In honor of June being Dairy Month, we at the Clog would like to take a moment to thank cows for the abundance of gifts they give us. Cows, in addition to giving us many great-tasting products, also give us remarkable health benefits. Dairy provides some of the best sources of calcium in milk, yogurt and cheese. What is not to love? In the words of Sean Kingston, “I could write you a symphony,” but instead we’ll just list everything we’re grateful to these black and white beauties for.

Milk

Without it, our bones would not be as strong. More importantly — what would we pair cookies with? Orange juice? Blasphemy. If milk was good enough for Cleopatra to bathe in, we think it’s good enough for us to drink. Whether you prefer Berkeley Farms or Lucerne, nonfat or 2%, we think you’ll agree that milk is pretty frickin’ great.

Ice cream

What joy you bring into our lives! Whenever we have a bad day, a scoop (or four) of refreshing, sweet ice cream instantly brightens up our life! There is no better nostalgic feeling than running after the ice cream truck and then devouring this treat. No ice cream trucks to be found near your apartment? As you probably know, Berkeley is a great place for ice cream. Check out John’s on Shattuck Avenue for a cheap scoop, Smitten on College Avenue for something a little more bougie or good ol’ Cream on Telegraph Avenue (and now College Avenue as well!) for the best ice cream sandwiches.

Butter

Butter is a little stick of smiles and happiness. Really. Stick butter on practically anything, and it instantly makes it better. We stand by the words of Julia Child: “With enough butter, anything is good.” If you’re still not convinced of butter’s miraculous powers, talk to Paula Deen.

Cheese

Sweet dreams are made of cheese. Who am I to diss a brie? We can’t ever get enough Jarlsberg, mozzarella, cheddar, Swiss, cream cheese or asiago. Cheese is the dream. Never forget that. And if you do, West Coast Pizza’s cheesy sticks might jog your memory.

Yogurt

The perfect healthy snack! Even most people who are lactose intolerant can enjoy the gift of yogurt. This is all we have to eat to get a nice dose of protein, vitamin D, B-2, B-12, potassium and magnesium. Whether it’s regular or froyo (check out Clog’s comparison of Yogurtland vs. Menchies), it really does have everything we need.

Oh, cows, with everything you bestow upon us, how we can thank you enough, you sweet, docile creatures?

Image source: Cathy via Creative Commons