A Quart of Milk
I’ve been busy lately, really busy, and half-gallons and gallons of Milk no longer seem to empty themselves in my (and my girlfriend’s) refrigerator before their expiration. The problem was exacerbated by summer when drinking a frothy glass of milk just hasn’t seemed quite right. So, to try and keep spoilage to a minimum I switched to buying Quarts of milk instead.
Until a year or two ago I used to consume so much milk — in pancakes, cereal, hot chocolate, coffee + tea, drinking by itself, etc. — that it always seemed foolish to buy milk in such small containers. Not so anymore. I’ve found the quart to be an under-appreciated container size in the contemporary american liquid world. The quart of milk is truly the perfect sized container (especially when in the glass, returnable variety). It actually fits in your hand and is lightweight. A child can easily lift it. Pouring is a breeze. No more spilt milk!
Like so many other things, something that initially seems to be just a choice about quantity ends up revealing something about the design of our environment. The glass milk-man’s quart is yet another everyday object that achieved near design perfection, yet has been basically forgotten by our culture …
I had never given the quart a chance before, but now I must have my milk only in quarts. Besides the better relation to my hand, it also makes it much easier to have a variety of different milks (I like the fattier stuff, while most of my acquaintances prefer a skimmer choice) in the fridge without fear of spoiling. Lastly, when done, I take the glass quart back to my milk guy (and yes, I do have a milk guy) where it is refilled. Awesome.