If you ask me if I could turn vegan at any point in my life I will say no without a second thought! I can give up poultry and meat, but milk and curd would be next to impossible! I breathe chai, it is my fuel that keeps me up and running and I take my chaya very very seriously. A strong cup of half n half with less sugar as soon as I wake up and one by noon are necessities for my everyday life. Also, how does one end a meal without having that final serving of cold creamy curd?
The first time I moved out of the comfort of my home was when I was 18! I landed in Manipal with high hopes and 5-year plans. Though things did not pan out the way I had intended them to, I did take back fond memories, new experiences and life-long friendships. This was that phase of my life where I developed survival instincts, thanks to the limited money in my pocket and hunger for exploration. Thus, I ended up befriending Nandini GoodLife’s Rs.10 packet of milk.
During my first 6 months of hostel life, all I owned was a kettle. I used to boil water and make use of the tea bags for a decoction. Since the packets of milk were ready to use and needed no boiling it was almost like having instant chai. All of us Manipalites lived on this. While I was sitting down to write this article, I thought I would talk to two of my collegemates to check if they related to this as much as I do. While conversing, Yeshaswini and I soaked in a moment of nostalgia, she said ” the Tetra Pak milk was our life saviour during hostel days. Easy to store, easy to use and affordable too. We used to use an electric heater and the good life Tetra Pak milk to make mugs and mugs of coffee to keep us awake during exam time. True life saver”
By the beginning of the second semester, I had moved out of the hostel. We were two of us sharing an apartment and the monthly grocery shopping included 10 packets of milk, it doesn’t expire in three days so less running around each time we wanted coffee or tea! ” Okay, firstly I remember it being exactly enough for two cups of coffee for myself and whoever I was with. And I don’t like keeping things open in the fridge so that was nice. ‘Cuz you know Manipal and limited utensils at home, also, I like the taste, didn’t taste too fatty and wasn’t very thin either“. This is what Kalyan had to say! This was exactly how it was while living in an apartment there.
GoodLife was such a big brand in Manipal that none of us asked for “ondu packet milk kodi anna/akka”, instead it was “ondu packet GoodLife kodi”. Back then I did not know anything more about the brand other than the fact that it sustained me for 2+ years. Fast forward 3 years and I get introduced to Nandini GoodLife Slim and Nandini GoodLife Gold. People who take their food really seriously would love how these variants have a different consistency and texture.
You can find my overnight oats recipe made using the slim variant and the Shahi Tukda made using Gold on my feed here:
- Overnight Oats: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKdZxOkHlBV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
- Shahi Tukda: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLMe8Z_swH2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Life amazes you at every step, little did I know I would be writing about a brand of milk that held me together during my days at uni, but here we are and all of you joining me while I share a piece of heart. Here’s a to a GoodLife, one that is healthy, wealthy and wise!
