Friday, August 31, 2007

Coca Cola vs. Pepsi...and a better blogger than me.

Oh, I had so many ideas today to write about. Will I Write about COke, or will I write about Pepsi? Whoooooooooos it gonna be.

Then, I came across this blog post from April, and I said 'you know...this guy is pretty good'. And since it's the beginning of a long weekend, why not just give someone else some credit and publish THEIR work today, right?

By the way, if you are one of those You Tube loving Goobers that likes to watch what happens when you mix Mentos with Diet Pepsi or Diet Coke...click here! I know there are several videos out there on the subject, but this one is a GUSHER!


Don't forget to visit us at www.Squidoo.com/cokevspepsi/

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Does Billy Joel prefer Coke or Pepsi?

It was so much fun looking into whether the Beatles would prefer to sip down a Coca Cola or a Pepsi (see blog entry here), that I decided to put the test to another icon.

The Piano Man himself, Billy Joel.

At a quick glance, it's not easy to see what Mr. Joel prefers. After all, I've never seen him along side Michael Jackson, Elton John or Paula Abdul in a soda ad.

SO, I went over to my one-size-fits-all problem solver.
Google.

Here we go: Type "Billy Joel"+"Pepsi" and find 164,000 pages
Now, Type "Billy Joel"+"Coca Cola"...136,000 pages.

WOW! Coke FINALLY gets it butt beaten by Pepsi!

But wait! 2 things occur to me:
1) the articles do not talk very much about the Piano Man drinks and
2) Billy Joel played some BIG shows at the Pepsi Arena... so Pepsi gets the plug on these pages.

But what does he DRINK?

Let's try something else: "Billy Joel"+"Drink"
Nope, nothing here I can use.

How about "Billy Joel"+"Coke"
uhghgh...this can't be good.
He refers to a 'spoon up your nose' in Big Shot, but that's not a testamen to his OWN preference!

I've got nuthin'.
If you picked Pepsi...You May Be Right.
And even if he prefers Cocal Cola...it's Still Rock n' Roll to me.

To see my eBay listing of Billy Joel cassettes, go to: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330160812560

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Fresca...as good as the Real Ting

Last month we were sitting around, planning a barbeque.
We didn't want to make the same drinks and the same burgers as everyone else.

Some recommended that I serve Run-and-Ting.

Ting?

"Yeah!" he exclaims. "It's that soda from Jamaica. You never hard of Ting?!"

So, I look it up...and sure enough, it exists.
Grapefruity, cirtusy....yummy.

Yeah, well, I can't recall seeing Ting for sale anywhere in THIS town...and I don't feel like ordering a case from the manufacturer just to get the shipping cost down to $12.80.

"How about Fresca?" his wife suggests. "Isn't that really similar?"

AH! Fresca! I remember that stuff!
YEARS ago, I used to go on vacation with my grandparents, and the soda machine in the hotel always offered it. And I always DRANK it, because it was the only place I ever SAW it! (My Dad was a Pepsi drinker. My Mom drank Tab. That's how old I am. Tab cola...just 1 calorie...)

Fresca is a citrusy, grapefruity soda! And they have it right here in (enter favorite grocery store here)!

So we bought Fresca and I brought out the Rum and we drank.
And I crank until I fell down, but I really DID trip over the chair that I didn't see.

And it was good.

So just this past Sunday, we're at my brother-in-law's house having a BBQ. Real low key. Just a few of us guys and the wives and some hot dogs. (We ate the Hot Dogs. They weren't hanging out with us or anything like that).

Henry showed up an hour late. Well, that's Henry. He's got a bag with him.
In the bag are 2 can of Red Beans he wants to cook.
And a bottle of Fresca.

"Here, bro." he says, handing me the bottle. "No rum tonite, but I thought you'd like some Fresca."

Oh...I did!
Good soda, great memories.

Quick! It wouldn't be the Coke vs. Pepsi blog if I didn't ask: Fresca - Coke or Pepsi product?!

Give up?
According to the Wikipedia entry: "Fresca is a brand of citrus soft drink made by The Coca Cola Company."

Did you guess right?
Maybe if I had paid more attention to the OTHER soda cans in the soda machine all those years ago, I would have known the answer, too...



Don't forget to visit www.Squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi/

Monday, August 27, 2007

Quick! Fanta - Coke or Pepsi product?!?!

Today I had lunch at Burger King. I went small - Whopper, just pickles and ketchup...small fries...small soda.

I'm standing at the Soda machine and I almost ALWAYS get a Doctor Pepper at Burger King.
But as I reach for a cup cover I see a drink that catches my eye.

Fanta.

