-on-back-of-neck-itis, or
d) all of the above
when given milk, dahi(yogurt), malai(cream), basundi, kheer, lassi, <insert any other milk derivative/product here>....

I'm the best of the lot since I can tolerate yogurt in raita form, love cheese (mmmm...paneer) and positively worship ice cream.

I know you're going rrrright, who hates icecream?

Well, the SiblingPapaya cried hysterically, with mouth open, when first introduced to ice cream until mom scraped the offending stuff off his tongue. He still eats ONLY vanilla icecream. Yup, he crazy, but I love his particular craziness. More for me when mom made it at home, you see. Before you get all jealous, can I add that he hates chocolates too. Actually make that EVERYthing sweet. Now, if only B would do the same .....

When I moved abroad and found myself facing row upon row of imaginatively flavoured (pomegranate?? tiramisu??? strawberry cheesecake???) yogurt the only thing I could do was avert my eyes and scuttle past the dairy section as quickly as possible.

But then, the first month at university we had a cross-culture day which was exactly what the name indicates. Some ladies asked me if it was true that Indians ate rice with yogurt. As I replied in the affirmative and noticed the disbelief (and some disgust) in the crowd, I tried to explain to women who had only ever eaten the sweet kind that we didnt bastardize the yogurt with flavours, ie. no strawberry yogurt with rice.

They didnt believe me, in fact the idea of salted yogurt seemed to be more of a turn off and I expect my ill-concealed shudders didnt help?!! I'm really NOT the best person to help people get over their yogurt phobias.

Actually, now that I think of it, besides Marmite, I believe yogurt is one of those food items that delineate people. There's the sweet yogurt lovers and the salted yogurt fans .... and ne'er the twain shall meet (unless you're Indian and have grown up rolling in the stuff).

Even Anthony Bourdain, has a 'not digging it' reaction to the salted kind (chaach, taak, buttermilk, or whatever you may call it) ....




.. forward to around the 8:22 mark.

Anyway, so this Papaya and flavored yogurt remained at cross purposes, until the day my metabolism turned traitor and I had to face the prospect of low-fat icecreams or doing without. And that's when frozen yogurt entered my orbit. Now, the saving grace of frozen yogurt (froyo) is that it looks like ice-cream and most importantly tastes like ice cream so the part of my brain that yells BLECHDOUBLEBLECH is actually silenced.

So, froyo and me have made our peace with each other, I cannot vouch for the other types. As proof-positive the picture below, if you ignore my scooping skills, is of the absolutely fabulous fresh strawberry & blueberry froyo (David Leibovitz's recipe) I made last week!! I'm proud of myself ... a life enhancing experience made all the more profound now that I can have my ice cream and eat it too - without any of the sharper guilt pangs!!


Now, the thing to do is to convert the rest of the nay-sayers. In my excitement, I called up Dad and explained about froyo and that I would make it for him. In the moment of silence that followed, I could hear his Bata slippers squeaking on the floor with his shudders and his brain grinding away as he started thinking up excuses why he couldnt travel anytime soon ..... :(

I know Smita shares the milk-hate .... what about the rest of you? Do you have any food aversions? Do tell ... I promise not to judge!!!

27 comments:

magicalsummer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
magicalsummer said...

where's the recipe? not fair that you post drool worthy pictures and then leave us hanging. as for those ignoramuses (not you cp, not you :) ) who hate yoghurt salted, or natural, what can one say! and anyway, haven't they heard of tzaziki?

the only food i don't eat is grapefruit. everything else goes. the rest of the summer family - husband and children won't touch paneer, though they are otherwise cheese and dairy fans. other than this, we're an easy to please bunch. now you know what not to make when we turn up for dinner :)

eye-in-sty-in said...

I am not picky about the food - as long as its well prepared~!

Love milk and milk products! Just had buttermilk! While staying at an american's friend's place as PG, I had her cringing when I drank buttermilk :-)

I cannot choose b/w sweet n salty lassi! I would have to alrernately keep tasting both till I cannot have another sip! :-)

Is froyo Lord of the yogurt?

WhatsInAName said...

well well :-) i love milk and milk products and my good physique is a proof for the same ;-) But if you are a milk hater then you are lucky as in you will not put on weight any sooner! So good for you!
btw i wish i had your cooking skills really. :-( i end up messing even simplest of recipes. sighs

Bouncing-Bubble said...

miss papaya:)i love milk (cold, sans sugar)...love all dairy pdts.. i love yogurt except when its sour... btw isn't that the recipe u suggested in one of my posts?
i know quite few ppl who wldn't touch milk/milk pdts.. u don't drink tea/coffee? or u hv them black?

Bouncing-Bubble said...

as for foods i hate...i dislike most veggies, but eat them anyway.. hmm

Ava said...

Never the twain shall meet?

Meet me, here is a regular Sangam of Ganga (sweet dahi) Jamna (Salted Dahi) and Saraswati (unflavoured Dahi)

I can eat dahi in all three ways Sweet Salted and pheeka, drink lassi in all three ways, drink matha (whey) in all three ways.

Smita said...

Thar is so bad!!! If all Milk haters get switch sides to zamaane ka kya hoga???

