January 11: Milk Day and National Hot Toddy Day

Milk Day

I think everyone knows what milk is.  It's that white liquid that you pick up in the dairy section, in plastic gallon containers or in cardboard containers.  In some places,- Britain, I've been told, is a good example- the milk is made shelf-stable and sits in boxes in non-refridgerated shelves.  In class, we've worked with dry milk which was an entirely new experience for me.  You can have soy milk, almond milk, hemp milk...  Yeah, they aren't really milk since they technically didn't come from a mammal, but for people with lactose intolerance or for vegans, they're good alternatives.  And any of the shelf-stable stuff, whether it's the soy milk or the dry milk or the UHT, is good to have in your emergency kits.  (You do have an emergency kit, right?)

So, I figure most people are familiar with milk, so I thought I'd use today's post to talk about a milk many in the US may not be familiar with: camel milk.  Yep, you can get camel milk in the US.  Camels are great sources of milk in areas that are extremely dry with poor forage.  Many desert and nomad cultures place great importance on camels.

Until recently, it was illegal to sell camel milk in the US.  If you owned a camel, you could drink its milk, but you couldn't sell it.  Laws have changed and now, depending on the state, you can get camel's milk.   Some people claim it can cure various disorders, but I haven't read any of the papers and I'm not doing any of the research so I can't make a statement.  In the meantime, I'll keep remaining doubtful that any one food can cure anything.  Be part of a healthy diet?  Sure.  Cure something? Eh....

Still, that doesn't keep me from thinking camels are adorable and wanting to go to a camel dairy.  (Camels might smell, but their lips are so soft and they're adorably comical!)  So where are these mythical camel dairies in the US, you ask?  Well, I can only find one that you can visit: Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona, CA (near San Diego).  It's not producing camel milk for human consumption yet, but they do have tours on select days.  Supposedly there are other camel dairies around, but I can't seem to find any internet presence.  I can only speculate that the other "dairies" are small scale and not really "dairies" but are instead farms with one or two camels.


National Hot Toddy Day

The first time I heard of a "hot toddy" was when I was out in the desert, which gets extremely cold at night, and I asked for a hot tea, honey, and lemon.  When my order arrived, my friend asked if I wanted a hot toddy, explained what it was, and then added some whiskey from her flask.  (I'm still a little surprised at how many of my friends have multiple flasks and use them.)  Apparently, I now had a Southern-style Hot Toddy.

According to Wikipedia ("According to Wikipedia."  I wonder how many times a day that get's said.  That should be a book title.  But I digress!) a hot toddy is any hot drink with alcohol.  That's it?  Psh!  Then I've had plenty of hot toddies!  Another friend holds a huge Christmas party every year and serves delicious mulled cider.  And Swedish glögg?   MMM!  (There's tasty Swedish glögg at the December Nights celebration every year - I highly recommend it!)

But my favorite "hot toddy" would be a drink I learned from a former roommate.  We just called it alcoholic hot chocolate.  I think Chocolate Hot Toddy sounds more distinguished, so I'm going to call it that from now on.  To make a Chocolate Hot Toddy, make your favorite hot chocolate and when you pour it into a mug, leave a little room.  Then add Godiva Chocolate Liqueur to taste.  For variation, try adding Godiva White Chocolate liqueur or some Bailey's.  If you want it minty, you could try a little creme de menthe.  Or a little stronger?  Try adding a little vanilla vodka.  That's the beauty of a Chocolate Hot Toddy - it's customizable.

January 10th: Bittersweet Chocolate Day

Now this is a day I can easily celebrate.  I love bittersweet chocolate (a.k.a. extra dark chocolate) and I try to make sure to eat at least a piece a day.  (It's good for both your brain and your heart!)  It's usually my afternoon snack or my dessert at night.  Sometimes, I'll use it in something like a microwave s'more or crushed and sprinkled into my yogurt. 

When I was younger, I couldn't stand chocolate.  I still don't really care for chocolate cake or ice cream (I much prefer vanilla in both cases), but as an adult, I find I really like dark chocolate.  Milk chocolate is too sweet and white chocolate is even sweeter.  Finding a chocolate I like was hard at first because I was also trying to stick with companies whose business practices I found ethical.  I once read a collection of food essays (I think it was Food for Thought by Rubin, but I can't be sure) and one essay was about the mostly unethical chocolate industry.  After reading that essay and learning about the links chocolate has to child slavery and damage to the environment, I vowed to only buy from companies I thought had good practices.  Stop Chocolate Slavery has a pretty thorough list of chocolate companies and whether or not they claim to be organic and/or fair trade.  I do occasionally buy from Chuao Chocolates, even though they're not organic, because one of the owners presented at the Science of Chocolate and was impressive.  It still has that small family feel and the shop in La Jolla is always nice to visit.

However, I have to admit my go-to chocolate these days is Taza Chocolate.  (It's found at most Whole Foods.)  It really reminds me of the chocolate you buy in Mexico - slightly grainy, rich, flavorful, and just dissolves in your mouth.  It's not listed on Stop Chocolate Slavery, but claims to be Counter Culture Direct Trade Certified and USDA Organic.

Some places, though, I can't find Taza or it is just out of my budget for the day. Another chocolate that I like to buy is Endangered Species chocolate, specifically the 88% with the blank panther on the packaging.  If I'm feeling indulgent or craving something really sweet, I'll go for the 77% with almonds and cranberries (the one with the wolf on the packaging.)  Normally, though, when I'm trying a new brand, I'll reach for the 85% or higher, as that's what I like best. 

I've tried 99% chocolate and I just don't like it.  Yet, I love taking cocoa beans, taking off the outer shell, and then nibbling away on the bean.  Most people prefer to crush the beans and use them as topping because many people find the bean to be bitter.  For some reason, I don't but I still can't stand the 99% chocolate.  I'm not sure why, but for me, 100% cocoa = awesome, 99% = ew!, and 88% cocoa= awesome.

Another chocolate I like is SweetRiot.  Those cute little tins filled with chocolate-coated cocoa nibs are perfect to keep in my purse or backpack.  When I have the urge for chocolate, one or two of those little nibs can help making the craving go away.  They're USDA Organic and are working on earning their fair trade certification.  I'm not sure of all the places you can find Sweet Riot, but I know you can find them at REI, Whole Foods and the SweetRiot website.