Maltese man in S'pore asks if Milo is 'national drink', gets lots of responses: 'Milo is life'
A Maltese man asked why Milo can be found "everywhere" in Singapore — and netizens got all fired up to tell him.
"Is Milo your national drink or something?" read the caption of a TikTok post by @gilbertgaucimusic, who identifies as a singer-songwriter in his bio.
"I know it's good," he says while filming himself in what appears to be a supermarket or convenience store with shelves stacked to the brim with Milo. "But why?"
The clip, uploaded on Dec 8, has since garnered over 67,000 views and more than 560 comments.
Mr Gilbert Gauci, 31, told Stomp that he is currently in Singapore as part of his master's programme with Novia University in Finland.
The singer-songwriter from Malta said he had no idea how big Milo was in Singapore before coming here. While it was not popular in his hometown, he did grow up drinking hot Milo.
"I was so surprised by all the different variations available," said Mr Gauci, adding that discovering iced Milo was a "game-changer". He is also very curious to try Milo dinosaur.
'Comfort drink'
Milo — created by Nestle in Australia in 1934 and made from a blend of milk, malted barley, and cocoa — has long been a beloved staple in Singapore. Over the decades, it has evolved into countless local variations.
Commenters were eager to explain this to Mr Gauci. Milo is a "comfort drink", said one, noting that many Singaporeans grew up with it.
"Milo is not a drink, but an emotion tied to your childhood," another wrote.
Others recommended that the TikToker try popular local variations such as Milo dinosaur and Milo van.
"Milo is life," one said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect comments from Gilbert Gauci.
