THE SOUL is shaped by words, images, & experiences.

THIS BLOG is about those things that have left their impression on me. I'd love for you to comment on what affects you.
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Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Ice, Please


After a Scottish friend refused ice for his warm soft drink, I wondered why Americans seem to be the only people who drink their beverages with ice.

Digging into history, I discovered ice was first manufactured in the United States in the 1860s, and that's when it appeared in drinks. Back then, iced beverages were known as "American Drinks".

Ice is cheap and available nearly worldwide today, so why is it still almost impossible to get iced soft drinks outside of the U.S.? I asked several people from different countries why no ice. Their replies gave me excellent insight into their cultures.

THE SUPERSTITIOUS GREEK: "Cold drinks give you a sore throat."
THE THRIFTY SCOTTISH: "Without ice, you get more drink!"
THE DELIBERATE CHINESE: "The stomach is a certain temperature, and the warmer drink is more compatible with it, therefore easier to digest."

I don't care if I'm gypped. And doesn't my mouth warm the cold drink before it hits my throat and stomach? I want ice in my coke! Besides, I like how the melting ice dilutes the sweetness. And if there are any cubes left, they're nice to suck on--especially on a hot, summer day.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Absolutely! There's NOTHING like a frosty fountain Coke! I can almost see the sweat dripping down the side of the cup. Now, all I need is a hotdog and a baseball game. :)

Anonymous said...

So this is the result of years of carefully designed and targeted marketing on behalf of Coca Cola. "Sweat dripping down the side of the cup".... "Coke with a hotdog during a baseball game"... you're practically reciting previous Coke commercials and promotion strategies! Lydia and Lori, we shouldn't be too proud of the fact that we are just victims of an elaborate brain washing campaign by those large multinationals.

I can almost hear the smug laughter of Coca Cola and their "ice skating polar bears" as they read your blog entry.

Free your mind.

Anonymous said...

You bet we are baby!

On second thought, wouldn't drinking coke without ice sell more coke?

Anonymous said...

Of course not. When you buy a bottle or a can of Coke, they have profited from your full purchase, whether you put a million ice-cubes in your glass or none (fast food restaurants don't count because they use Cola syrup).

Anyway, the image of cold "sweating" Coke with ice probably generates profits far greater than the losses from using ice cubes in their drinks.

Unknown said...

Whether I am part of coca cola's elaborate scheme of commercialism or not, nothing finishes off my day better than a glass of ice cold coke.

p.s. Fact: When coca cola is transporter, the trucks must have a sign saying "Hazardous material"

Anonymous said...

"Nothing finishes off my day better than a glass of ice cold Coke"

Actually that has nothing to do with commercialism on Coke's part, since, at no time has Coke promoted this particular message. It's just your personal preference. I know that the writer of this blog prefers a cup of warm tea at the end of the day, some people prefer a glass of wine, some others prefer warm milk... I for one prefer a nice thick chocolate milkshake.

Let's say for a moment that you had never drank Coke before in your life and you had never been exposed to any of its tempting commercials or promotional tricks. Basically, you have this black, carbonated, very sweet substance in a glass in front of you. Drinking it, would you still feel the same way about it?

You don't need to answer this question because you cannot possibly know. No one today can. However, try to detach yourself and wonder...