Growing up, yogurt was my most hated food. Probably it had to do with the fact that the yogurt-buttermilk churned at my home was of the sourest kind. My younger sister and I had such an aversion to it; its mere presence on the dinner table would make us cringe. It could make my skin crawl, I exaggerate not. Then Mummy got it into her head that we MUST be fed yogurt/buttermilk (like all good South Indian kids?). Each morning, before leaving for school, my sister and I had to drink up a glass of buttermilk. Pleading and threatening in equal measure, Mom would try her level best to make us gulp it down. It was never easy. Much crying and shouting accompanied by multiple ultimatums ensured noisy school mornings.
I had decided that as an adult, yogurt would be one of those things I could skip consuming. Most grownups are not allowed to have any food aversions, are they? But yogurt would have to be mine. I couldn’t imagine it being otherwise.
Many years passed by without yogurt even crossing my sight, let alone my lips. Marriage happened and then I came to the United States. A change of heart came about (not sure what caused it!). I started sampling organic fruit yogurts. Stonyfield has a good selection. But spending 99 cents on a cup of yogurt meant that it became an occasional summer indulgence.
Long story short, I enjoy my cup of yogurt now. I also sprinkle chaat masala over home made yogurt and slurp it up with much enthusiasm. You can also find me polishing off plates of dahi-puri at local Indian chaat joints. My current favorite?
Trader Joes has its own brand of Greek Style yogurt that comes in two flavors – Honey and Apricot Mango. Yum, oh yum. Oh, the cup also mentions that the milk for the yogurt comes from cows not treated with rBST (growth hormone). By the way, that cup of yogurt costs $1.29 but it’s substantially larger than a cup of Stonyfield yogurt. Serves as a great snack when combined with chopped berries (as seen in the thumbnail picture).
Smooth texture, a filling snack, wonderful summer treat… I think I am a convert.