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What Is “Pilk” and Why the Strange Beverage Has Gone Viral on TikTok
- “Pilk” has been a fascination online for years, and is popular among South Asian communities.
- The drink went viral on TikTok this week after Lindsay Lohan drank it in a Pepsi ad.
- Soon, the milky, carbonated beverage was everywhere on TikTok.
Some people will try anything for viral fame — including Pilk.
The drink, which is sometimes referred to as “dirty soda,” has been an internet fascination for years, but became a TikTok trend in the last week following a Pepsi advertisement where Lindsay Lohan drank the half-Pepsi, half-milk mixture. Multiple hashtags for the drink, which has met with both enthusiasm and enthusiasm, have garnered a cumulative 40 million views on the platform.
Many of the videos consist of creators pouring Pepsi into a glass of milk and then sharing their reactions. Some of the clips begin by stitching a cut from the “Pilk and Cookies” Pepsi advertisement, in which Lohan sits in front of a Christmas tree sipping a glass of the drink.
A lot of the most popular videos claim the drink tastes good. The influencer Brooke Barry has made multiple videos showing her creating and drinking Pilk that have garnered millions of views.
“If Lindsay Lohan drinks it, I drink,” Barry said in the first video.
The trend has gone beyond English-language creators and found popularity in Spanish- and French-speaking circles on the platform, too.
There are also some creators who scored the drink after tasting it. One especially apprehensive user said the drink was not for him. Another creator made two versions of the trend — one with regular Pepsi and one with diet Pepsi — but said it was a disgusting drink either way.
“If I was forced to swallow this, I could,” the creator, who goes by the name “Mr. Teddy Bear,” said in the video. “I’m not going to finish either one of these.”
The advertisement — and the initial reaction from creators trying the drink for the first time — has received some backlash online because a version of the drink was already popular in South Asian communities. Commonly known as “doodh soda” the drink mixes various sodas with milk and is widespread in India and Pakistan, according to Bon Apétit.
Videos and posts featuring internet users drinking “Pilk” date back years. There have been several variations of the trend online, including creators making “pilk cheese” or using other sodas like Fanta instead. The beverage had a mini-moment on Reddit during early 2020 after a user said it was a delicious drink on the “Unpopular Opinions” subreddit and earned over 16,000 upvotes.
“A lot of people looked at me like I’m some psychopath,” the user wrote, “but once they tried it out of curiosity, they liked it as well.”
“Pilk” is the latest in a long line of bizarre food and drink trends on TikTok, which has seen everything from Cheetos topped with ranch dressing to frozen corn syrup gain traction.
114 Restaurants to Receive $3,000 Resilience Grants in Second Round of Financial Support This Year
The PG&E Corporation Foundation Continues Supporting Restaurants with Pandemic Recovery
OAKLAND, Calif., December 02, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Just in time for the holidays, Northern and Central California restaurants are getting a second boost this year from the California Restaurant Foundation (CRF) and The PG&E Corporation Foundation (Foundation). The Foundation’s latest $400,000 charitable contribution to CRF will fund $3,000 grants to 114 hometown restaurants in 23 counties in Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) service area, as well as operating support for CRF.
The Foundation’s additional contribution to CRF’s Restaurants Care Resilience Fund will help restaurants pay for equipment upgrades to alleviate deferred maintenance, and for employee retention to help with industry-wide staffing shortages, both of which have been on the backburner for the last two years due to increased debt, losses and costs. The recent funding follows a $500,000 contribution earlier this year.
“We were elated by the additional contribution from The PG&E Corporation Foundation, bringing our total grants awarded in 2022 in the PG&E service area to 258 independent restaurants. These grants allow the restaurant owners to thank their longstanding and much appreciated crew with a retention bonus or invest in equipment to help their restaurants run safely and efficiently. What an extraordinary gift to give, especially this time of year. Together, we are spreading a bit of joy and letting restaurants know how much we value their contribution to our neighborhoods,” said Alycia Harshfield, Executive Director, California Restaurant Foundation.
For the past two years, PG&E and The Foundation have supported CRF’s Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. Grants have been made available to California resident restaurant owners with fewer than three units and less than $3 million in revenue, and prioritized minority and women-owned businesses. PG&E and The Foundation’s combined $1.4 million in charitable contributions in 2021 and 2022 have supported 367 local restaurants.
Watch a video of one of the earlier spring grant recipients, Las Mañanitas restaurant in Fresno.
“Our hometown restaurants are the heart and soul of our communities, and they represent how small businesses help our local neighborhoods thrive. As we head into the holiday season, where food and gathering are central to our celebrations, we welcome the opportunity to support the industry that provides meals and neighborhood gathering spots. We are also grateful to our partners at the California Restaurant Foundation for their dedication to helping our local restaurants continue their path to recovery,” said PG&E Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer Carla Peterman .
Assisting Small and Medium Businesses
PG&E remains committed to providing ways for its small and medium business customers to save energy and money. Here are some ways PG&E is helping its customers:
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Contacting business customers who would save money by choosing a better rate plan for their operations — projected to save customers over $1.5 million in 2022.
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Providing COVID-19 relief and support information to all small business customers, including PG&E resources and external support for businesses such as California state programs.
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Increasing outreach to small business customers highlighting payment support and energy-savings programs through email campaigns, PG&E’s Energy Advisors, and direct mail.
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Conducting outreach to eligible customers to enroll at a discounted rate for businesses struggling to stay open.
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Offering rebates and financing solutions to help small business customers realize sustained cost savings.
For more information on PG&E Small and Medium Business customer support visit pge.com/smbsupport.
For more information on the California Restaurant Foundation, Restaurants Care, or the Restaurant Resilience Fund, visit restaurantscare.org.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.
About The PG&E Corporation Foundation
The PG&E Corporation Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, separate from PG&E and sponsored by PG&E Corporation.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221202005324/en/
Contacts
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415-973-5930
Richmond restaurant news: At least 6 new dining options in December
The dining room and bar at Botanya. Image: Courtesy of the restaurant
Richmond is teeming with new dining options this month, and even more places are expected to open throughout December.
⛳️ ICYMI, though I know you didn’t since it’s seemed the most reported “eatertainment” opening ever, The Park at RVA is now open Wednesday through Sunday in the Diamond District.
🧀 Truckle Cheesemongers opened two weeks ago in its new Devil’s Triangle home at 714 N. Sheppard St.
- The spot serves cheese boards, grilled cheese, charcuterie and wine and beer for dine-in or to-go daily.
🤫 uliveto, the fish-heavy, Mediterranean-focused restaurant from the Gersi folks, opened quietly this week in the former Secco Wine Bar space in the Fan.
- The restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday from 5-9pm for its soft opening.
🍲 Botana Restaurant, the Carytown Italian and Spanish fusion restaurant, opens today at 4pm and will be open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. check out themenu.
- The restaurant is booked through Saturday, but walk-ins are OK at the bar.
🍛 Kismet Modern Indian, the Richmond location for the award-winning Northern Virginia restaurant, is opening next week in Scott’s Addition, in the former Perch spot.
- The restaurant serves traditional and modern takes on Indian cuisine.
- It may launch takeout and delivery this weekend for trial runs, so check Instagram for the latest.
🍔 Eazzy Burger, the Ardent and ZZQ folks’ burger joint love child, will open mid-December.
🥘 Hot Pot 757, the Chinese hot pots and Korean barbecue restaurant that opened on Broad last month, has a Chesterfield location on Robious Road next to Total Wine in the works.
😢 The Broken Tulips will close at the end of the year after five years in Carytown, the restaurant announced on Instagram this week.