My mind goes into a spin. "Fanta? Is that a Coke product? Hmmm...Doctor Pepper isn't a Coke product. Neither is Nestea. Is Fanta one of those Independent sodas? Aw maaaan...."

You see, once you start blogging about Soda, you think about it more and more.
Which COULD be considered weird, but...

So I get home and I go onto Wikipedia and do some research.
Before the answer poops up, I close my eyes and try to get the guess right.

I say..."independent soda".

I am wrong.

Fanta is a Coke product. And while the Burger King on Route 9 only carried 'orange', it turns out that they offer over 70 flavors world wide...however, most of them are only available in some countries. Don't believe me? Click here.

In my head, I hear those Hispanic women singing "Fanta...dontcha wanta?!?!". Well, they did in that preview before SpiderMan 2...but that was a few years ago.



Head spinning, I wonder is Pepsi has over 70 citrus flavors available overseas?
I..uh...hmmm...Geez, I dunno. I don't THINK so.

And then it occurs to me...
...Who Cares? I don't drink Organge Soda, really.
Maybe once a year, just to see if I like it any better this year than last.

I pop the lid on my Doctor Pepper as the girls since "Fanta...dontch wanta?!?"
I don't, really, but apparently 70 foreign countries do.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Do the Beatles prefer Coke or Pepsi?

Ever since I started this blog, I find more and more things catching my eye as a potential cog in the "Coke or Pepsi Debate" machinery.

Take last month for instance, I was going thru an old box of cassettes and I came across "The Beatles 1962-1966" and "The Beatles 1967-1970". They were in great condition, and I decided they would probably fare well on eBay.



(they did, by the way. I mean, who doesn't like the Beatles?!?)

But BEFORE I decided to list it on eBay, I said "Hmmm...I wonder if the Beatles preferred Coke or Pepsi?"

Well, I gave it the old 'Google" test first.
I did a 2-phrase search...with one being "The Beatles" and the other being either "Pepsi" or "Coca Cola".

Pepsi scores 367,000 pages
Coca Cola 412,00 pages
Ok, rather close this first round...and a scan of the page listing shows no definitive answer.

So I try "Pepsi Cola" instead of "Pepsi" in the search, and only 43,00 pages show up.
Well, that makes sense.
We usually DON'T refer to it as Pepsi Cola.

I then decide to try 'Coke" instead of "Coca Cola".
As I hit enter, I brace myself for the responses.
The idea of looking up articles about the Beatles and Coke lead me to believe that headlines like 'How to make the Sgt. Pepper Album" or "Beatles like LSD, frown on Coke" will appear.

554,000 pages come up.
Nothing conclusive about the preference in soda OR drug choice at first glance.

Finally, I find this page.
While I do not know who Alan Gorrie is, there IS a line in the article that reads "I even had a scotch and coke (THE fave Beatle drink of the sixties) to toast his passage. See you around, George."

Could this be the answer?!
The Holy Grail of the Coke vs. Pepsi question...as it relates to the Beatles?

Without meeting Paul or Ringo, I don't know that we'll ever really know.

But I DO know that I got rid of some old cassettes.
So all these years later, the Beatles continue to serve my needs!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Halo 3 and Mountian Dew

Pepsi has decided to cross market a new flavor of Mountian Dew with the new version of a hot video game. (Halo 3). You can read about it here: http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070814/BUSINESS01/708140327/1066

I am a big fan of Mountian Dew...the original. I've tried a few of their other flavors, and hated them. Well, let me correct that. I hated the Baja blast. Very rarely will I drink a soda this is not marked 'Diet' and say 'wow, I hate this!', but Baja Blast Mountian Dew was taken back up to the soda fountain (at a Taco Bell, I believe), poured out (much to the Manager's chagrin), and replaced it with a Pepsi.

I tried their Code Red also...but quite frankly, I don't recall if I liked it or not. (I'm thinking not, becasue if the answer was 'not not' then I would remember it, and keep drinking it. Tell you what, I'm going back to Taco Bell on Tuesday, and I am 98% sure it's there. (Although the manager isn't. I am 98% sure he died of old age). Why don't I try it again and blog about it here on Wednesday?

And remember, Mountian Dew is a Pepsi Product...and you can find all kinds of neat-o information on Pepsi and Coke on my favorite-ist collection of soda information: http://www.squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi/

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Coke Slushie for Mike

My buddy Mike likes my Coke vs. Pepsi site: http://www.squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi/. After looking it over, he shared this insight on HIS favorite Cola beverage: "By the way I'm a Coke addict, cans not bottles, after being in the freezer for about twenty minutes(refrigerated prior to that of course) just a bit slushy MMMMMMMM COKE!!!"

