Why Milk and Bread?

‘Harris Teeter bread isle’
courtesy of ‘wfyurasko’

We’ve been reporting since yesterday that, in light of the storm, stores have been running out of “essentials” like milk and bread. Now, I’m not from DC originally, I’m from Maine, but I’ve lived in the south for most of my life. It’s always perplexed me that citizens of non-snow prone states, at the first whispers of a substantial storm, immediately flock to their local grocery and buy up all the milk and bread. Why milk and bread? Why would you need more milk and challah buns during a snow storm than you would on any other day? Up north, people stock up on salt and snow shovels, and make sure they’ve got enough of the food they’d normally eat to last for a day or two. Can a southern reader please explain to me to logic behind the milk and bread craze?

Kirk Anderson

Kirk is a Maine-born, military brat who moved no fewer than 12 times during his childhood. He came to the DC area in 2004 for his undergrad and decided that it was the place for him. Since graduating, he’s nabbed a job with the Fed and spends most of his free time hunting for cheap thrills in the city. Find out why he loves DC.

11 thoughts on “Why Milk and Bread?”

We Southerners like our French toast.

Anything can go between two slices of bread.

And milk does a body good.

Because those are the two things almost everyone keeps in their house and hates running out of. Not everyone needs canned tomatoes or frozen pizza.

I am originally from upstate NY, so I too laughed at all the milk and bread (and toilet paper) stories. But, much to my surprise, on Friday, I found myself stocking up on milk and bread (and eggs). The roomie and I were out of both. We need the bread for PB&J sammichs as well as for toast. We wanted to make cocoa, and thus needed milk. The eggs and milk were also for the pancakes we knew we’d be making.

That’s my take on the phenomena.

I used to work at Giant Food for years and we called the run on milk, bread, eggs, and toilet paper to be, “French Toast and Diarrhea Season.”

Easy: Because you can melt the snow with milk, and shovel the streets with toilet paper. Duh.

Ok, so I always thought this was ridiculous until I opened my fridge yesterday morning and thought of all the things I could make IF I ONLY EFFING HAD MILK. I thought of five things that needed milk, and wound up eating cheesy polenta (with water, ew) and broccoli, when I could have had nice honey muffins or lovely fresh baked scones.

Perhaps because those are the two food products that go bad most often.

The tp is a new phenomenon.

I think it’s because of habits: milk and bread are two things that people are used to having to stock up on in the middle of the week. So when they find themselves shopping on a day that’s not their normal shopping day, they automatically go for milk and bread.

Also: in lieu of the storm, stores have been running out of “essentials” like milk and bread.

This word, “in lieu,” I do not think it means what you think it means.

Yeah, you’re right. When I write on auto-pilot, my mind says “that sounds nice” without actually putting meaning to a particular phrase. Correcting to “in light of”

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Carl Weaver on December 19, 2009 at 5:56 pm said:

We Southerners like our French toast.
Rebecca on December 19, 2009 at 6:12 pm said:

Anything can go between two slices of bread.

And milk does a body good.
Tiffany Bridge on December 19, 2009 at 6:28 pm said:

Because those are the two things almost everyone keeps in their house and hates running out of. Not everyone needs canned tomatoes or frozen pizza.
Meghan on December 19, 2009 at 9:04 pm said:

I am originally from upstate NY, so I too laughed at all the milk and bread (and toilet paper) stories. But, much to my surprise, on Friday, I found myself stocking up on milk and bread (and eggs). The roomie and I were out of both. We need the bread for PB&J sammichs as well as for toast. We wanted to make cocoa, and thus needed milk. The eggs and milk were also for the pancakes we knew we’d be making.

That’s my take on the phenomena.
Greg McElhatton on December 19, 2009 at 9:30 pm said:

I used to work at Giant Food for years and we called the run on milk, bread, eggs, and toilet paper to be, “French Toast and Diarrhea Season.”
Arlington Aaron on December 20, 2009 at 2:08 am said:

Easy: Because you can melt the snow with milk, and shovel the streets with toilet paper. Duh.
Katie on December 20, 2009 at 9:22 am said:

Ok, so I always thought this was ridiculous until I opened my fridge yesterday morning and thought of all the things I could make IF I ONLY EFFING HAD MILK. I thought of five things that needed milk, and wound up eating cheesy polenta (with water, ew) and broccoli, when I could have had nice honey muffins or lovely fresh baked scones.
Brian on December 21, 2009 at 11:45 am said:

Perhaps because those are the two food products that go bad most often.

The tp is a new phenomenon.
Sarah on December 23, 2009 at 4:03 pm said:

I think it’s because of habits: milk and bread are two things that people are used to having to stock up on in the middle of the week. So when they find themselves shopping on a day that’s not their normal shopping day, they automatically go for milk and bread.

Also: in lieu of the storm, stores have been running out of “essentials” like milk and bread.

This word, “in lieu,” I do not think it means what you think it means.
Kirk on December 23, 2009 at 4:09 pm said:

Yeah, you’re right. When I write on auto-pilot, my mind says “that sounds nice” without actually putting meaning to a particular phrase. Correcting to “in light of”
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