# What is milk called when it's poured on cereal **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [November 11, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371 "2010-11-11T23:47:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/81 "2010-11-13T00:24:03Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > …Later marketing may have recognized that adults did not seem inclined to replace their coffee with [del]fake coffee[/del] a healthy alternative… Well, someone where I once worked put Postum in the Mr. Coffee machine by mistake, and half the people there didn’t even notice the difference. So much for Folgers. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/82 "2010-11-13T04:40:09Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > wasted milk on ruined cereal. I concur. I don’t understand how people actually like to use perfectly good milk to make their previously delicious crunchy cereal into a soggy mess, and to top it off not even consume the entirety of the milk. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/83 "2010-11-13T05:04:21Z")
I have never thought of it as anything other than milk, but I’m calling it “cereal sauce” from now on. For all applications. “Hey, can you pass the cereal sauce?” “I just spewed cereal sauce through my nose when I read that!” ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/84 "2010-11-13T10:14:54Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Milk. > > You might describe it as a\*\* “medium.”\*\* FTW ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/85 "2010-11-13T17:38:59Z")
Used milk. ---
**Author:** ![prettydorky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@prettydorky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prettydorky)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/86 "2010-11-13T18:47:56Z")
> [@Hockey\_Monkey](#): > > I have never thought of it as anything other than milk, but I’m calling it “cereal sauce” from now on. For all applications. > > “Hey, can you pass the cereal sauce?” > > “I just spewed cereal sauce through my nose when I read that!” :D:D:D My son calls it cereal milk. We used water as kids sometimes, what a disaster. My brother makes sugary coffee with milk, then pours it over frosted mini wheats. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/87 "2010-11-13T19:41:44Z")
Milk ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/88 "2010-11-13T19:44:48Z")
I call it Dave. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/89 "2010-11-13T19:56:07Z")
It’s milk, FFS. Ideally, there won’t be any left in the bowl, but if there is, and you drink it, it’s still not a beverage, it’s just salvageable waste. Scrap milk, if you will. ---
**Author:** ![Elysian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@Elysian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysian)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/90 "2010-11-13T20:18:21Z")
That’s funny, I call it sludge too. Or at least the bit of it left that’s thick and sludgy with sugar and/or cereal shrapnel. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/91 "2010-11-14T01:44:28Z")
Unless I’m in polite company (when I wouldn’t be eating cereal anyway) I always pick up my bowl and drink the milk once all the cereal is gone. Anyone else do that? ---
**Author:** ![AmunRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AmunRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmunRa)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/92 "2010-11-14T02:04:41Z")
If it must be called something beyond simply “milk,” I vote for condiment. I usually leave the left over milk for the cat when I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/93 "2010-11-14T05:43:28Z")
It’s basic chemistry. Milk is the solvent, cereal is the solute. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/94 "2010-11-14T06:00:11Z")
Additive. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/95 "2010-11-14T06:43:19Z")
Spum. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/96 "2010-11-14T06:58:10Z")
None of the above. It’s still ‘milk’. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/97 "2010-11-14T07:26:26Z")
Malt Smoothie. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/98 "2010-11-14T08:45:49Z")
You could of course include a muesli or oatmeal based smoothie, marinated in whole milk for twenty four hours then blended with yogurt, milk, ice, and berries. You could of course make this smoothie with your favorite cereal… maybe Ghostberry Crunch…Maybe some malt powder. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/99 "2010-11-14T13:17:50Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Uh? No it’s not, or at least not necessarily, and there is no such thing as “a soup base”. No? I hear many people refer to various kinds of chicken, fish, beef or vegetable stock as a “soup base.” It may not be the preferred term, but I would consider it a synonym in most cases. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371/100 "2010-11-14T13:54:03Z")
I have never called it, or heard anybody call it, anything but milk. Maybe, just maybe, one could argue that it is technically functioning as a sauce in these circumstances, but nobody “calls” it that. It is not a beverage, because it is not primarily there to be drunk (just as gravy or other sauces are not there to be drunk, just because they are liquids), and by no stretch of the imagination can milk, in itself, be a broth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-milk-called-when-its-poured-on-cereal/560371.md?page=6)