The Great Dr. Pepper Incident
One of the perks of my new gig is that they make a large selection of soft drinks available for free to employees.
Now, this would be nice, except….
Several years ago, I gave up all soft drinks, both regular and diet.
They’re just not good fer the ol’ rig, ya know? Bad stuff, lots of chemicals, extra calories and such.
So except for a splash of ginger ale now and again to float a shot of Maker’s Mark, I don’t drink sodas.
But I have to say, free is pretty tempting, right?
I noted in the cooler, there were some chilled to perfection Dr. Peppers looking at me like the last puppy in the pet store.
When I was a kid, I adored Dr. Pepper. To me, it was nectar of the gods.
So yesterday, day two of the new job, I decided to cave and have myself a free Dr. Pepper.
Well.
Yuck.
I mean, p’tooie, bleah, barf, YUCK!
I took two sips and poured the rest out.
It didn’t taste good. I’m sure some of that is due to the fact I just don’t drink sodas anymore.
But you know what? I think A LOT of my reaction was that stuff from my childhood just doesn’t taste the same or even good anymore.
Over this past weekend, I tried a Little Debbie Star Crunch.
That also tasted not at all like I’d wanted it to.
You know what I blame?
Corn syrup.
Ok, this isn’t going to be a rant about corn syrup and how bad it is for you. It could be, but it isn’t.
I’m just going to say this. Good ol’ fashioned delicious cane sugar and corn syrup are NOT the same thing. The taste, the texture, the consistency, NOT THE SAME.
I blame corn syrup, which is in EVERYTHING these days, for the fact that none of the foods and beverages that I so loved in my youth taste like they should.
One could argue that as I have aged, my taste buds have changed, and there is some validity to that.
But that doesn’t let pesky corn syrup off the hook.
Nope.
Then, just to add insult to injury, after I took two drinks of a Dr. Pepper and threw it out, I had heartburn for the rest of the day.
It just ain’t right.
Comments
Alex
I'm sorry it wasn't what you expected. I always thought FREE tasted awesome! That's probably what got me into trouble in college with beer. But, maybe it is better that you know, now. Then you can leave that last puppy at the store. At least, that is what I tell myself when I am trying to practice ANY kind of restraint.
Lucky
Wifey went to Waco, TX a couple of months ago and brought me back a six-pack of Dr. Pepper made with real cane sugar (from the factory). It exists and it is wonderful. Sorry to tempt you. . .
Also, for floating the Maker's Mark, Blue Sky Organic ginger ale is so incredibly gingery, I have made an addict out of several people who've come to my house and had some. Also made with sugar, not corn syrup. For me it's a splash of Knob Creek, ice, Blue Sky and lime. Yumm.
Anji
I had something similar with the cherry lemonade I loved when I was a child – I think it must have been because it was such a pretty pinky-red, just right for little girls.
Karen Fayeth
Alex – I thought free would be awesome too. Turns out it wasn't. Ah well. You are right, better to know……
Karen Fayeth
Lucky – one of the best things I ever tasted was a Coke fresh from the bottling plant in Deming. My best friend's uncle runs the place. He keeps an old fashioned cooler in the house and keeps the cola icy cold.
Sooooo delicious. So yeah…I'm jealous.
I'll have to look into this Blue Sky ginger ale! Sounds YUM! (esp with a splash of Knob Creek. You are my kind of gal!!!)
Karen Fayeth
Anji – I guess that old "you can never go back" is true.
But I don't want it to be (sometimes anyway!!).
I do have a slight addiction to strawberry lemonade, however. So refreshing!
Elise
Oh, lord, Coke with cane sugar. YUM. Non-cane sugar sodas aren't even worth drinking. Which is a good thing, since that makes sticking to water so much easier. :-(
Karen Fayeth
Elise – No kidding, huh? I know fer sure that water is better than that nasty brew I tried.
Gack!