I have never liked milk much, except a little for tea and coffee and on rare occasions a chocolate milkshake or cold coffee. I was a die-hard fan of Mother Dairy milk so much so that I would keep cribbing in Bangalore and Chennai about the quality of milk at Nandinee and Aavin (the equivalent of Mother Dairy or the Amul cooperative). In Hyderabad, Heritage milk had become a rage, but I never liked it because it would spoil readily, almost as if it was just waiting for you to pour it into a pan and there, it would curdle. Our consumption of milk is greatly reduced courtesy Dr. Vijaya Venkat and all the reading that we did online about how cows are injected with growth hormones and that there was no way to remove those hormones during the pasteurisation process.
Then I did my Exec MBA from ISB and my batchmate was the founder and MD of Creamline Dairy and he gifted us some of his products under the “Jersey” brand. And suddenly I realised what milk really tasted like !!! Krishnan and I have been ardent Jersey fans since then and have never been let down. Am not blowing sunshine my batchmate’s way, but truly, the Jersey curd and milk tastes like curd and milk. In Chennai during our Dec trip, we discovered Arogya (Hatsun foods) milk and they have a 1.5 lit can of fresh milk – it is again how milk tasted many many many many years back. Just outstanding.
Now, the problem we have is, Mother Dairy tastes like its a limestone solution… there is some smell that is non-dairy and today Amma went and got the “button” milk which is basically the milk vending unit and you take a can along and fill out a litre or two as needed. This milk tasted better but it still has a chemical feel to it. I am beginning to believe the stories that there is large scale adulteration in milk !! and in Mother Dairy milk…. wonder what is happening to the milk that is sold directly from the local dairies ?? We are thinking of just going every alternate day to a vending machine and get the “button” milk – atleast it doesn’t burn as you drink it. So maybe less adulteration.
Sad state of affairs. Hope someone looks into this.
Bhaskar – Jersey is the best. You please find a way to setup shop in Delhi and give a run to Mother Dairy :):). We miss the “Jersey” milk. The tea and coffee just don’t taste the same without “Jersey” milk.