Find A Good Mother And Take Good Care Of It

When I moved to Sokoto, Nigeria in 1975, I had to choose between Mrs. Datta and Mrs. Kohli.  People told me that Mrs. Kohli was sweeter than Mrs. Datta.  However, I chose Mrs. Datta.

These two women were from India and they had yogurt mothers that they were willing to share.  I needed a yogurt mother to make my own yogurt, which turned out to be pretty easy in Sokoto.

Dairy products were hard to come by in the tropics.  There was one herd of dairy cows in all of Nigeria, and they lived on the central plateau under the careful eye of an Agricultural university.   They did not ship their cow's milk because milk spoils quickly in the tropics.

There were herds of camels all around Sokoto.  Camels were milked and the milk was turned into a form of cheese: solid white disks that were for sale in the market, but did not look at all hygienic to me.

So, almost all dairy products had to be imported.  Nigerians were fond of small cans of evaporated milk and condensed milk from Holland, which they used in their tea.  Another popular imported item was powdered milk, which Nigerians turned into baby formula.  

I needed powdered milk to make yogurt, and my favorite brand was KLIM. 

KLIM was produced in America; it was originally used by explorers; it was a staple in the rations of US soldiers fighting in the Pacific during World War II. But it was not my favorite brand because of its pedigree --- it was my favorite because KLIM is MILK spelled backwards, and I like things that spell backwards.  

(No wonder that my favorite Nigerian detergent is OMO, which spells its own name backwards.)

Once I got my yogurt mother from Mrs. Datta, I began to make yogurt on a regular basis.  I would add water to KLIM in an enamel bowl.  Sokoto had wonderful colored enamel bowls imported from Czechoslovakia.

I stirred the mother into the milk, put the lid on the bowl, and set the bowl out in my yard.  Sokoto is the hottest large city in Africa, so, the sun did the rest.  After one hour, I would bring the bowl into the house: there was a batch of yogurt inside, all properly cultured.

However, if I lost track of time, and fetched the bowl after two hours, there would be a batch of very thick yogurt inside, almost like cream cheese.

Chill the yogurt, and consume…making sure to set aside some as the mother so I could make another batch. 

But sometimes, I would lose track and eat all the yogurt in the fridge, including the mother.  So, I was back where I started from: I would have to choose between Mrs. Datta and Mrs. Kohli.

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is another country without dairy cows.  You can watch a one-minute video where KLIM tells Saudi women that they can realize their dreams – being a TV reporter, piloting a jet, climbing Mt. Everest – if they drink KLIM powdered milk.  (You can't realize your dreams without calcium.)  Saudi Women of Strength

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NOTE: Doug's best stories have been collected into a book: Puppy Out Of Breath.  Price = $11.  You can find out more and purchase a copy at http://www.puppyoutofbreath.com