Milkman
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Snigbrook
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Reverted 1 edit by [[Special:Contributions/124.182.135.205|124.182.135.205]] identified as [[WP:VAND|vandalism]] to last revision by [[User:Snigbrook|Snigbrook]]. ([[WP:TW|TW]])
: ''This article is about the occupation of milk delivery. For the [[Phranc]] album, see [[Milkman (album)]]. For the song by [[Aphex Twin]], see [[Richard D. James (album)]]. For the basketball team formerly knows as the Alaska Milkmen, see [[Alaska Aces (PBA)]]''
[[Image:Milktruck.jpg|thumb|A milk truck]]
A '''milkman''' is a person, traditionally male, who delivers [[milk]] in [[milk bottle]]s or cartons. Milk deliveries frequently occur in the morning and it is not uncommon for milkmen to deliver dairy products other than milk like eggs, cream, sometimes [[soft drink]]s and even yogurt or butter. The term "milkman" is used to refer to either a man or woman doing this work.
Originally, milk needed to be delivered to houses daily, as poor refrigeration meant it would quickly spoil. The near-ubiquity of refrigerators in homes in the developed world has decreased the need for frequent milk delivery over the past half-century and made the profession shrink in many localities sometimes to just 3 days a week and disappear totally in others. Additionally, milk delivery incurs a small cost on the price of dairy products that is increasingly difficult to justify and leaves delivered milk in a position where it is prone to theft.
Historically, British, Irish, and other European milkmen have traveled in an electric vehicle called a [[milk float]]. In Australia the delivery vehicle was usually a small petrol or diesel engined truck with a covered milk-tray. In hotter areas, this tray is usually insulated. {{Fact|date=March 2008}}
== Milkmen in Culture ==
{{Unreferencedsection|date=February 2008}}
* The frequent deliveries of milkmen to homes during the day has led to a high level of familiarity with many homemakers — often female — which has made the occupation a central figure in numerous milkman jokes.
* In the Uganda region an often used title for "king" is "Omukama", which means "superior milkman/milk bringer": a title that refers to a) the role of the leader as a feeder of the people and b) the historical tradition, that the ancient ruling class of some Ugandan kingdoms was of Hima-tribal stock (the Hima were cattle-holders).
[[Category:Milk]]
[[Category:Transportation occupations]]
[[de:Milchmann]]
[[he:חלבן]]
[[nl:melkboer]]