Don't Drink the Milk

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Starting in a different European country each episode, we trace the unexpected backstory of things we all think we know well and how they made their way around the world – by force, by chance or by choice.

DW.COM | Deutsche Welle


    • Dec 3, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 29m AVG DURATION
    • 25 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Don't Drink the Milk

    Prisons: Why can't we break free?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2024 44:22


    Lock 'em up and throw away the key. Turns out that concept has been controversial from the beginning. There have always been cracks in the concept of incarceration, but have we let the system grow beyond our control? Journeying from prisons' beginnings to now, and from the US to a small European country, we ask: who is prison actually serving?

    Invisible Work: Women strike back

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2024 45:38


    Women around the world and across generations are connected by this familiar thing that you can't actually see: invisible labor. The mountain of tasks that go unseen and undervalued, and which fall mainly on the shoulders of women. From Icelandic grandmothers to Escape the Corset and 4B activists in South Korea, here's what happens when women push back.

    Reality TV: Our ancient thirst for drama

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2024 35:50


    The gladiator's heart is beating hard as he dons his armor. The gates open and the crowd goes wild. He steps forward and finds himself in... the Bachelor Mansion?! Get ready for a trip from Ancient Rome to Laguna Beach as we track down the roots of reality TV and ask: Why are we so drawn to drama? Who really holds the power? And are we closer to the action than we realize?

    The Missionary Position: Preaching, power and getting pregnant

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2024 37:04


    Weird name for a sex position, right? Well, the story behind it is just as strange - involving the Church, the full moon (or was it campfires?), and some mixed messages. But what can unravelling the mysterious backstory of this most rudimentary of sex positions tell us about sex, shame and evangelizing around the world - even today?

    Introducing: The Secret Life of Canada | Was the plot to assassinate Lincoln hatched in Canada?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2024 26:38


    The Secret Life of Canada from CBC Podcasts is a podcast about the country you know and the stories you don't. Join hosts Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson as they reveal the beautiful, terrible and weird histories of this land. More episodes of The Secret Life of Canada are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/E8i4Tn2T?maca=en-podcast_dont_drink_the_milk-35517-xml-mrss

    Lawns: Is yours giving sun king or pink flamingo?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2024 33:57


    "Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are," said an English poet. What can a well-manicured lawn reveal about social status, our relationship to the Earth and the American Dream? A surprising amount. From fancy French palace gardens to suburban America, come along for the garden party as we mow over the history of the lawn – and ask if its time is up.

    ZIP codes: Delivering more than you bargained for

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2024 33:34


    Psst, your ZIP code is telling all your secrets. In fact, so much is hidden in that short string of digits at the end of your address – we're talking pride, discrimination and marketing gold. Starting with a bulging wartime mail sack and ending with a cup of tea down an Irish country road – this is the winding journey of the postal code.

    Opioids: Old high, new low

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2024 35:55


    The opioid crisis is unfolding around us in real time. But it isn't just a problem in the US. Following the trail of a new outbreak in addiction leads us across continents and eventually full circle to where one of history's most addictive drugs was first concocted. Pain relief, dependency and life-destroying consequences – this is how opioids entered the pharmaceutical market and keep us hooked.

    Witch hunts: The medieval conspiracy that just won't die

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2024 42:48


    When did you last hear the phrase "witch hunt"? Thanks to powerful figures like Donald Trump, chances are you see it in the headlines pretty often. Whispers of witchcraft go way back, but the conspiracy really took hold in medieval Europe - with deadly consequences. So how come it's still around, and how has the power shifted? Our adventure reveals why this chapter of history is far from closed.

    Don't Drink the Milk Season 2 is coming soon!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2024 1:18


    Join us as we hit the road again to uncover the weird and wonderful backstories of familiar things and how they made their way around the world. This season we're delving into sex positions, drug epidemics, reality TV, mowing the lawn and much more. How do these things connect us to disparate cultures and eras and what do their stories reveal about our world today? You're in for an adventure.

    Travel Bite: Bulgarian boza for your bosom

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2024 12:44


    What's the key to success on most trips? Hanging out with a local. Luckily for us, we had one with us for our adventures in Bulgaria last season! We invite Rayna back on the podcast to reminisce about the warm welcome from Bulgarians and a major dairy overload. She shares some useful language tips, as well as stories of out-of-this-world music and a Balkan delicacy with unexpected side effects.

    Travel Bite: Small country, big personality - North Macedonia

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2024 15:16


    Why did North Macedonia splurge on statues? And what do the locals do with strong alcohol, apart from drink it? We revisit our journey to the Balkan nation to dig up some of the oddities and delicacies we encountered in the capital, which is home to a colorful, curious mix of influences old and new, communist and capitalist, Ottoman and Roman.

