Coke, Mr. Pibb, and Red Bull

Coke, Mr. Pibb, and Red Bull

Growing up as a child, there was a Pepsi Challenge taking over the airwaves. My Mom drank Pepsi. My Step-father drank Pepsi. My Dad drank Coke. I was undecided for a time. Then Coke won. Not sure why. Not sure when. But in the past 20 years (or more), I’ve had one sip of Pepsi. That’s it.

I can still remember going to a little Greek restaurant close to home and ordering Coke to drink. The waitress always asked what kind of Coke I wanted. Not meaning Diet Coke or Regular Coke or even New Coke. She meant Coke, Sprite, Mr. Pibb, etc. Coke was the all-in-one word for soft drinks where I grew up. It wasn’t just Roma’s, where I always ordered a Mr. Pibb (it was the only place that had it, so it was a treat for me).

As I got older and went off to college, I encountered a major culture shock. Part of it being the lack of Coke in the region. Thus my temporary conversion to Mt. Dew, one of the few Pepsi products that I’ll drink. Now that I have aged even further, I’ve become quite the Coke connoisseur.

Whether it’s Coke in a bottle or Coke on tap, I can taste the difference. And I’ll even tell you if it came from a glass bottle or a plastic bottle. My preference is Coke in a glass bottle of course. But due to the difficulty in finding it (usually around holidays, in Williamsburg, or from a very friendly Coke driver), I tend to settle for Coke from the tap (that’s a fountain machine for the rest of you folks). McDonald’s tends to have the best mixture, but most restaurants and dining facilities have a decent handle on it. Then comes Coke in a plastic bottle. Be it 2-Liter, or 20 oz., the flavor is just a little off. More syrupy than I prefer. But I’ll always have room for a cold can of Coke. On hot summer days most men prefer an ice-cold beer. I veer off the beaten path and reach for the can of Coke. It’s a bit acidic in flavor, but quite refreshing. While most people drink water when they’re thirsty, I drink Coke. I’ve grown to accept Diet Coke, but all I’m really interested in is the caffeine. I don’t like coffee, and don’t like cappuccino. That leaves Coke.

Until now. Now I drink Devil’s Milk. The nectar of Satan. Red Bull. It tastes like liquid Sweet Tarts, but the caffeine content is over the edge enough to make a difference now. After 20 plus years of caffeine intake, my body must have built up a resistance. Like a heroine addict, I’ve resorted to extreme measures to increase my intake to keep the high from going away. While I’m still trying to stop my eye from twitching after every sip, this 8 oz. of liquid evilness is the only thing keeping me awake.

Neil@TK42OONE.com
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