milk in a bag

I've been avoiding the milk in a bag here in Addis Ababa because they pile them in gross bins in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.  They're moist and it looks like some of the bags are leaking.  I was thoroughly horrified when I saw this the first time our sponsors took us to the store upon our arrival to Ethiopia.  Over time the horror dissipates and milk in a bag starts to look familiar.  I preferred to purchase the little quart size cartons of milk.  The cardboard carton felt safer and I brought home a few at a time when it was at the store.  The key word there is when.  Lately there hasn't been any milk at the store; or butter, or cheese. I finally broke down today and picked up a few of these little bags because no matter how strange it looks, it has to taste better than the powdered stuff we make up when we are really desperate for milk in our coffee.  My little milk drinkers have turned to water since moving here.

I rinsed off each bag with our distilled water and squeezed each of them finding a tiny hole in one that made a little puddle of milk in the grocery sack.  The one with a hole went in the trash.  I snipped open two bags and poured it in my milk pitcher (thanks Mom) and voila, we have milk.  It says it's pasteurized and homogenized and when I took a sip it tasted fine (for Ethiopia).  I jump over hurdles in this country every day.  Today was another one.

 I have embraced the bagged milk.