Pop quiz: What is the most universally recognized brand on the planet? To Atlantans, it's obvious--Coca-Cola. It's the soft drink running the show all over the universe. Mom got really upset one day when I called Sprite soda, which is what it is. She says, "NOOOOOO! WE LIVE IN THE SOUTH! YOU CALL 'SODA' COKE!!!!!" My father the Montana Man laughs out loud and elaborates on Mom's theory. "Hmmm. She wants to call all sodas Coke, regardless of brand. That may make getting a Fanta veeeerrry difficult..." I pictured a scene at a soda counter:
SODA JERK: "What drink would you like, m'am?"
CUSTOMER: "Oh, a Coke please."
SJ: "What kind? We have diet, cherry, vanilla, regular...?"
C: "I told you--Coke!"
SJ: "Okay, okay! (muttering) Some people get wound up over the littlest things..."
A few moments later, he brings her a glass of original Coke.
C: "This isn't what I wanted!"
SJ: "But it's a Coke!"
C: "No, no, no...this is a Coke. I wanted a Coke."
The soda jerk, feeling exasperated, takes her behind the counter to point out what she means. After rejecting all the types of Coke the counter had to offer, she points to the dispenser for orange Fanta.
C: "See, Coke!"
SJ: "You're from the Southeast, aren't you?"
***
I made a little journey to the center of the company with familia Franks in tow. Coca-Cola certainly did its job well. I probably had more ads pumped into me in 3 hours than 17 from watching TV. They really are very skilled marketers, appealing to pretty much everyone. If I offered you the choice between a glass of water and a glass of Coke, you'd probably take the Coke, and that percentage would go up if I told you that your diet wouldn't suffer. They offer many exhibits and attractions: a large room chock-full of memorabilia, a tool to make your own Coke ad, an exhibit of Coke history, and a free-of-charge 4-D theater. They show what happens inside a bottling company, which was one of my favorites. If any of my readers have ever seen the show How It's Made, you have a pretty good idea of what it looks like. The Tasting Room, however, is literally world-famous.
Some of my fellow Georgians (and anyone else who has been to the World of Coke) share in my knowledge that the T.R. (Tasting Room) includes all the flavors they make, good and really, really icky. Take the apple soda from China whose name I forgot. That was the wateriest drink besides water I have ever tasted, with the strangest flavor I have ever tasted. I would not think of apples if I hadn't seen the label.
While I was at that fountain, 2 girls were there, too. One was about my age and the other was a toddler. The toddler got a sample of the apple soda, took one sip, and spit it out, saying, "EEW!" The older girl and I looked at each other and giggled. "Is it really that bad?" I inquired. "I guess," she said, stepping aside to find her. A minute later they seemed to Apparate in front of me when I had the apple drink in my hand. Taking a sip, my face must have said it all. They both were laughing as I dumped mine into the trash. That drink, however, was nothing on the infamous Beverly from Italy. I don't think the Coca-Cola company prides itself on that drink. They even made a joke about it in a short film we watched. "Hey, you wanna make these newbies try the Beverly?" It tasted bitter as wormwood and fish oil pills combined. All of the fam tried it but Mom. Come to think of it, she hardly sampled anything. Hmmm...but the flavors get stranger! I tried one drink from Djibouti (sounds like JA-booty) first, because in social studies we're studying Africa. So far, my favorite country to say out loud is Djibouti. (insert snigger here) It tasted like spearmint mouthwash with carbonated water in it. Not bad, but weird. At a counter, they offered mixed drinks and special seasonal flavors of Coke. Dad's favorite was gingerbread Coke. Honest! It smelled like gingerbread! My personal favorite was the one Dad didn't like that was plainly gross--Inca Kola. It's from Peru and is the fizziest cream soda to date.
I really enjoyed the museum, but our romp through Atlanta wasn't over! We stopped by a burger joint in Virginia Highlands District for lunchnner. That's lunch and dinner combined, folks! Biggest. Burger. I. Have. Ever. Seen. I got a burger full of B's: a bison burger with bacon jam and BBQ sauce. I ate the whole thing. Mom could only handle half. Ha-ha! We did a little shopping, and crawled back home. We also got some bad news--my grandfather has cancer again. I still enjoyed our day, despite the bad news. Keep him in your prayers.
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