Do you still remember Yakult?
I think the very first big scientific term I learned was “lactobacillishirotastrain.” And then I remember seeing a commercial which had several frames on a microscopic view of something (lactobacilli I guess?) and thinking yuckkkk! But that was good bacteria, the ad explained. I don’t remember exactly what the ad said back then. All I recall now is “lacto bacilli shirota strain.”
And I also remember the jingle. It went something like “Tan-ta-na-nan-taaaaan-taaan.” I’m sure you can fill in the melody. 😉
Yakult is still a part of my grocery list. There are other brands of cultured milk being sold, but this is a childhood favorite of mine. Its ads now are on how it is good for digestion and the tummy. Heck, maybe this was what the Yakult ads of my childhood were also saying too! I just don’t remember!
There were also Yakult Ladies who went around neighborhoods. They had a uniform — a collared shirt, pants and a baseball cap. Then they’d push this huge rectangular cooler on wheels around town. I still see them sometimes, but I buy my Yakult straight from the supermarket just like my Mom did when we were kids.
I also remember passing by a huge Yakult statue on our way to Batangas. It was the Yakult factory, I think. I’d always try to wake up from my slumber when our family car would near the Yakult plant. I’d pay homage to the giant Yakult statue as our car whizzed by.
Do you drink Yakult too? What do you remember about Yakult? Lactobacillishirota strain din ba? 😉
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
Lace
September 30, 2006 at 8:05 pm (18 years ago)Yay! i drink Yakult too ever since i was 5 or less. we get it dun sa yakult ladies hahaha now i drink it believeing it will fight the bad bacteria in my stomach and prevent tummy aches and gas. ^___^
Christianne
September 30, 2006 at 11:50 pm (18 years ago)Well I remember complaining to the Yakult saleslady that the bottles were too small, and telling them they should sell Yakult in big litro bottles. Siguro they’re afraid little kids will drink it all down and overdose or something.
I still love Yakult, and I still want to write them a petition requesting for bigger bottles! I promise to try to restrain myself from drinking the whole thing 😛
Ces
October 1, 2006 at 3:42 am (18 years ago)of course i remember yakult! chino just said now…i want that! hahahaha….the kids love this drink too! good thing it’s easily accessible here!
tanya
October 1, 2006 at 7:06 am (18 years ago)i grew up drinking yakult! bwahahahahaha! i’d drink em like water! i could finish a whole bag of it!
Tina
October 1, 2006 at 2:00 pm (18 years ago)I still drink Yakult whenever we remember to buy them! One a day was my usual. I have a friend who loves this so much, she’d drink about three. 😛 Yummy yummy. 😀
Sidney
October 1, 2006 at 9:31 pm (18 years ago)Yes, I drink Yakult! Too bad those bottles are so small !
Cat
October 1, 2006 at 11:13 pm (18 years ago)Ahhh! Yakult was a part of my childhood too. We were limited to one Yakult a day. But my brother, being the pig that he was would drink the entire pack (5 bottles)! We knew it was bad for him (plus, he was getting fat and would always go to the banyo). We eventually, slowly, took out Yakult of our grocery list.
Years later, my brother grew up and drinks Yakult once in a while. But now I have 3 little brothers who are just as addicted! One time, I found the Yakult pack on top of the China cabinet, far from my brothers’ reach. Just this month, my youngest brother, who is 5 years old, came up to me, almost in tears, as his upper lip got stuck in the Yakult bottle while drinking from it. Instead of taking off the foil top, he just punctured a hole and drank from it. The act suctioned his lip in and it got stuck! I was laughing so hard cuz he looked so funny and cute. I could tell he was panicking inside and he was trying hard not to cry. When I got the bottle off, he just gave me this sheepish grin and said, “Hehehe!”
As for the Lactobacillishirotastrain, my dad always uses that term whenever he has to explain something scientific. Like, “Dad, why is the sky blue?” and he’ll say, “because the lactobacillishirotastrain… blah blah blah!”
Jesse
October 2, 2006 at 8:45 am (18 years ago)sometimes you think it tastes like spoiled milk, most of the time it tastes just plain perfect. i love it.
Zita
October 2, 2006 at 9:23 pm (18 years ago)5 yrs ago yakult was the only cultured milk that I saw at the shops here in Brissie, now there’s heaps to choose from. I still buy yakult because I don’t particularly like the other brands. Even my son loves them. Kaagaw ko sa yakult. I kinda miss the yakult lady that used to forray our streets in Makati.
Junnie
October 2, 2006 at 9:48 pm (18 years ago)Am a Yakult Fan:
– i once made a Christmas parol made of Yakult empty bottles!
– i can drink all of them without peeling the wrapper – by just puncturing them on top with the straw – all in one seating!
– whenever i get a chance, i always pass by 7-11 or a convenience store to grab me my supply – pero wala niyan dito sa Canada…ewan ko ba…makahanap nga mamaya…
Linnor
October 5, 2006 at 6:33 pm (18 years ago)Love that! My sons love that too!
noemi
October 6, 2006 at 12:53 am (18 years ago)They have it here, too. my hubby buy it for him and my daughter.
Terri M
November 5, 2006 at 7:43 am (18 years ago)I have a really bad stomach with gas and bloating and was told to drink Yakult. Does anyone know where I can purchase it in the US? I live in the state of Pennsylvania. Thank you, Terri