A milk bar in the Victorian suburb of Fitzroy North

Milk bar is a term in some parts of Australia for suburban local shops or general stores. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. "Corner shop" redirects here For the British band see Cornershop. They are known as delicatessens or delis in South Australia and Western Australia, and as corner stores in Queensland. Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods" South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent Milk bars are traditionally a place where people pick up milk and newspapers, and where school children purchase milkshakes or lollies. Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the Mammary glands of female Mammals (including Monotremes. A milkshake is a sweet cold beverage which is made from Milk, Ice cream or Iced milk, and flavorings or sweeteners such as fruit syrup or chocolate Confectionery is a set of Food items that are rich in Sugar; modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well

History

The first businesses using the name "milkbar" were franchises opened by Burt Brothers in 1934. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The concept soon spread to the United Kingdom, and over 1,000 milkbars had opened by the end of 1936. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Milk bars were known in the United States at least as early as 1940 as evidenced by contemporary radio recordings.

By the late 1940s, milkbars had evolved to include not only groceries, but also became places where young people could buy ready-made food, non-alcoholic drinks and socialise. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. Soft drink is a beverage that does not contain Alcohol. Carbonated soft drinks are commonly known as soda soda pop pop, or Milkbars often used to include jukeboxes, pinball machines – later upgraded to video games, with tables and chairs to encourage patrons to linger and spend more money. jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device usually a Coin -operated machine that can play specially selected songs from self-contained media Pinball is a type of coin-operated Arcade game where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more Metal balls on a playfield inside a Glass A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device.

The milkbar as a social venue was gradually replaced by fast food franchises, such as McDonalds, and shopping malls. Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly A shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings that contain Retail units with interconnecting Walkways enabling visitors Much of the elaborate decor has disappeared from the remaining milk bars. They are still found in many areas, often serving as convenience stores. A convenience store is a small store or shop. They are often located alongside busy roads or at gas/petrol stations.

Modern era

Milk bars in Australia today almost universally stock ice creams, sweets, chocolate bars, soft drinks, newspapers, bread and occasionally fast food. Ice cream or ice-cream (originally iced cream) is a frozen dessert made from Dairy products such as Milk and Cream, combined Confectionery is a set of Food items that are rich in Sugar; modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well Chocolate ( pronounced or /-ˈələt/ comprises a number of raw and processed foods that are produced from the seed of the tropical Cacao tree Soft drink is a beverage that does not contain Alcohol. Carbonated soft drinks are commonly known as soda soda pop pop, or A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. Bread is a Staple food prepared by Baking a Dough of Flour and Water. Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly Some also serve milkshakes. Although there are many fewer milk bars than there were during the 1970s and 80s due to changing shopping habits, most people living in suburban areas still have a milk bar within walking distance or a short drive of their home. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.

In the United Kingdom, the National Milk Bar franchise is an ordinary café / restaurant chain which is related to the original milkbars in name only ^[1]. Most of these are found in Wales and near the Welsh border in England. In the UK, corner shops serve a similar function to milk bars in modern Australia, providing everyday groceries, sweets, newspapers and such. "Corner shop" redirects here For the British band see Cornershop.

There is a campaign in the UK to encourage school children to consume more dairy products, by installing 'milk bars' in schools. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Dairy products are generally defined as Foodstuffs produced from Milk. The idea is that if the dairy products are attractively presented and properly stored, the children will be more willing to buy them. The organisers behind the project work to develop links with school caterers, so that the handling of milk and dairy produce can be improved, and they promote milk consumption and encourage milk drinking to become a habit that will be carried into adulthood. The milk bar project has been extremely successful in Scotland for 18 years, and it is currently being extended across England and Wales. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

In popular culture

• A Clockwork Orange: milk bars were mentioned in a sinister context in Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, in the guise of the Korova Milk Bar, a hangout where the delinquent Alex and his friends gathered to plan crimes and consume milk laced with narcotics. Anthony Burgess (February 25 1917 — November 22 1993 was an English Novelist, Critic, Composer, Librettist, Poet The Korova Milk Bar ( korova is Russian for "cow" appears in the novel and film A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, twisting The term narcotic (ναρκωτικός is believed to have been coined by the Greek physician Galen to refer to agents that benumb or deaden causing loss Burgess grew up in England during the period discussed above in which milk bars originated.

• Cow and Chicken: a milk bar was featured in the fictional show Cow and Chicken in which the title character, Cow, was put to work singing in a "seedy milk bar" and her performance mimicked a run-down lounge act. Cow and Chicken was an Emmy Award -nominated American Animated television series, created by David Feiss. The bar served at least milk and ice cream, though most likely it was not meant to reflect true milk bars.

• Strictly Ballroom: Fran's family runs a milk bar in Australia near a set of railroad tracks. The milk bar was built for the film and was not operational. While filming the movie, health inspectors showed up and demanded to see their papers.

Similar establishments

A "dairy bar" is the term for a similar restaurant/store common in the Northeastern United States, especially Upstate New York, which is a large producer of dairy products. The Northeast is a region of the United States. As defined by the U Upstate New York is the region of New York State north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.

The term dairy is also used for these establishments in some places, particularly in New Zealand. A dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal Milk &mdashmostly from goats or cows, but also from buffalo, Sheep New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

References

1. ^ A tribute to National Milk Bars.