The Return of Soda Milk?

When I was growing up, I went through a few phases where I didn't want to drink ANYTHING but soda ("pop" to you midwesterners). My parents were understandably upset about this, since they wanted me drinking healthy juices and milk so that my little body didn't wither away for lack of vitamins and calcium. Rather than set up a direct battle of wills - my family is renowned for our stubbornness - Mom came up with a novel plan of attack. She invented "soda milk", a drink made from lots of milk and just a little bit of cola or root beer. It gave the milk a slightly sweet and fizzy texture, but made sure that most of what I was getting was the healthy stuff. Brilliant!

It now appears that Coca Cola's industrial espionage people have been listening in on my childhood stories, as they have now released Vio, a fizzy milk alternative drink. With no artificial flavors or sweeteners, it might not even be too bad for you. Although, I think I'll stick to the real stuff - juice and milk - now that I am a grown-up.

Soda vs Pop - the Debate Lives On

When I was a teenager, we had great fun playing a prank on our youth pastor who referred to carbonated beverages as "Pop", while we staid Northeasterners referred to them as "Soda." I was interested to find the map below, which quantifies which parts of the countries call carbonated beverages by different names. Most interesting to me is how it seems to follow the red-state/blue-state divide. Perhaps it is a sign of divergent cultures within the American continent. Click on the image below for the original article and a little larger map.