"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.