Pepsi is Not OK

I’m coming in a little hot with my topic today.

Just a warning for everyone.

I’m currently on a road trip with my folks and my kids. My wife will be joining us in two days. We are heading to Buffalo for a family reunion. Me, my folks and my kids are taking our time. We had our first overnight stop in Dayton, Ohio. We are heading to Canton as I write this. My dad will hit about 500 miles driving after today. We have spent most of the trip in the state of Ohio. As you all well know I’m a Michigan guy. Ohio does have cool stuff, which I’ll touch on in the next few days, but Michigan is cooler. Hell, Saint Louis is cooler. But what I’ve really noticed, what’s really grabbed by attention, the state of Ohio is a Pepsi state.

I stopped drinking soda a few months ago, but prior to that I was a Coke guy. I grew up in a house where 2 liters of Diet Coke were prevalent. When I met my wife she was a Diet Coke person. She introduced me to chocolate Diet Coke’s, which are phenomenal. My brother’s still have Coke products. My extended family is a Coke family. I basically live my soda drinking life making fun of Pepsi. The old standby joke that everyone uses is, “is Pepsi okay?”, asking as if they’re apologizing. My answer was always to opt for water. Pepsi is too sweet. The diet versions are too chemical tasting. They removed their best soda, Sierra Mist, for Starry. Mountain Dew is basically a bottle of liquid sugar. Pepsi products, for me, just don’t add up. So it’s been odd to go places and only see Pepsi products the past couple days. The restaurants are Pepsi only. We went to a museum that had bottled drinks, all of which were Pepsi branded drinks. My kids have been confused as to why they have had Starry or Mug Root beer. They’ve mostly had water, but the few times they’ve had soda, it’s been those and they haven’t finished a single one. I don’t get why a place would only serve Pepsi. I’d gather that most people prefer Coke to Pepsi. I’d love to see a poll for the whole country asking that very question.

I guess Ohio figures Pepsi is just fine. I disagree.

Ty

Editor’s note: I currently live in Ohio and have been here for almost two decades. I am also a Coke person except in certain cases which I will address.

Coke is easy to find here in Southwest Ohio. One of the biggest employers in the Cincinnati region is Coca Cola. I pass the giant office every work day. The Reds stadium is Coke, I am unsure of Paycor Field and their soda selection.

As for everything Coke being better than Pepsi, I have a different opinion. Every other soda option is better in the Pepsi family. Mountain Dew is light years ahead of Mello Yellow. Mugs Root Beer crushes Barq’s, and I have not had Starry, but the only thing good about Sprite is that it mixes well with whiskey.

My counterpoint is that Central Ohio may swim in the terribleness of Pepsi, but us good folks here on the Ohio River know that Coke rules. That is Coke rules and all other Coca Cola products are not ok when Mount Dew, Mugs, and other Pepsi products are available.

RD

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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I'm Here to Praise Coca Cola Dreamworld

I leave for vacation tomorrow, but before taking the rest of the week off I wanted to leave you all with something.

I do the grocery shopping in my home. I’m the at home parent so the chores fall on me. I like doing chores, and I especially like grocery shopping. I’ve got it down to a science too. I’m efficient, I know where everything is, I know the deals and I know when I can meander a bit. Last Monday I had time to browse, so I did. When I got to the soda section I wanted to try something different. We drink Diet Coke in our home. I know it’s bad for you, but I enjoy an ice cold one with dinner. But I do, very seldom, buy a different diet or zero sugar soda. Last week I got the zero sugar variety of Coke Dreamworld.

What struck me first was the box. It is extremely colorful. There’s lots of light blue and red. There’s also the black that’s synonymous with Coca Cola. The mini cans, 7.5 ounces, were on sale. A ten pack was less than four dollars. That’s a bargain. And I figured if I didn’t like them, the cans are small enough that I could take them down anyway. I had one last week for lunch and I didn’t notice much of a difference. Then I had one the next day and liked it a little more.

I didn’t look up what the flavor was at that point so it was hard to pick certain flavors I was tasting. My wife had one but wasn’t a fan. She said it was too sweet. She asked me what it was supposed to taste like so I googled it. The Coca Cola website said it “explores the realms of the surreal, the imaginary and the otherworldly”. That sounds like a description of an A24 movie that I’d be super in to. But this is a drink. With a little more digging I found out it’s citrus and fruit. No particular citrus or fruit, just notes of those flavors. I guess it’s the flavors you think of when hearing citrus and fruit. So it is kind of imaginary I suppose. But when I found out that was the flavor profile, I liked it even more. I had another the next day and found myself craving one last evening. With each small can, I enjoy this Dreamworld flavor more and more. I’m a big fan of citrus. I used to squeeze a lime into Diet Coke sometimes. With this new flavor I guess I won’t have to do that all the time. It says it’s a limited release, but I wouldn’t be bummed if it sticks around for a bit. It’s better than some of the other drinks that other companies try, like chocolate cake Dr Pepper.

I definitely think people who drink diet sodas should give this one a go. I think it’s great.

Ty