They warn you about gateway substances. They tell you how one innocent choice can lead to a lifetime of increasingly consuming obsessions. But no one ever sits you down and has “the talk” about raw milk.
It Begins Innocently Enough
It starts with a simple glass of raw milk. Perhaps you visited a local farm or met someone at the farmers market who spoke passionately about the creamy texture and complex flavor profiles that are destroyed during pasteurization. “Just try it,” they said, eyes gleaming with the fervor of the converted. “You’ll never go back to store-bought.”
And so you do. That first cold glass goes down easy—too easy. The richness coats your tongue with a sweetness and depth you’ve never experienced from the homogenized, pasteurized variety. You tell yourself it’s just a treat, a once-in-a-while indulgence.
But soon, you’re making weekly trips to the farm, bringing your own glass bottles, on a first-name basis with the farmer, and asking about the diet of the cows. You’re noticing the seasonal changes in flavor. You’re explaining to skeptical friends that “the risks are overblown if you know your source.”
The Inevitable Escalation
Before long, the raw milk in your refrigerator starts to separate naturally. That thick layer of cream on top is just sitting there, tempting you. Would it be so wrong to skim it off? To collect it in a separate jar?
Raw cream is a whole new level of decadence. You’re pouring it in your coffee, over berries, making whipped cream that stands in peaks so firm they practically salute you.
But raw cream, it turns out, is just a stepping stone
