KIGALI, Rwanda — If you're looking for a place to grab a quick drink in Rwanda, you might find yourself sitting at a bar with a tall cold glass … of milk. Milk bars are a popular part of daily life in Kigali, the country's capital. The idea was born out of a need for fresh milk as many Rwandans moved to the city from rural areas in the past decade and lost their easy access to dairy cows.
The beverage carries cultural significance — cows are revered — but has become a challenge for health officials in the country. They'd like to see more moderate levels of milk drinking. In the bustling Nyamirambo sector of Kigali, customers at Moses Sansiman's milk bar are spilling out into the street holding large glass mugs full of the creamy white drink.
The 52-year-old is dressed in a lab coat and serves cold whole milk from a large storage tank with a faucet on one end. He says some milk bars offer options like hot milk with a dollop of honey, fermented milk or milk flavored with chocolate or strawberry or vanilla as well as low fat and skim. Most of his customers are picky about their milk.
They'll either drink it at the bar or fresh from a cow — never from a container at the grocery store. "I can't drink milk in a box. No way," says JP Sagahutu, who consumes about four 8-ounce glasses of milk a day.
He tries to think of the best adjective to describe the beverage. "I don't know the wording in English, but it's something sacré," he says — using the French word for sacred. Many Rwandans speak the language because the country was a Belgian colony until 1962.
Other customers nod in agreement: Milk is holy. In fact, as a sign of respect you must only drink it while sitting down. The sentiment comes from the respect people here have for cows, seen for many generations as providers of sustenance and prosperity.
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