They're small white boxes with bright blue, stylized Chinese characters. Each box is ominously labeled, "Not a substitute for infant formula." They're available in every dining hall. And so far this year, Harvard students have taken more than 8,000 of them--nearly 1.25 boxes per undergraduate.

They are containers of soy milk, a beverage on the rise nationwide and increasingly popular at Harvard.

Soy milk is a natural product extracted from cooked, ground soybeans. Nutrition experts say it is an excellent substitute for cow's milk for people who are lactose intolerant, and a relatively healthy drink option for all.

The amount of soy milk consumed in Harvard dining halls has risen each year since it was introduced five years ago, according to Harvard Dining Services (HDS) Executive Chef Michael Miller.

So far this year, students have gone through about 170 cases of 48 boxes each, a total of more than 280 gallons, Miller says.

Soy Lovers

Although the drink is available in every dining hall, students say soy milk is most popular in Quincy House. (House-by-house statistics on soy milk consumption were unavailable.)

An elder Quincy soy drinker is Montira Horayangura '97, who calls herself "a real aficionado" and says she consumes at least one container every two days.

Horayangura, a former Crimson executive, says she tries to "sneak out" of the dining hall with as many containers as she can.

"The dining hall staff is kind of picky," she says, adding that some HDS workers let her take more than others. "I've been known to sneak out a whole six-pack on occasion."

Unlike in many houses, where soy drinkers must ask for their cartons, Quincy diners can get the drink themselves from refrigerators just behind the serving area.

For Horayangura, who is from Thailand, the drink is "a little taste of home."

"It's not something I expected to find here," she says.

Although only popular in the United States in the last several decades, soy milk has been consumed in Asia for 5,000 years.

"It's still mostly Asians who drink it," Horayangura says. "To a lot of people it's kind of an acquired taste."

A purist, she drinks her soy straight.

"I don't think it was ever meant to be eaten with Cap'n Crunch," she says.

But Horayangura says the product's convenience is a bigger attraction than tradition or health.

"I don't think about it as protein," she says. "I drink it because it's to-go, and it comes with a little straw, which the other drinks don't have."

Randomization into Quincy meant the blossoming of an addiction for Stephan L. Bosshart '99.

Bosshart, who never liked cow's milk, tried soy milk for the first time ever while eating with friends in Quincy last year.

"When I was a freshman, people at Quincy introduced me to it," he recalls. "I didn't like it at first."

Over the year, however, Bosshart came to like the drink more and more.

"Now, I'm up to three packages a day," he says. "Usually one for every meal."

Bosshart says the dining hall workers in Quincy know him well, and do their best to keep him supplied.

Headed for China next year to study abroad, Bosshart says his coincidental love of soy milk has not gone unnoticed in Quincy.

"The comment is, 'You're starting to get assimilated already," he says.

According to Sewell Chan '98, a love of soy milk is the one thing he's known for in Quincy.

Chan, a Crimson executive, estimates that over the past two years, he has consumed about 10 cartons of soy milk per week.

"I never knew they had soy milk until sophomore year," he recalls. "It was a real shock--it reminded me of my Chinese-American childhood in New York."

Chan rarely drinks his soy milk in the Quincy dining hall, he says, instead storing the small boxes in his back pack for later consumption.

"I usually take them to class, or drink them in the library," Chan says. "It's very convenient, and the joy of it is that it's free."

Chan also praises soy milk for its taste.

"It tastes good, although some people think it tastes like cardboard," he admits.

Amber L. Ramage '99, who has been lactose intolerant since age 13, says soy drinkers like Chan make her angry.

"Sometimes everyone else who can drink regular milk has gone and drank my soy milk behind my back," says Ramage, a Crimson editor. "I get so made because I need it!"

Obtaining soy milk in Quincy can get intense, Ramage says.

"It's such a competition to get it," she says. "As soon as they get a new package in, it's gone the next day."

Ramage says she uses soy milk on her cereal every few days, and often takes containers to her room despite the queries she attracts.

"People look at me funny," she concedes. "You have this little, weird carton, and people are like, 'What is that?'"

Dietary needs aside, Ramage says she likes the drink itself.

"Some people say it's an acquired taste," Ramage says. "At first I was like, 'This stuff isn't that good.' Now, I personally love soy milk."

Other students look upon the bean with a lesser degree of adoration.

Travis D. Williams '97 recalls "painful memories" of growing up in Canada, unable to drink cow's milk or pour it on his cereal because of an allergy.

Williams used almond and chocolate-flavored soy milk as a replacement for nearly five years.

"I'm such a cereal addict that it was really traumatizing for me," Williams says.

Around age 14, Williams says, he outgrew his allergy to cow's milk, and hasn't looked back since.

"I never liked [soy milk] that much," he says. "It has a disconcerting aftertaste."

Drink to Your Health?

Some people will consume anything for their health, regardless of the taste. But is soy milk the ticket to a longer life?

According to the homepage of the major Harvard soy supplier, Vitasoy U.S.A. (www.badminton.com/Vitasoy/intro.htm), soy milk contains "nutritional 'treasures'" that are "very effective in helping our body get rid of toxic waste."

But Shirley Hung, nutrition consultant for HDS, says Vitasoy's claims are only "partially true."

And Walter C. Willett, Frederick Stare Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at the School of Public Health, says the verdict is still out on soy milk's benefits.

"Whether it's substantially better than milk is unclear," Willett says. "It's probably a reasonable drink, but I don't think people should be counting on it for special health benefits."

According to Willett, recent studies have shown soy milk may contribute to relieving symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and reducing the risks of breast cancer.

For students who are lactose intolerant--which Hung says may constitute 25 percent of the population--soy milk is an excellent option, Hung says.

But for the general population, she adds, soy milk should not be considered a replacement for cow's milk.

According to Hung, a glass of unfprocessed soy milk can contain nine times as much fat as a glass of skim, less protein and just one-thirtieth the amount of calcium.

To reach the recommended daily allowance of calcium, students would need to drink 120 glasses of soy milk a day--compared with four glasses of skim milk.

Still, Hung says, soy milk is a worthy all-natural alternative to sodas and other high-calorie beverages.

"There's no magic in soy milk," Hung says. "I wouldn't promote it as a replacement for skim milk. If you're looking for something nutritious that doesn't have a lot of calories, this is good."

"Given its pros and cons, I don't think it's a bad choice," she adds.

Miller, the HDS chef, says he is hesitant to label soy milk a "health food."

"It grew out of a need for students who are lactose-intolerant," Miller says. "We basically have it available as an option for our students. We try to say yes as often as we can."

An Intelligent Choice

At Vitasoy U.S.A. headquarters in San Francisco, meanwhile, company executives have been "delighted" to find out their product is being downed by Harvard students, according to a company spokesperson.

Vitasoy, which is distributed nationwide, has seen its sales rise in the last few years, according to Nicole McGee, Vitasoy's media and consumer affairs supervisor.

"There's definitely been an increased awareness of the benefits of soy," McGee says. "Everyone's turning to a dairy-free milk alternative."

Soy milk appeals to an aging "baby boomer" population seeking plant-derived foods, McGee says.

But Vitasoy's rising popularity among Harvard students, McGee adds, is proof that not just the above-50 crowd are becoming soy fans.

"To find out that it's being served in the Harvard dining halls is really good news," she says. "We're at Harvard--now intelligent people are drinking soy milk."CrimsonDavid WichsVitasoy, a popular brand of Soy Milk