Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I had often wondered if it was a regional thing or socioeconomic thing, but I never thought about it being a racial thing. I grew up in Texas, and I'm white, and as a very small child I remember drinking a small glass of milk with meals. I don't think I've ever seen my mom, (who is now in her 70's) drink a glass of milk. Dad was, and still is a milk drinker, although not with meals any longer. However, by the time I was in elementary school I think I was allowed iced tea, or occasionally Kool-aid on a special occasion. Milk was expensive, tea, not so much. I remember my mom trying to save the milk and make it last. Plus when I was very young we only had one car, which my dad took to work, so we had no way to get to the store to buy more. I didn't like soft drinks until I was in high school so that was never an option. We always milk, just not often at meal time.
This is really how it is now with my own kids. Actually, when they were small, their doctor recommended that I stop giving them milk with meals because they would suck down all the milk and then not eat the food. DH and I always had either iced tea (decaf only) or water, and so that's what we started giving the kids as well. If we were having something like pizza or burgers, we might have a soft drink. Both boys always drank milk, just not with meals. DS2 was such a milk drinker that's all he ever wanted when he was thirsty. To him, water was for washing things with, not for drinking. Now that both kids are older (in college) its still iced tea with dinner every night, regardless of the time of year. When everyone's home, we will still go through at least a gallon a day. Everyone in our house will just come in and grab a glass of milk, or have it with a snack, but the only meal anyone drinks milk with is breakfast. I will occasionally have a glass with a pb sandwich. DH will only drink whole milk. I prefer skim. Kids will drink 2% or whole. When they are home (like now) I buy a gallon of whole and a gallon of 2% about every other day. When they are back at school I usually buy a gallon of skim about every 2-3 days (I use it for cooking) and a 1/2 gallon of whole in about the same amount of time.
SIL, who is from Pennsylvania, always makes her kids drink milk with all meals, even when eating something like a Happy Meal. Or she did, not sure if she still does (haven't even a meal with them in a couple of years). It's not that the kids like it, she makes them drink it. A few years ago, while my kids were in high school and hers were in elementary and jr high, we were all together for a family gathering. We ordered pizza. She actually asked my kids to drink milk and not drink soft drinks with their pizza because she wouldn't let her kids have it! They were furious, and so was I, actually. DH said he started to give them a beer, and see how she liked that. They just opted for water instead. The idea of pizza and milk is just too gross!
When I was a little child I would drink milk with everything. Milk and spaghetti, milk and lasagna, milk and chili, so on. I would even drink glasses of milk in the day. Now I can't even drink milk by itself or I get very sick. My favorite is white milk, especially if I eat something chocolatey. Am I the only one that does that? Needs milk after sweets? I do love chocolate milk, but that's on special occasions.
Oh and I drink whole milk, none of that 2% and low-fat stuff.
When I was a little child I would drink milk with everything. Milk and spaghetti, milk and lasagna, milk and chili, so on. I would even drink glasses of milk in the day. Now I can't even drink milk by itself or I get very sick. My favorite is white milk, especially if I eat something chocolatey. Am I the only one that does that? Needs milk after sweets? I do love chocolate milk, but that's on special occasions.
Oh and I drink whole milk, none of that 2% and low-fat stuff.
No you're not the only one. I do love milk with/after lots of sweets, especially chocolate. Chocolate milk is great with those little powdered sugar donuts!
OK, I had to ask this cause I think this is the oddest thing.
Last time I had dinner over my mom-in-law's we had a corned beef and potatoes meal (typical Irish dinner) and afterwards, she offered me some milk. I was weirded out by it cause I've never drank milk after dinner and certainly not after a meat meal. Turns out my fiance grew up drinking milk with EVERY meal, no matter what he ate. We were talking about this today and I think it is so gross! So after dinner, even if he had steak or something hearty; a glass of milk?! He says its normal but I have never heard of anyone drinking milk all day like that.
I usually drink milk with breakfast but only with a sweet meal like pancakes, french toast or waffles.
So after speaking with some friends about this it seems like it may have been more common in white families but not for black/latino families. Growing up I never knew any kids (I only knew black kids) that even drank plain white milk.
Could this be cultural? Any other thoughts?
I think it is generational. When I was a child I remember many people had milk with every meal (although it wasn't the case in my family).
No you're not the only one. I do love milk with/after lots of sweets, especially chocolate. Chocolate milk is great with those little powdered sugar donuts!
I would drink chocolate milk all the time if it wasn't for all the calories.
I only drink milk with cookies or in cereal or with cake. Milk with dinner or lunch no way. I once ate 2 slices of pizza and had milk to drink with it because at the time the combo tasted good. The after effect was not so good.
I'm from the NorthEast (and am white and middle-aged) and grew up drinking milk regularly throughout the day.
I don't eat breakfast, so milk isn't relegated to that time of day for me.
I have it with a meal a few times a week, though sometimes I have another beverage instead.
I have no aversion to drinking a glass of milk with a meal that includes meat in it, that's not a problem for me.
I grew up with the idea that all children have to drink milk at every meal. It was flat-out required in schools, even for the lactose intolerant kids. They weren't allowed to drink water or anything but milk at lunch, so they drank nothing and went to the water fountain after lunch. I actually like milk, but I HATED being required to drink the nasty-tasting school milk out of those papery little cartons. Ugh. Milk isn't really that healthy anyway, I still think requiring children to drink it is ridiculous.
When I was little, my mother stopped offering me milk because I refused to drink it. When my son was little he refused to drink it, as well. We just can't stand it.We do eat plenty of cheese, though.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
They just opted for water instead. The idea of pizza and milk is just too gross! 
