Please to identify this childhood drink I had in HK.

October 6, 2006 2:09 PM

Please to identify this childhood drink I had in HK.

Bonus points for letting me know if it still 1) exists 2) can be found in Canada (Toronto).

It's opague, slightly yellowish (cream) in color, tastes like a fruit drink, contains "active bateria", came in little plastic bottles around 3 inches high, had a red and silver crimped foil lid, and the white semi-transparent bottle was shaped a bit figure 8-ish, with red lettering all around. It was advertised as a health drink.

It's just one of those pregnancy cravings that I can't get rid of - I want everything I had before I turned 10...

posted by Sallysings to food & drink (12 answers total)

I didn't even need to read inside to know it was Yakult. I love Yakult! If Toronto Asian communities are like those in New York, any serious Japanese grocery will stock it and big Asian groceries might have it or a Korean/Chinese knock-off.
posted by lia at 2:23 PM on October 6, 2006

Beat me to the punch, lia. Nice work ;-)

Yeah, I didn't even have to read it either to know it was Yakult - reminds me of my youth in HK too
posted by cubedweller at 2:44 PM on October 6, 2006

So that's what the Yakult Swallows are named for! And "The name is derived from Jahurto, which is Esperanto for 'yoghurt.'" I've learned two things today: thanks, Sallysings, and I hope you find some!
posted by languagehat at 2:48 PM on October 6, 2006

Thank you lia, and thank you metafilter - that was incredibly quick!

I did a run of Chinatown last weekend and couldn't find the stuff, but I guess it's really a japanese drink. I'll hit little Korea/japan up a few blocks instead.
posted by Sallysings at 3:20 PM on October 6, 2006

You probably were asking for the wrong name in Chinatown, it should be everywhere.

yang-le-duo is the generic chinese name.
posted by mphuie at 4:05 PM on October 6, 2006

I'm pretty sure you can find Yakult in Chinese stores. However, I'm not familiar with the stores downtown. A great place to go for all types of Asian food (Japanese, Korean, Chinese) is T&T Supermarket. It's huge, like the size of Loblaws, and it's clean, unlike most Asian grocery stores. More info here.
posted by catburger at 4:08 PM on October 6, 2006

Yakult or the Chinese-variants (Yakult is just the Japanese brand name, the product is the same) is available at all the Chinese supermarkets around Spadina/Dundas in packs of 6. I buy it regularly -- sometimes get odd looks as I'm not Chinese, but got hooked on it while living in Asia!
posted by modernnomad at 5:53 PM on October 6, 2006

Vitagen is better than Yakult - same thing, but better taste ;)
posted by divabat at 8:46 PM on October 6, 2006

Yeah, Yakult was my first thought too before I even read the [more inside]. However much I loved it as a child, I now find it revolting.
posted by randomstriker at 12:19 AM on October 7, 2006

If you get absolutely stuck and can't find Yakult it anywhere, you might try Kefir, which is another yoghurted milk drink, but made with Lactobacter acidophillus which has additional health benefits. I know, not nearly the same thing, but variety is good, yes?
posted by leapfrog at 7:49 AM on October 7, 2006

If you have no luck in Koreatown, there is a Japanese foodstuffs store on Queen St. West, just west of Trinity Bellwoods Park. (Somewhere between Bathurst and Ossington. I'm sorry this is not specific; I always walk past it and don't know the cross street.) All edible things Japanese can be found here. It's on the north side, on a corner. The name escapes me but it begins with 's' and it's something like Samko. If I can remember/find it, I'll post again.
posted by typewriter at 11:21 AM on October 7, 2006

leapfrog, that's Lactobacillus acidophilus, and kefir has a lot more than just a pure culture of that. Traditional kefir is a mix of dozens of bacterial and yeast species.

Yakult isn't really like kefir or liquid yogurt, though. It's more like a yogurty tasting quarter water.
posted by rxrfrx at 12:07 PM on October 14, 2006