Stories from "A Christmas Story": Ovaltine

I've been doing Christmas-related posts here at Shangrila Towers for years now, and for this holiday season, I'd like to try something different. From now till Noël, I'll put up special posts about stuff from one of my favorite Christmas movies, "A Christmas Story."



Part of the fun of watching a period movie like "A Christmas Story" is seeing the things that haven't changed. Even now, some 70-odd years after Ralphie fell prey to a "crummy commercial," Ovaltine is still popular worldwide.

Ovaltine was always the go-to drink when I was growing up. You see, I was a big fan of chocolate malted milkshakes; when I learned you could get the same taste from a simple powder that you could mix with your milk, a lightbulb went off. Needless to say, Ovaltine became a staple around the house (probably explains my current love for stouts and porters).

Nowadays I find it a little too sweet (Nestle changed the flavor profile when they acquired the rights to its production here in the States), but there's still nothing that takes me back quite like the not-really-good-for-you sugary chocolate malt taste of Ovaltine.