Bring Back the Key!

Definitely a compliment.

Aha - I bet it's in Urban Dictionary -


yep: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pita

We still have milkmen over here.

When I was but a lad, my stepfather used to build fires under three galvanized tubs full of water. From the first he transferred hot water to the washing machine. As the clothes were washed, he ran them through the wringer (two rollers on top of the machine) and transferred them to the second tub. After swishing them in the water, he ran them through the wringer a second time. He swished the same clothes about in the third tub and wrung them yet again. He and my mother hung the clothes to dry. Considering we had a new baby every year, the clothes added up after a week. Once, my mom used the machine on her own. This was at a later place where we had a hot water tank to draw from. Caught her arm in the roller and was drawn in nearly to the elbow before she could slam the safety release.

I miss tool grinder man and their truck as it came the road down the clang clang sound as it neared letting people know they could get all their blades sharpened. (Still have a rare occasion of a local here in The Village-once he goes it'll likely be over eith.

Also recall a man used to come into the city with a fresh vegetable truck. He sold fresh eggs too.

Do a lot of people use them?

Since I'm not used to that, I'm having a hard time seeing where it would be all that convenient.

What if you're not home? I don't mean like on vacation (although having to remembering to stop service would be a pain to remember), but if you're just gone/not there on the day or even time when they deliver?

How does it work?

Wouldn't having an in with the milkman, knowing when people were going to be on holiday, be the perfect opportunity to rob them?

They leave the milk by your door or in the shed..

I understand that.

What if you aren't home?

The milk will go bad especially in the summer.

What if you decide not to come home one night, and into the next day, when delivery is due?

It's not like you're going to notify the milkman every time you decide to to abide by the schedule.

Seems like the milk would go bad, even if you just sleep in late and it's sitting outside for awhile.

Plus, what if you need more, or less?

My dairy needs fluctuate widely.

Usually you leave a note to the milkman on how much you need.

After a while, they know how much you use, so no need for the note except if plan to leave.

Sealed milk, like in the picture, is good for at least 48 hours.

chai, You PITA you. Milkmen arrived very early in the morning. This was not an all-day delivery thing. Maybe somewhere between 5:30 and 6:30. When working stiffs and stay-at-home types got up, they would open the front door and the milk would be there. Still cold.

When you finished the milk, you would rinse out the bottle and leave it outside the door. If you had to tell the milkman something, you would write a note and put it in one of the empty bottles. For example, when I was home and my parents were away for a while, I had to tell the milkman not to leave two bottles. One would be fine. Note in bottle.

We lived in the south Bronx. The 42nd precinct. Yes, Fort Apache. No one ever stole our milk. No one ever robbed us when we were away.

The same procedure was followed for seltzer delivery. The seltzer man would leave the bottle outside the door. My cousin who lives in a Greenwich Village walk-up had seltzer delivery up until about ten years ago.



If you had an irregular schedule or often didn't know when you'd be home, then go to the steenkin' supermarket and get your steenkin' milk.

Back in my youth in west Los Angeles, we used to have a Helms Bakery bread delivery truck. The truck had a music track playing as it slowly made it down the street, waiting for people to stop the truck for some bread, rather like current ice cream trucks.

The Helms bakery building, last time I was there, turned into a large 'antique' store. I bought an armoire there, very cool one. Now there are art galleries and stores and restaurants in there. I haven't been inside in probably 20 years, things change.

I just looked it up on wiki, and maybe I'm wrong about the music.. maybe it was just a toot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helms_Bakery

I had forgotten about seltzer. Strange since my sister and grandmother both insisted on its delivery...in The Village. Not being a big fan of seltzer myself I hadn't noticed it wasn't still being delivered.

It's also good for keeping an eye on elderly neighbours. If they haven't taken their milk in, something might be wrong.

Sturgis, The blue seltzer bottle was a fixture on my grandparent's dining room table. and on my aunt's. How you gonna give a good grepse without a shpritz of seltzer? Also, how you gonna make an egg cream? I miss those bottles. They were so --official. SELTZER.

izzy, You're absolutely right re the milk bottles and the neighbors. My parents were away. I slept late. I woulda slept even later except that a neighbor rang the bell. "You didn't take in your milk. I thought something was wrong." No, nothing wrong. Then she went back to her apartment and kissed the mezzuzah a bunch of times before she went in. A ritual with her--the mezzuzah kisser.

We have milkmen as well - at least in certain areas. Seeing I am now in the sticks I've seen the milkment trucks. Most people though just get the milk at the grocery store.

I would give my right pinky finger for a decent knife sharpener, either a $300 professional tri-stone sharpening device i had when working in food service years ago, or a knife sharpening service that knows what they are doing.

The "new and improved" home versions of electric knife sharpeners just don't cut it and are a waste of money.

We had milk delivery service in the suburbs when I was a real young kid. At some point it was converted to a drive-thru milk depot. You'd bring back all the empty milk bottles and get fresh ones with milk. You could also order fresh squeezed orange juice in bottles. You just drove your car up to the window like we do now for fast food.

I think I would prefer mor drive thru milk depots to drive thru fazxt food.

Do those already exist or is it your idea? Claim it!! It could be elaborated on with other dairy and non dairy.. egads.
edit, I read closer and see that existed in your childhood.

I once had the idea to open a salad and soup place as a drive through, and even had the site pinned down, as it was for sale, pretty good corner on Pico. As usual, I hadn't enough moolah and didn't have the wits to think of investors, not being your brightest light re business. This was in west Los Angeles, a temperate sort of place most of the time except for fire and quakes. I had in mind the salads primary for a big expanse of the year, but good soups and stews at hand for the chill months, gaspacho et al at the ready in summer too, good bread at hand for either. The money to buy the place back then wasn't too awful, except to me, but that land is sheer priceless now.

Naming names - moving toward goofy
Dairy non Dairy
Dairy non Dairy, Tralee, Tralah.