Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Hey Rocky, Watch Me Pull a Farmer Out My Hat

I watched Jeopardy today and I learned something that I didn't know and didn't want to know--apparently, there are dairy farmers who cover themselves in the stink of baby moose so that they can milk moose.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I ask you--if you have to coat yourself in the stink of the calf of an animal just to get close enough to milk it, isn't that a sign from nature that that particular animal isn't meant to be milked?

I was shocked to learn that moose are milked. But don't worry, my friends, the milk is not used for drinking--unless you are looking for a miracle cure for the stomach that ails you. According to the a-little-on-the-nose named website milkproduction.com, people travel to Russia to get a daily dose of moose milk:

Moose milk is believed to help people recover from disease and manage chronic illness more effectively. The moose milk cure is especially targeted at adults with stomach ulcers and children with digestive disorders.

As to the science, the main explanation is the effect of a high level of enzyme (lysozyme) activity. Compared to cow's milk, moose milk also has a higher fat (10%) and protein (8%) content, and much higher levels of aluminium, iron, selenium, and zinc.

You can hear all about it here, from NPR'sarchives. The guy who loves fresh moose milk sounds exactly like a guy who would love fresh moose milk.

It should also be noted that Moose Milk is often (well, not often) is made into one of the world's most expensive cheeses. As of a few years ago, there was apparently one dairy in the entire world that made moose cheese, so it is has not taken off yet, per se. The good news is that it sells for about $500/lb.

Hey American entrepreneurs, there is something that people in Europe have paid $500 a pound to acquire, and it apparently does not yet exist in America, home of people willing to pay a lot of money for anything. I smell business opportunity! Let's get some moose babies and start milking.

4 comments:

Jess said...

You should procure some of this moose milk cheese and do an Onion AV Club-style taste test.

Muumuuman said...

I think you should milk a moose yourself. Milk the moose!

Jess said...

That's way better than my idea.

Andrew Wice said...

Milk the moose? Oops, there goes my ball control again.