# How do we get chocolate milk? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 20, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478 "2017-06-20T20:34:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/21 "2017-06-21T05:46:48Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > But what about strawberry milk? I don’t recall ever seeing a pink cow. Pigs. You’re drinking pig’s milk. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/22 "2017-06-21T05:49:43Z")
Brown cows! How stupid! You get _chocolate milk_ from _chocolate cows._ ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/23 "2017-06-21T05:58:27Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > So, it was intended to be fun, we can’t have the results or methodology, but it was totally, totally valid. > > It is 100% pure bullshit from a brown bull. Speaking as a market research professional: it may well be a reasonably accurate, professionally-done research study. But, within any study, you’re going to have: - A certain small percentage of respondents who are intentionally mis-answering the questions, because they think it’s amusing (particularly on a silly question like this one) - Another small percentage who are reading (and replying to) the questions quickly, and select the wrong answer sometimes So, out of that 7%, I’d assume a fair number of those respondents are in each of those two groups. But, yes, there probably are a few actual stupid people in there, too. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/24 "2017-06-21T12:39:13Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > I never saw a Purple Cow, > I never hope to see one; > But I can tell you, anyhow, > I’d rather see than be one. > > - Gellett Burgess 1895 Two years later, Frank Gellett Burgess came to resent the popularity of the poem (he’d be a lot angrier if he realized it was what he would be most famous for, over a century later), and wrote a response: **Confession: and a Portrait Too, Upon a Background that I Rue** Ah, yes, I wrote the “Purple Cow”— I’m Sorry, now, I wrote it; But I can tell you Anyhow I’ll Kill you if you Quote it! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/25 "2017-06-21T12:41:08Z")
Besides the question of chocolate milk, there’s this: Do you have any idea how many Sheas you have to milk to get enough Shea Butter to make a container of sun lotion? It’s alarming! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/26 "2017-06-21T13:20:06Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Do you mean the people who took the survey, or the people who believe the survey is for real? False dichotomy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/27 "2017-06-21T15:20:03Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Speaking as a market research professional: it may well be a reasonably accurate, professionally-done research study. > > But, within any study, you’re going to have: > > - A certain small percentage of respondents who are intentionally mis-answering the questions, because they think it’s amusing (particularly on a silly question like this one) > - Another small percentage who are reading (and replying to) the questions quickly, and select the wrong answer sometimes > > So, out of that 7%, I’d assume a fair number of those respondents are in each of those two groups. But, yes, there probably are a few actual stupid people in there, too. I really want to know how the question was worried and if there were multiple choice answers. But we’ll never know because the story is better than the facts. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/28 "2017-06-21T17:04:55Z")
According to [this story](http://www.npr.org/2017/06/16/533255590/alarming-number-of-americans-believe-chocolate-milk-comes-from-brown-cows): > [@](#): > > CORNISH: Jean Ragalie-Carr is president of the National Dairy Council, which commissioned the survey. She says they put that question to a thousand people and gave them several options for how to answer. > > RAGALIE-CARR: Well, there was brown cows or black-and-white cows, or they didn’t know. . . . so it sounds like a multiple choice question, that actually gives people the option of “brown cow”. This is not an analysis of what people really think, but in fact a survey that provides takers with leading and/or intentionally silly options. It should come as no surprise that some people will tick the “brown cow” box, and it should also be no surprise that 0% of those people probably actually believe that to be the correct answer. The host goes on to say: > [@](#): > > Jokes aside, she says it shows how disconnected we are from where our food comes from. . . . which it absolutely does not. It shows that people will fill out dumb surveys with joke answers, particularly if you feed them those answers. But hey, kudos to the marketing people on the Dairy Council, who came up with a way to generate all this buzz about a planted story, and here’s to the media, who can’t be bothered to roll their eyes at and ignore this little story because it’s popular and attracts eyeballs/ears. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/29 "2017-06-21T17:19:30Z")
When he was three, my cousin, after watching my aunt breast feeding, thought that one breast was regular white milk, one was chocolate. (And fuck, I still drink chocolate milk – and it’s great in coffee) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/30 "2017-06-22T00:21:35Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > But what about strawberry milk? I don’t recall ever seeing a pink cow. Pink elephants. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/31 "2017-06-22T01:56:13Z")
[Brown rabbits.](https://www.nesquik.com/media/1025/choco_powder_9oz.png) Strawberry? [Brown rabbits.](https://www.images-iherb.com/l/NSQ-68140-4.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![miketx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@miketx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miketx)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/32 "2017-06-22T13:54:11Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > But what about strawberry milk? I don’t recall ever seeing a pink cow. Ginger cows. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/33 "2017-06-22T14:50:54Z")
> [@miketx](#): > > Ginger cows. Upon reflection, I am never drinking ginger ale ever again. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/34 "2017-06-22T18:00:22Z")
I drink Gatorade. How can Gatorade come from gators? They aren’t even mammals! I think Gatorade is just high-reprocessed milk from cows of a variety of ethnic skin-and-fur tones. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/35 "2017-06-22T18:09:45Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I drink Gatorade. How can Gatorade come from gators? They aren’t even mammals! > > . We get Lemonade from Lemons, and they’re not mammals. And we Limeade from Limes, which aren’t mammals, either. They’re both citrus fruits, and we make them from their juice. But Gators aren’t citrus fruits, and have no juice. I’m going to have a Kool Aid and think this over. Or maybe a Flav-r-ade. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/36 "2017-06-22T22:33:42Z")
Do they think brown _women_ lactate chocolate milk ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/37 "2017-06-22T22:38:02Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I drink Gatorade. How can Gatorade come from gators? They aren’t even mammals! > > I think Gatorade is just high-reprocessed milk from cows of a variety of ethnic skin-and-fur tones. Obviously, you can’t milk a gator. However, they do produce another liquid that is suitable for bottling as Gatorade. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/38 "2017-06-22T22:47:28Z")
You’ve got it wrong. Gatorade was a modified spelling. It was originally Gator-aid, and it means that it was a liquid used to help gators. What’s unclear is whether it helps them stay hydrated since they don’t absorb water through their skin, or whether it’s a lure for unsuspecting humans. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/39 "2017-06-22T22:49:55Z")
Would an answer of “black and white cows” actually have been any more correct? (well, OK, the most common milk breed is black and white, but you get basically the same milk from them as from the brown cows) ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478/40 "2017-06-23T03:06:56Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Upon reflection, I am never drinking ginger ale ever again. thank you 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-get-chocolate-milk/789478.md?page=3)