    Travel Bite: German home remedies

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2024 15:37


    When might a German grandma turn to a tiny sack of chopped onion? Rachel welcomes back Shabnam Surita to play doctor and dig into a few German health quirks. So, pour yourself a cup of bronchial tea and settle in. Disclaimer: The remedies in this episode are presented for their cultural interest, not as health advice!

    Introducing: Doomsday bunkers & the Finnish sense of humor from Passport

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2024 42:27


    We're on a season break but we didn't want to leave you hanging. So this week we're bringing you more adventure, revelation and history – this time from the Passport podcast. In this episode, they head deep underground in Helsinki, to dig into the psyche of a nation that bears a tumultuous, conflict-ridden history, yet consistently ranks as one of the happiest nations on Earth.

    Travel Bite: Spicing up the British pub

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 14:11


    Who's hungry? We've got tasty travel morsels to tide you over until Season 2. These are the tidbits, tangents and tales that didn't make it into Season 1, but might come in handy on your next trip! This week, we reminisce about our beer-fuelled London jaunt and get acquainted with desi pubs – multicultural spaces that serve up history, equality and community, along with a side of beer and curry.

    Bagels: Coming full circle

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2024 32:58


    The bagel is in its rainbow era, but this beloved bread's journey goes way back. We're rounding off season one with a dense, doughy episode that's both scrumptious and surprising. We trace the humble bagel's roots to medieval Poland and follow its North American makeover (are you team New York or Montreal?). A snack for queens, laborers and trendsetters – here's the real story of the bagel.

    India Pale Ale: Hipster hype or colonial hangover?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2024 47:59


    IPA – the trailblazer of craft beers – holds within it stories of empire, exploitation and evolution. We head to the pub (it's hard work, but someone's gotta do it) and explore British rule in India and its legacy today. Pour yourself a pint, because we've brewed up one ale of an episode looking at where your favorite craft beer really comes from – and everything that got exported along with it.

    Introducing: The Disappearing Spoon

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2024 22:24


    We're on a short break, but of course, you still need a dose of quirky history – so here's another podcast we think you'll love. The Disappearing Spoon is a topsy-turvy, science-y history podcast hosted by science writer Sam Kean. This episode tells the mysterious story of Soviet scientists who starved to death while surrounded by food during the Nazi invasion of Russia in World War II.

    Christmas: Piñatas & pavlovas

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2023 24:22


    With so many places around the world celebrating the holiday, a lot of countries put their own very unique spin on the season's traditions. Japan, we're looking at you. Test your yuletide knowledge in our festive Christmas quiz! The team also dares to take on a fiery holiday parlor game – but are we as brave as Victorian children? Join us to find out in this especially merry episode.

    Homeopathy: Can sugar pills fill the holes in modern medicine?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2023 41:37


    Can we cure loneliness with diluted extracts of the Berlin Wall? Or COVID with diluted arsenic? This is the story of how a maverick medic from eastern Germany harnessed the placebo effect and exported it worldwide. A journey across two centuries and three continents, from doctors' surgeries to supermarket shelves and right into government.

    Oracles: Echoes of ancient prophets in the age of AI

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2023 41:55


    Humans have always wanted to look into the future – but have we lost control over it? Travel with us to the bellybutton of the world to uncover the secrets of the oracles of old and to find out what they can show us about our algorithm-driven present. It's a tale of fate and free will, from Oedipus to AI, from Greece to the Netherlands and beyond. Take your seats for an episode in three acts.

    Milk: From mutations to mustaches

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2023 42:12


    Who put the cheese in your stuffed-crust pizza? Or cows on a Caribbean island? And when more than half the world's population can't actually digest milk, is it really essential for a healthy diet? On a trip through time and taste – to dairy-obsessed Bulgaria, colonial Trinidad and Tobago and the 'Got Milk?' era – we explore humanity's millennia-long relationship with milk.

    Passports: Freedom for sale

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2023 38:46


    The little booklets we use to cross borders and take a vacation abroad didn't always exist. So where did they come from? Stories of privilege, control and belonging are hidden in the watermarked pages of our passports. Our travels take us to a little country with a complicated past, where we find some unexpected pieces of the puzzle – from citizenship to micronations to cold hard cash.

    What's in a name? A game of Broken Telephone

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2023 11:10


    A brainstorming session takes an unexpected turn, leading us to the land of Jane Austen, Bridgerton and Victorian parlor games. But what's that got to do with Russian scandals, a 90s classic kids' movie and a bucket of milk? Join us for the first episode of Don't Drink the Milk to find out what's up with our quirky name.

    Introducing: Don't Drink the Milk

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2023 1:30


    Join us as we journey across Europe and beyond, tracing the unexpected backstories of things we all think we know well. Discover how they made their way around the world – by force, by chance or by choice. No need to pack your bags. Just be sure to subscribe to Don't Drink the Milk, wherever you listen to podcasts.

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