Soda Pop Crack Rock

by Holladay Allen

Native Foods Tribe Member

 

“Yahoo Mountain Dew!” my grandfather Gus would exclaim as we scurried across Bayview Park toward the soda machine near the tennis courts.  My mouth watered as I anticipated the explosive sugary rush of the highly caffeinated neon green liquid.  Once there, we would go through the motions:  drop the coins in, triggering the familiar clankity clank as the change finds its way down to the “soda pop bank” and then the tumultuous banging of the can as it heads toward the daylight to be greeted by my dirty little kid hands.  Pop that metal tab up and press that ice cold rim to my lips and Voila!... there it is, that old familiar taste of artificial citrus and several pounds of sugar and… hold on a minute… here it comes…  creeping into my bloodstream, and I am off!  I can climb the highest playground set in two seconds flat!  I feel fantastic?  My brain is going a million miles a minute.  I am running circles around my grandfather. After a couple of hours of zipping around like a petite psychopath, I start to crash and we head home, my legs dragging behind me. 

 

 

 My parents owned their own business so they both worked a lot when I was younger.  My grandfather (who rocks!) would entertain me everyday in the afternoons after school.  Like a good grandparent, he indulged practically every desire I had.  Since the only soda to be found in my house was of the diet variety (which I thought was completely gross), soda pops in the park were out of this world!  Yes, soda was my drug (especially Mountain Dew) and my grandfather was my soda pusher.

 

Since transitioning to a vegan diet 11 years ago, my taste buds and “general food cravings” have changed drastically.  The idea of drinking an entire soda is now slightly repulsive. It reminds me of drinking syrup without the thick texture, which is essentially what soda is: diluted syrup with a variety of flavors to choose from.  Last year, I was watching a news program that featured a segment on a certain region in Kentucky, in the Appalachian Mountains, where a majority of the population suffers from a self inflicted oral hygiene problem they are calling “Mountain Dew Mouth.”

 

 The following quote is from the ABC News website: “It's a stereotype rooted in a terrible fact. Central Appalachia is No. 1 in the nation in toothlessness. According to dentists, one of the main culprits is Mountain Dew soda. With 50 percent more caffeine than Coke or Pepsi, Mountain Dew seems to be used as a kind of anti-depressant for children in the hills.” 

 

This addiction starts early, as some dentists are seeing parents giving bottles filled with soda given to infants. 

 

 Yikes! Coca-Cola was introduced in 1886 as "a valuable brain-tonic and cure for all nervous afflictions". It was marketed as a temperance drink "offering the virtues of coca without the vices of alcohol". The new beverage was invigorating and popular. Until 1903, a typical serving contained around 60mg of cocaine (www.cocaine.org).  They gotta get you hooked.  Whether it is sugar, caffeine, salt, or fat, there is a big business in feeding these addictions. 

 

 

What exactly are we consuming when we pound one of these obnoxiously sweet carbonated delights?  Well, there are websites dedicated to the many uses of Coca-Cola: cleaning coins, tires, toilets… the list goes on.  In Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, he describes how flight attendants will often use a can of Coke or Diet Coke to clean an airplane toilet in a pinch.  Yuck!  So while the ingredients may be short list of corn syrup, caramel color, and a few other additives, watch out!  If these ingredients can deoxidize metal and scour bacterial scum, imagine what they’re doing to your insides!

Comments

[N. R. Pantelis]

Well said!

I was enjoying a freshly made "Mojito" while reading your blog and it dawned on me that I'm just drinking a grown up version of the said beverage with some rum & mint leaves. I did however grow the mint in the backyard. I promise to cut back on the simple sugar next time.

Is that your Grampy in the photo? He looks handsome in that Greek fisherman's hat.