Author Topic: National Kefir Association- WTF?!  (Read 4168 times)

Mighty Mouse

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National Kefir Association- WTF?!
« on: November 08, 2012, 07:05:16 AM »
Hmmmmm.....

http://nationalkefirassociation.com/

Did I miss something here? National kefir association pop up out of no where? Whats going on here.... lets investigate (Inspector mightyMouse is on the case!!!)

This is probably me being a kefir snob since I have actual kefir grains and make my own kefir, which by the way is WAY different than the store-bought yogurt+yeast stuff you buy at Target (he he he... kefir snob...), but what is this? Kefir is pronounced "kee-fur" according to this "authoritative" site?

And this: "National Kefir Association has stringent standards with regards to products it deems kefir.

Kefir must contain:
•  a dairy base
•  at least 7 billion units of activity per cup
•  a combination of the following  cultures:
   Lactobacillius Lactis
   Lactobacillus Rhamnosus
   Streptococcus Diacetylactis
   Lactobacillus Plantarum
   Lactobacillius Casei
   Saccharomyces Florentinus
   Leuconostoc Cremoris
   Bifidobacterium Longum
   Bifidobacterium Breve
   Lactobacillus Acidophilus"

This is what we in Mathematics call a "necessary condition" which in non-nerd-speak means
"Well yeah, kefir has all of that stuff. If it doesn't it ain't kefir." but it is not what we call a "sufficient condition" meaning "this criteria is missing something important- KEFIR GRAINS!!!!"

Seems pretty dang simple to me. The standards should be strict. Do they come from kefir grains or not? If not- it ain't kefir! Its "kefir style yogurt plus yeast stuff".

Sorry, felt like ranting. Seems like Lifeway and the other members are trying to change the definition of kefir to suit their personal needs (you will notice, their defining criteria there conforms perfectly to their flagship product). Oh wait! Aren't all of those "members" all subsidiaries of the same company (check it out online if you do not believe me)?! Hmmm..... weird.... kind of a one man club there... the industry authoritative body which "defines" what kee-fur is and how it is properly pronounced is chaired and run by one company.... that sounds like a good thing!

Very annoying...

P.S. Purely by coincidence- while I read this, I happened to be drinking what was probably the best glass of home made kefir I have ever had since I first got my grains 2 or 3 years ago. Store bought "kee-fur" is not even in the same league!

Alright, done with my rant.

(dang, now I am out of Kefir...)

Hmmm..... now that I think of it..... anyone else out there find the "Bread Machine Sourdough Kits" you find in the boxes in grocery stores (the kind that have dried sour flavoring added) kind of annoying too?

Oh well.... their loss!

george

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Re: National Kefir Association- WTF?!
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2012, 11:57:42 AM »
LOL, MightyMouse.  I remember the days when a friend passed around the .wav of Dom pronouncing "kefir" to every list she was on.  And talked about it for weeks till it became such a joke we started substituting the word "kefir" for just about any other word in random sentences/substitutions.

Oh WHAT is the world coming to?   >:D

Mighty Mouse

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Re: National Kefir Association- WTF?!
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2012, 04:08:20 PM »
LOL, MightyMouse.  I remember the days when a friend passed around the .wav of Dom pronouncing "kefir" to every list she was on.  And talked about it for weeks till it became such a joke we started substituting the word "kefir" for just about any other word in random sentences/substitutions.

Oh WHAT is the world coming to?   >:D

He he, well it is definitely a word you can snicker about. Personally, it does not bother me when someone mispronounces it- I know some people get really annoyed. What bothers me here is the fact that this company has created a supposedly authoritative presence and is feeding people complete BS.

Now, in hindsight, I honestly have no idea why I spent so much time writing such a long post about something so silly last night- must have been late :D

Tomer1

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Re: National Kefir Association- WTF?!
« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2012, 08:19:10 AM »
They dont have .Org so its obviously a commerical enterprise.

linuxboy

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Re: National Kefir Association- WTF?!
« Reply #4 on: November 09, 2012, 03:06:20 PM »
How do you figure Tomer? Domains don't mean anything. It's a nonprofit organized in Chicago.

Mighty Mouse

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Re: National Kefir Association- WTF?!
« Reply #5 on: November 09, 2012, 04:12:45 PM »
They dont have .Org so its obviously a commerical enterprise.

What linuxboy said. You do not have to have any particular status to get a .org domain- anyone can register one. The .org/.com/.net domains were originally conventions but have never had enforced requirements. For instance, I have a website with a .org domain and I do not have any non-profit status (and I have seen plenty of businesses with .org domains).
Now granted, the fact that it is a non-profit does not mean it does not have commercial interests. I still hold that this is a glorified advertising medium for its member"s".