Totally random geek thing...

[mbarrick]

OK. I have had this same stupid argument with people about milk so many times. It generally starts with some granola-type claiming that milk is for babies only and is in fact not good for people. I counter with something along the lines of yes, unless you are of a Northern European stock, in which case dairy farming has been part of the diet for long enough for an adaptation to have taken place. Asians, Africans and American natives are generally lactose intolerant, true enough, but for Northern Europeans milk is part of the diet. Generally at this point the PC/granola argument goes along the line that humans are humans race isn't a factor in diet, as if regional differentiation only affects skin tone. Sorry folks, but that ain't the case. And in the particular case of milk, here's the scoop: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020113/sc/health_lactose_dc_1.html

So, in general terms and in the context of humanity as a whole, people of Northern European backgrounds like myself are melanin deficient, milk-drinking mutants. Also recently in the news was evidence that lettuce can absorb e-coli through the roots and it therefore potentially hazardous even if washed, which backs up the boil-the-shit-out-of-them approach to vegatables, which is also backed up by hard facts that the vast majority of cases of food poising come from raw vegetables, not meat or fish as we are led to believe. Beer and wine have been redeemed for their cardiovascular benefits.

Bangers and mash with a pint of stout then a big bowl of ice-cream for dessert!

Comments

[contrasoma.livejournal.com]

Indeed we were. Mike must've been there in spirit.

Irregardless of whether it's "natural" to drink milk, all I know is that about a year ago, milk started making me hella sick if I drank it straight up. As time's gone on, I've found myself being unable to eat ice cream as well. Cheese is just about the only dairy product I can consume in large quantities without getting my stomach miffed at me (with the exception of yogurt, but that's another story entirely). Even cheese is becoming unsafe, as the pound and a half I had on those nachos last night proved. :p

Oh yeah: for what it's worth, I'm solely of Anglo-Saxon stock going back as far as I can think.

[bitogoth.livejournal.com]

ironically enough, i was lactose-intolerant as a baby, then could have it fine, and now i'm back at the other end of the spectrum. i've discovered that fat-free milk is okay on cereal (and very little of it at that) but otherwise i can't drink the stuff. to be honest- i don't miss it- i take calcium supplements to make up for any lack in my diet. i never thought about the N Euro-stock possibility, but it certainly makes sense... damn my scottish ancestors!