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Cellar Scribblings
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: southendmd on December 05, 2017, 10:00:08 am ---Does anyone know about the so-called "Mexican coke" that's made with cane sugar and exported to the US?
--- End quote ---
I've had some, and I seem to remember someone telling me Coke from Canada is the same way.
In any case, I was not impressed. However, it does occur to me to wonder if my reaction had something to do with being so accustomed to the taste of "U.S. Coke" that the Mexican "just didn't taste right."
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: southendmd on December 05, 2017, 10:00:08 am ---Does anyone know about the so-called "Mexican coke" that's made with cane sugar and exported to the US?
--- End quote ---
Yes, my sons drink that. They buy it in single bottles, usually in special sections of the grocery store among products like kombucha and coconut water, rather than in the main section with mainstream Coke and Sprite and other forms of what we in the Midwest call "pop." The also have Mexican Squirt, which one of my sons prefers, and probably a couple of other big brands. At a casual glance, the bottles look like ordinary Coke, but I assume they say "Imported from Mexico" somewhere.
Since I don't drink pop, it has never even occurred to me to taste their Mexican Coke! Now I'm curious. There's none in the fridge now, but next time they drink one I'll get a sip and report back.
I gather it tastes better than the corn-syrup stuff. I suppose it comes from Mexico because of some U.S. government subsidy for corn growers that made corn syrup cheap -- something like that triggered the explosion of corn-syrup use a couple of decades ago but I don't remember the details.
Many Americans believe that cane sugar is "better for you" than corn syrup. Actually, scientists say no kind of sugar is any less bad for you than any other kind of sugar (including raw sugar and the fructose in fruit). But my sons sometimes believe those things, so that could be a motivator, too.
I'll have to do more sleuthing. I haven't looked closely for green Coke in either section of the store.
But what surprises me is less that I haven't seen it on the shelves than that I've never even heard of it, nor seen anyone else drinking it. And it's been out for three years! You'd think there'd be much more publicity! That it would be pretty popular, at least among health-conscious soda consumers (if that's not an oxymoron :laugh: )! When they came out with "New Coke" years ago, it was literally a front-page headline. This is like a stealth campaign.
On my next drive to Chicago, which is just about the only time I ever drink pop (Diet Coke) I'll see if I can grab some for the trip.
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: serious crayons on December 05, 2017, 10:35:34 am ---But what surprises me is less that I haven't seen it on the shelves than that I've never even heard of it, nor seen anyone else drinking it. And it's been out for three years! You'd think there'd be much more publicity! That it would be pretty popular, at least among health-conscious soda consumers (if that's not an oxymoron :laugh: )! When they came out with "New Coke" years ago, it was literally a front-page headline. This is like a stealth campaign.
--- End quote ---
Exactly.
And I seem to recall that "New Coke" was an unmitigated disaster.
Jeff Wrangler:
OK, I should have thought of this before. I just did a Google search for "Coke Life."
I found this:
https://us.coca-cola.com/coke-life/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI36uw7qPz1wIVVoGzCh3Pnwh6EAAYASAAEgIKu_D_BwE
There were a lot more entries. I just chose one.
Another idea crosses my mind: Did distribution end up being regional, perhaps based on sales?
I thought of this because I remember that around here we used to be able to buy a soda called "Mr. Pibb." To me it sort of tasted like Cherry Coke. I haven't seen it here in Pennsylvania in literally decades, but on one of my trips to Wyoming between the Barbecue and now, I found it in a convenience store in Worland.
Sason:
--- Quote from: serious crayons on December 04, 2017, 09:21:20 pm ---Well, I still feel that although we are all influenced by culture, consumers have minds of their own and if everybody thought American holidays were stupid people just wouldn't buy the stuff and it would be a failed experiment by retail (of which there have been many).
I guess you and I just have different views of the power of stores alone to shape consumers' tastes and influence them to buy things they wouldn't normally want. Or maybe Europeans are different in that way, I guess. ???
--- End quote ---
I don't know if there's a transatlantic difference, but all things American do have a tendency to gain interest and popularity here.
I'm sure the same intensity in advertising, say, a Finnish or Polish holiday here, would NOT lead to the same result. Even though we have a LOT more people from Finland and Poland living here than Americans. Not to mention more distant countries.
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