The Gospel of Food: Chapter One

"I go out walking after midnight, out in the moonlight just like we used to do.
I'm always walking after midnight, searching for you. " - Patsy Cline

When I was at the fountain drink machine in the hospital in the wee hours of this morning, I had a Mello Yello. Mello Yello was my undergrad soda of choice. I pulled many an all-nighter on four or more Mello Yello. Yellow soda, while tasty, is very disconcerting. I recommend getting hooked on a more common cola color.

I must confess that my first love was RC Cola. Never with moonpies. That came in college. Just Royal Crown Cola by itself. I mean, with a name like Royal Crown it was easy to assume it was the best and only consumed by the best! That's what I thought at 8. I'm never sure why I didn't adhere to a strict Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or Dr. Pepper doctrine. Perhaps RC Cola was just the local drink of choice. As I reach back and discern its appeal, I fondly remember the colors of the can. Something about the red, white, and blue is, how shall I put it, American? It's also distinctly French and Liberian, but anyway... RC Cola was my elementary school crush.

One of my friends was a big Coke drinker in middle school. He was crazy for Coke. He pushed it on me for a year or so, up until 8th Grade. That's when I got braces, and the orthodontist encouraged me to switch to Diet Coke. Diet Coke was my high school sweetheart. I have several high school pics of me holding a Diet Coke, like some people hold a cigarette. I lived in an apartment complex behind a grocery store and would pick up a twelve pack at a time. I got to the point where I couldn't wait long enough to cool the cans in the refrigerator and started drinking straight from the package. Room temperature, as I say. What everyone else prefers to label warm. When it's chilled, it brings out a different flavor.

I already discussed most of my undergrad, but my senior year deserves a small footnote. My senior year of undergrad I tried abstinence. It lasted for two and six month spells before I succumbed to further caffeine indulgences and withdrawal binges. Those were dark times. We best move on.

There was a gas station around the corner in grad school. Fountain drinks were 59 cents, so three 32 ouncers was fairly typical. I discovered that Coke tastes mcuh better in a fountain drink than Diet Coke. It was created to be a fountain drink anyway! It also tastes better cool from the source, rather than icing it down. This eventually waters down the Coke and dilutes the flavor. Yes, the degree to which I've thought this out is somewhat scary.

I experimented with coffee in undergrad, but it wasn't until grad school that I really consumed it by the barrel. This was done largely in cappucinos and mochas. I tried boiling it back down to a basic cup of joe in my third and final year with some success.

Energy drinks are less about taste and more about caffeine. While moderately appealing, what I really need is something I can drink consistently and cheaply.

The last three years I must confess have been spent in exile. I have gained some ground in the coffee world, but feel largely out of place with a variety of sodas. The Mello Yello this evening brought back simpler times. I feel I need an RC Cola now.