A Little Nostalgia can be a Dangerous Thing

[krpalmer]

Every so often I notice comments that soft drinks tasted better back when they were made with cane sugar and not corn syrup, but in the past I never tried to follow up on them and search out the old-fashioned soda pop that was said to still be found here and there. I suppose my thought was that I might succumb to a more expensive habit. However, while headed through my local grocery store, I happened to notice packages of soda on prominent end-of-the-aisle display, and by the time I realised they made a point of being made with "real sugar" a part of me already wanted to buy it...



What had caught my attention was the "throwback" design of the Pepsi carton. That it seemed to resonate with me made me think it had be the 1980s design, although for some reason I wondered if it could be a decade or two earlier than that. I did happen to think that this sort of thing works better for the regularly rebranded Pepsi (which I don't normally drink) than with Coca-Cola, as that brand seems to stress continuity and history to begin with, although I suppose cans that had "Coke" on them in big letters as opposed to a small logo just to keep it there might look older. In any case, even as I wondered what else I might be suckered into buying with a simple appeal to the past, I bought a carton and took it home. However, on opening the first can I couldn't seem to tell a difference between "real sugar" and corn syrup anyway...

Comments

[may-child.livejournal.com]

I've drunk "specialty" sodas that were made with cane sugar, just for the heck of it. I couldn't really tell the difference between those sodas and the ones made with corn syrup either. However, I thought both types of soda were much too sweet. I used to have a massive sweet tooth, but I seem to have grown out of it. Or maybe I'm just used to diet soda.

[krpalmer.livejournal.com]

I'd have to admit to having a "sweet tooth" myself; I still have leftover Halloween candy I bought on sale at the beginning of November. Still, given my dentist put in some fillings the last time I saw him, I can at least wonder about its effects on me...

[incisivis.livejournal.com]

Wait...does this mean that the Throwback drinks are in Canada now? Because I really did want to try them, for the reasons you've just mentioned. I want to find out for myself if they taste better :)

[krpalmer.livejournal.com]

I suppose I can only say they're in a Metro grocery in Ontario; for some reason, I'm thinking of a trip I once made to Cape Breton Island where I dropped into a Sobeys (which hadn't quite made it to Ontario then) and was charmed to see Coke in small glass bottles... Still, it seems plausible enough they'd also be in Alberta now too. I'm also sort of interested that you already knew about the Throwback drinks without seeing them in a store.