Saturday, December 12, 2009

Do they have Activia Laban in the States?

I have taken a liking - a very, very strong liking - to laban. Originally it was something I purchased on mistake. Kind of sort of. We needed milk. There was no Nada milk. There was no Nadac [another brand that I don't like as much, but which will do when there is no Nada] milk, either. For two days our Commissary had NO milk. It happened a few years ago. Quite a few.

We were still relatively new here and I knew NO Arabic. So, I asked at the Customer Service counter if there was milk and I just didn't know what I should be looking for. "Oh, yes, Madam. We have milk." Good. Where? "On the shelf." And he did not mean the dairy [cooler] shelf. Milk on a shelf. Oh, I don't think so. There are boxes of milk here called "long-life shelf milk." I won't even drink it in my coffee if there is nothing else. I'll drink coffee black, first. That stuff - the long-life shelf milk - is just plain nasty. Naively I asked if there was milk in the dairy section. Duh. If you didn't see anything that looked like milk when you checked two minutes ago, chances are there isn't any milk in the dairy section.

A nice young man took me to the dairy section and pointed to a square carton and said, "Laban, Madam." Milk? "Yes. Laban." Sure. Alright then. I'll try it. Bought it, brought it home. Poured it - started to pour it - on cereal. Oh My YUCK! It is SOUR milk. No wonder it was on the shelf and not selling. Should have checked the date, first. [I just barely knew my numbers - which I taught myself - while walking The Boy in the mornings by looking at house number signs.] Great. Still no milk. Sometime later I did the same thing. Bought laban when there was no milk. Surely that first time was a fluke - that it was sour milk. And by sour I mean by smell and thickness. Only sour milk is that thick. Only sour milk smells like that. [Milk, in Arabic, is haleeb not laban.]

Things have certainly changed. I was at an Arabic coffee a couple of years ago where laban was served in little stemmed glasses. Picture a juice glass with a stem. Oooh. Pretty. It was the first "beverage" served. It would have been most impolite to not partake. When you are offered something you take it. Graciously. Just good manners. So I did. And took a sip like the other women did. Hmmph. Hey, what do you know? This stuff is actually not bad. I had it again shortly after that when it was served to us on a Qatar flight. This time, though, I had a choice of the laban, fresh-squeezed orange juice or sparkling water. I chose the laban.

Seems to me that laban is something that you acquire a taste for. It is a little like buttermilk. But not really. Buttermilk's consistency, but a different taste. Buttermilk? As far as I am concerned that is definitely something you have to acquire a taste for - which is a taste I have never acquired. Laban is not as "sour." It almost has a sweetness to it, but not a sweetness like sugar. Hard to describe.

Here's the thing. I now choose laban over orange juice or sparkling water whenever we fly and it is offered. That taste that had to be acquired? I have acquired! It is much worse than that, though. I am drinking a lot of it lately. Have cravings - actual urges - for the stuff. Likely has to do with not smoking. Dairy products and cigarettes are not a "go together" kind of thing. Wine and cigarettes are a go together, as is coffee, and Diet Coke, or any number of other beverages. Not dairy drinks, though. When was the last time - if you are a smoker - you enjoyed a milk shake with a cigarette? Yeah. Never. On the other hand, if you had virtually anything else to drink - even water! - you can enjoy a cigarette with it. Am I right?

I've been meaning to look up the calorie content of this yummy dairy goodness for a while now. Phew. Only 140 calories per an 8 ounce serving. Three 8 ounce servings a day... 420 calories. Still a lot. I may start diluting it with water and cutting the actual amount I drink in half. Perhaps I'll skip that last glass before bed, too. 420 calories is a lot. However, I really thought it was going to be a whole lot more than that. Plus the fat content??? [And I wonder why I keep gaining weight!]

At this point, if I tried to quit drinking laban I would be fighting a couple withdrawals. The not smoking thing? Went great at first. Then I "slipped." Now, again, not smoking. Just trying to keep busy and NOT think about it and when I do think about it I drink water. Or laban. The roof of my mouth hurts from sucking too many sugarless Wint-O-Green Life Savers. Willing to do whatever it takes though to be totally 100% smoke free. And if drinking laban helps... Hey. I could be drinking something much, much worse.

Does anyone know if they have Activia in the dairy section at grocery stores in the States? Just curious. [If they do - any idea how much it costs? It is ridiculously inexpensive, here. For a little less than a half gallon - 59.17 ounces - or 1750 milliliters - we pay 8 riyals, or $2.14 for just shy of a half gallon for approximately seven servings. Pretty darn cheap, if you ask me. I tell you what. I'd pay twice that much for it, maybe more, if that is what it cost. It is that good!]

