milk and speckled eggs

"Abby?"

"Yes Molly."

"Mom bought you quail eggs."

That was not a typo.  Quail eggs.

--I live in an alternate reality, a small world with a limited diet.  I say a small world because I drink milk from a goat and eat eggs from a quail, both creatures being smaller than their mainstream counterparts.  I have allergies, and my family has always tried to find alternatives for me no matter how bizarre or unappealing they may appear (or even taste).

 

I am often asked what goat milk tastes like.  I reply:

-The fresher it is the better.

-What does it taste like when it isn't fresh?

-Goaty.

-What do you mean?

-I mean it tastes like I am drinking the goat's bath water.

Okay, that was hyperbole.

Benefit:  I feel more connected with the global community because of my allergies.  I occasionally consume imported desserts that lack corn syrup, my mortal foe and darling of the American food industry.  I drink goat's milk and suddenly identify with Heidi of the Swiss Alps.  And my pickled quail eggs come in cans found in the Asian section of my local supermarket.

I can't say how grateful I am that there are things for me to eat.  I think about children in countries who consume a steady diet of rice, rice, and more rice.  My diet all of the sudden is blessed with unimaginable variety.  What would it be like to wake up everyday and not have to guess what you were going to eat, only wonder if there will be any rice left?

I am thankful for goats, quails, and alternative sweetners.  Goat milk anyone?