June 29, 2008

Yakult Cult

Asian expats of America rejoice! Our beloved yogurt drink Yakult is now available in the more convenient local grocery stores. No more cross-town trek to the Asian market for these delicious, probiotics babies!

Since I have developed little stomach issues these past few years, I have been searching to get Yakult back into my life. Unfortunately, American stores only carry drinking yogurt...that don't seem to do anything for me. Then the probiotics trend arrives and comes the eat-with-a-spoon yogurt. Still not the same.

And one day, a commercial for Yakult came on. I scared Brandon silly when I squealed at the TV. Brandon has also come to know the power of Yakult as my mom fed him 2 of those daily while we were in Thailand and he came home more or less without much incident. ("He's a big guy. He HAS to drink two!)

Before the probiotics hype hits America, Asia has enjoyed the benefits of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota in Yakult for over 70 years.

In Thailand, Yakult is always linked to the image of pretty ladies on a bicycle with the cooler of Yakult in the back, delivering fresh bottles to your house everyday. "Sao Yakult" or Yakult girl in uniform, much like the American image of a milkman, was a part of the morning scenes all over the country, almost as iconic as the monks out for food alms. As time changes, the bicycles are replaced by motorcycles and sometimes it's the delivery man instead of the girl.

My mom had not gone many days in her life. We always have Yakult delivered and we all were to drink one before we got to school. At some point, it was just mom and dad as I wanted to buy them at school with my friends at recess. Unlike Red Bull, there isn't a limit written anywhere as to how many bottles of these you can drink a day, but most people stick with one or two. Since Yakult helps with digestive system, the common mis/conception is that too many of these and you'll be clinging to the johns. Nobody would want to take that risk.

Yakult is sweet and a little tangy with the consistency of milk. Not the thick and glug-y of the drinking yogurt or the thick AND super tart Kefir. But the best part of this 2.7 fl. oz. bottle is that you can grab one, shoot it and leave without missing a step. It's perfect in everyway, this little thing.

Cheers to Yakult! Here's to good health, everyone!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey I dont know what this taste like but I can almost assure you that I wont drink it.

Hey nice page

me said...

I don't think you can find any Yakult girl riding bicycle anymore. They are probably scared of hit and run and mad crazy traffic in Bangkok.

My sister used to love Yakult and Vitamilk. She had to have it along with her 3 meals daily or she would be the most unpleasant child. To keep her as happy child, my dad had to order stack of cases of Yakult and Vitamilk every month.

I had a friend did lab test with all yogurt products. She pointed out two most beneficial yogurt products, Yakult and Danon's.