But as it's only curd/ yogurt you are talking about I will pardon you as for same reasons as yours am having having curd like anything :D

Do I need to say that I don't like Ice Cream too much?? :D

Am yet to try flavored Yogurt but am sure am not gonna like it. Shrikhand wud be one of its form no???

couchpapaya said...

mags - to be fair i think there were no greeks in the crowd, besides meat and yogurt people understand, it was the whole rice thing that threw them off :) grapefruit is objectionable! i've learnt to eat it now but it was an uphill task :( i'm more the order in kind (food other than dessert being off my repertoire) but yes, now i'll know what not to order :D

EISI - as long as it's well-prepared huh!! no,no to be a true not-picky eater u shld be able to eat anything - rice with a squeeze of lemon and ketchup for instance :P and ur right, lord of yogurt it is lol

WIAN - good to see u after a long time !! no WIAN, no, the weight thing happens regardless, milk or no milk. i did mention i have a sweet tooth :(

eye-in-sty-in said...

have eaten plain rice with mustard sauce for 4 weeks! beat that!

eye-in-sty-in said...

WIAN - hamare blog pe aane ka kya loge aap?

couchpapaya said...

bubbles - there u caught me! actually the only reason milk enters our house is for tea/ coffee. i think a lot of people dislike veggies dont they. i used to until there was no one to make them for me ... now i'll eat anything just because i'll starve if i dont :(

avdi - lol at ur analogy. but u didnt read my qualifier, i did mention that indians didnt count.

smita - sigh. all u ice cream haters, u dont have to worry abt the calories like the rest of us do!! now shrikhand i love, but only if it's made by mom or me. others generally dont get the texture that i can eat right so i've suffered a couple of times :) hmm..i shld try frozen shrikhand :D

couchpapaya said...

EISI - ok ok i take it back, i certify u a true-blue not picky eater :D

WIAN - forgot to add, the interest is only for desserts and things which i like to eat. on my bad days i can mess up dal-rice :(

eye-in-sty-in said...

Thank you. Can I frame the certificate on the wall? :D

WIAN, in case you are wondering, this is Spike!

couchpapaya said...

EISI - sure, y not? hehehehehe

mags - forgot to add, the recipe was linked n the post, but here it is again

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2006/04/may_day_market.html

eye-in-sty-in said...

go look @ my blog under trophies :P

samir said...

CP:
I also hate plain milk, but like almost all derivatives. I hate almost all American Corporate Chain restaurant food (TGIF, O'Charleys, Applebees, Red Lobster, Olive Garden etc. etc.). I think I have already said before on your comment pages, almost any deli in Manhattan beats any of these Chain restaurants. How I wish there was a Barefoot Contessa arround.

couchpapaya said...

EISI - heh heh nice!!

samir - that's a good idea for a food aversion ... i forgot i share it too, in fact i have an adverse reaction even if i spot an olive garden !! u know i love the contessa, however have been experimenting with a few of her recipes and she uses much too much butter and fatty stuff :(

Ava said...

CP - Only Indians eat Dahi. And even here there are ppl who cannot fathom eating salty dahi.

Ok - I will post my recipe of homemade dahi - butter and Shrikhand on foodrack. Comingggg sooon.

magicalsummer said...

was drooling over the picture so much, i didn't see the link. now for an ice cream maker. sigh! btw - went over to your food rack...very interesting recipes there :)

Angel's Flight said...

Ok so here goes...I HATE yogurt and rice....will not touch that thing unless...they add ginger, mustard, salt and all the other delicious things to make it what we call - dhodiyonam...ask WITN...she can explain.

as for other dairy products....love em'....my fav by far is.....CHEESE..Yumm!

couchpapaya said...

mags - it's the magic of photoshop, i doubt the original pic wld float anyone's boat ! as for icecream maker, i dont have one. i just put the icecream in the freezer, and pull it out every 1.5-2 hours (it should be semi-set), whip it in my blender and repeat for abt 3-4 times, then let it freeze completely. this gets the ice crystals broken and makes a smoother icecream.

angel - lol ya i know what u mean, we call it masala curd rice! even i cannot eat the plain one !!

Mama - Mia said...

me looove milk! except in its most natural form or in any other form with malai! malai gives me alll those feeling you get!

and you MADE that?! wow!!! kitchen goddess!!

and me like dahi just like that! no salt and DEFI no sugar!!

loved the post!!

cheers!

abha

couchpapaya said...

abha - thanks :D as for malai, know exactly what u mean, spent a lot of time as a kid wailing when my milk developed the crust ugh!! so no shrikhand for u ?

Ann Dee said...

Entire childhood I poured down my glass of milk, every single day, into the basil pot just outside the window by my study table. Mom thought all the Bournvita, Horlicks are no good so plain milk is what her daughter should devour.

I would feel very guilty, but that was stil bearable compared to that creepy feeling of gulping it down.

P.S.: Just had a tall glass of milk with choc powder (yes, drink it everyday now)...Basil's blessing? Milk's curse?....god only knows

Mama - Mia said...

in shrikhand form me dont mind! its the piece form i hate it in! imagine a glass of milk with no obvious crust on top and suddenly a piece comes in your mouth!

i still cant swallow it! i almost retch! ewwww!

and yeah! M is a HUGE marmite fan and the son likes it too! for me its beyond comprehension how can one even tolerate marmite, forget liking it! :p

leme hunt a marmite post M had done!

cheers!

abha

couchpapaya said...

Ann Dee - welcome to the blog!! and u drink milk every day now?!! probably mom's prayers :) isnt it funny how one gets over an aversion over the years, i dont think i will!

abha - hehe yup same reason why i dont eat basundi or rabdi yuk!!! even i dont get the marmite love, let me know if u find m's post ....

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