14 comments:

  1. I was wondering how many calories as I was reading, 420 is a lot. Yes we have Activia but I've never tried it. I try to keep my calorie intake down as much as possible. It is so easy to put on extra pounds and I hate to exercise.

    Debbie
    Right Truth
    http://www.righttruth.typepad.com

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  2. Trying again to leave a comment, Blogger must be acting up.

    420 calories is a lot of extra calories in one day. I try to keep my calorie intake down as much as possible. It's so easy to gain weight and I hate to exercise.

    Yes we have Activia here, I've never tried it.

    I made goodies to take to the hospital staff, nurses, etc. this week. Brownies, chocolate-pecan candy, white chocolate-peppermint candy, mini pecan pies, mini chocolate pies, and some other things. I ate ONE brownie while it was hot. That's it. But it sure was good.

    Debbie
    Right Truth
    http://www.righttruth.typepad.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. ooh I love laban. I used to have it everday while in the gulf. Now that I am in the states I cant find it but make do with either buttermilk or plain yogurt, salt and water blended together.
    did you know it is one of the heathiest drinks around? U can buy non fat version. But it is supposed to have the same benefits as yogurt and a strong source of good bacteria.

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  4. UHT milk: well, for various reasons (basically, I am housebound and only one grocery delivers) I do use Parmalat, and yes it does not taste as good as "regular" milk. I have akso tried Borden, and it is better - but I've only found one distributor and because of shipping cost it is MUCH more expensive than the double-"regular"-milk price of Parmalat.

    Activia yogurt is not something I have ever seen, the national market seems to be largely Yoplait/Dannon. And I do not actively look for yogurt, like beer I do not care for it. But Debbie seems to have found it easily enough.

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  5. John A - from what I understand, for many years on our compound the "long life shelf" milk was ALL that was available. People who have been here for that long say that it is something you get used to - probably just like laban.

    I wonder if Debbie would tell us where in the States she is... I don't recall ever seeing Activia in the south, but then, I also don't recall searching for it.

    They tout Activia as being "healthy" Anonymous, and it may well be. But it is also fattening and they don't make that a point in their advertising. Go figure.

    Oh My Gosh, Debbie. I am salivating!!! All of it sounds absolutely - ABSOLUTELY - yummy. From now on, unless you are going to share, you cannot tell us things like that.

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  6. Activia is on dairy shelfs here in Wisconsin. However, I'm pretty sure you can find laban in Whole Foods.

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  7. The one and only time I accidently drank laban (or buttermilk) I nearly choked to death. havent gone near it since. I buy UHT milk when funds are low...very cheap and last...forever...lol.

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  8. I do use Parmalat, and yes it does not taste as good as "regular" milk. I have akso tried Borden, and it is better - but I've only found one distributor and because of shipping cost it is MUCH more expensive than the double-"regular"-milk price of Parmalat.

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  9. I'm in Tennessee and you can find Activia everywhere, groceries, Wal-Marts.

    Yes yogurts, buttermilk, or anything with the active bacteria is very good for you plus the calcium which most of us need.

    I don't cook a lot of things with sugar, only when I'm having company or taking goodies somewhere. I make a great chocolate eclare' that is sugar free, sweet hubby the 'grouch' love them.

    Plus I make blueberry bars, butter golden pecan grahams, cookies of all kinds....

    Are you drooling yet?

    Seriously the older I get the more I hate to cook.

    Debbie
    Right Truth
    http://www.righttruth.typepad.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey there! I've been reading you for quite some time I just haven't posted in a while. We have Laban here in Dearborn, Ann Arbor, all the surrounding areas in Michigan because of the Arab population. Laban is yogurt (usually) and Lebne is thicker than yogurt (my fave) and then there is a drinkable yogurt, I think it's called khefir... Can't remember, you can find it everywhere. Activia is fairly new, it is marketed to help regulate digestion. It was marketed really strongly on TV ads for the past year. Really interesting stuff. Merrry Christmas!!

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  11. When i drank this drink i was quite thirsty and therefore the real taste was not actually tasted by my tongue. I will try it once again and experience the real taste when ever i get time to do so.

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  12. This drink is really very great. It did not only quench my thirst but its taste has also addicted me to have it again and again.

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  13. I think that every drink company owners should try this drink and try and produce such drinks as its taste is unmatchable as compared to the drinks already present in the market. If given chance i would give it full marks.

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  14. Im from the States but living in Bahrain - just tried laban and luv it.
    Actimel is available in the states - the Actimel in the Middle East is i believe made out this way.

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