Nurturing my inner... blowing bubbles

Inside, I'm really 10.  So this next fun item ending up in my shopping basket shouldn't surprise you one bit.  Vanilla milk straws.  To flavor your boring, regular, cow-flavored milk, of course!  (My childhood is looking more and more like the dark ages as I discover all the super fun stuff the youngsters of today have.  So jealous!)

Why just have ordinary milk? The cow on the
package seems quite happy with this
invention.

I was going to originally use these with rice milk (seeing as I'm no less lactose intolerant than I was the day before I bought these) but I had leftover 2% milk from making mashed potatoes, so I decided to try it on the real thing.  (Oh, this may not go well for me, all things considered.  I'm taking one for the team!)

Now for the science portion of our program: I have to take you on an in depth look at the engineering of the straw.  What they do is take an ordinary wide straw, pack it with flavor beads (in this case vanilla, but they also come in strawberry and chocolate at Wegmans) and then melt the seam together on the top and bottom.  But there is room for air (and later milk) to get through.  (Wouldn't be much of a straw without that concept, right?)

I don't really have to be 10 to see how cool
that is. Neato bandito!

Into a cup of milk it went and up came my first mouthful of lightly sweet, vanilla-tinged moo juice.  (Though I will tell you, it takes a bit of effort.  Unlike the ease of a normal straw.  You gotta earn this.)

Lots of vanilla beads when you first start off.

And acting in typical pre-teen fashion, I felt the need to blow bubbles.  (Why hold back at this point.)  In a short while, the beads melt and slowly disappear.  (Whoa, oh oh, it's magic!)  In this case, blowing bubbles also has the practical purpose of sending milk from inside the straw that got flavored back into the glass to help flavor the rest.

Life can't be all serious grown up stuff.
Make time to play!

Of course, now you have to go out and try them for yourself.  (Yes, my writing is that effective, I'm sure of it.)  If it makes you feel better, those of you with children can even use them as an excuse while making your purchase.  (Wimps!)  Just buy enough to share because I have a feeling that as soon as anyone under three feet tall sees them, they'll be gone in an instant.

Ut oh.  I think the intolerance of the lactose may be upon us.  (Wo)Man down!