By the way, Mike has a cool blog of his own: http://cornerstone-mike.blogspot.com/

If you have a favorite cola-based drink, e-mail me and tell me about it!\
def_mall_owner@hotmail.com

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Dr. Pepper Museum! Lest we not forget...

OK, so I love to force the debate of Coke vs. pepsi.
But what about that spicy-cherry-flavored Dr. Pepper?
Which one is THAT?

Well, neither, ding-dong.
Dr. Pepper is owned by Cadburry Schweppes.

Ok, well, if there is a Coca Cola Museum and a Pepsi Museum...is there a Dr. Pepper Museum?

Oh, there most certainly is! See here: http://www.drpeppermuseum.org/

In fact, if you type "Dr. pepper" in Google, it's the #4 entry!
(Quite coincidentally...if you search 'Coca Cola' in Google, the Coke museum comes comes up #4 here, too! If you search'Pepsi'...well, I gave up at #32. No love for the Pepsi Museum!)

So drink your Dr. Pepper with pride today.
It's got a museum that it's proud of (in Waco, Texas!) and a taste neither Pepsi nor Coke have duplicated perfectly!

The History of Coca Cola persists here...

Another friend of mine has started reading this blog, and reminded me that I'd want to show off the AMAZING Coke Museum in Atlanta: http://www.woccatlanta.com/

There is a Pepsi museum in New Bern, NC...but it's not the collossal structure (in size, magnitude or visitors) that the Coke museum is. In fact, whilePepsi may have been 'discovered' in New Bern (more on that in a later entry) they are actually HQ'd in Purchase, NY...and that city doesn't hold a 'big' Pepsi museum, either.

Not enough Pepsi collectibles or Pepsi collectors?

Again, this isn't a testament as to which is 'better'...just an observation of which does more to support the history, and those who follow it.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Music, Rum and Coke

My friend Lisa took pleasure in my Squidoo lens: http://www.squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi/

She suggested that the soda-loving world would appreciate the You Tube audio of the Andrews Sisters "Rum and Coca Cola".

Listen Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNQaS37X7_o&mode=related&search=

Catchy 'eh?

You can fetch the lyrics and then sing along by clicking here: http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_andrews_sisters/rum_and_coca-cola.html

ENJOY!

History of Coca Cola and Pepsi...and Google!

Did you know there are roughly 24,000 pages of content on Google under the search "History of Coca Cola"?

Did you know that there are roughly 12,000 pages of content when you search "History of Pepsi"?

That's not to say that Coca Cola has MORE history ... or even a more INTERESTING history...but there definately seems to be a difference in how much interest the public has for each.

Anyone who's paid attention to the Coca Cola company knows that "Coke" is treated like a religion in the South. There are museums and books and shops of Coca Cola collectibles.

That brings us to an even BIGGER gap:
Type "Coca Cola Collectibles" in Google....then Type "Pepsi Collectibles".

75,000 pages for Coca Cola
856 for Pepsi
Some difference!

A big reason as to why there are so many more pages for 'Coca Cola History' is because you have to include the history of the collectibles. There is also, obviously, a bigger story to tell.

Pepsi is a beverage...and a very good one.
Coke is a lifestyle. A religion. An Icon.

Neither is neccesarily 'better'...but significantly 'different'.

You can find your favorite Coke and Pepsi collectibles and paraphenalia here:
http://www.squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi/

Monday, August 20, 2007

Pepsi's Taste in Music is 'Jazz'

So the wife comes home with a few bottles of soda.
They were only .99 each, so she thought she'd try something new.

"Pepsi Jazz"

"It's Cherry Vanilla flavour!" she tells me.

OK, but I notice something really NOT cool on the label: It's Diet.
Now, in fairness, there IS a non-diet version of Pepsi Jazz...she just didn't bring it home.

Well, I figure at .99 a bottle I can spill it right down the drain if it's that horrible, so I pour myself a glass.

It...was...pretty good!
And I don't LIKE Diet Soda!

Jazz really IS Cherry Vanilla flavoured, and it barely has that 'Diet Soda AfterTaste' that I hate so much!

Being a musicain, I can appreciate Jazz.
Being a soda drinker, I can even STILL appreciate Jazz.

Try it.
You just might like it.

These Soda Blogs didn't make it...

No one likes a quitter!

As I mentioned earlier, in an attempt to get this blog going I needed a cool name.

And all the cool ones were taken.

The WORST part is that they were taken by guys who typed 1 entry and then never came back!

HEY! Those were MY cool blog names! That's not fair!

Think I'm exatgerating? Go to:

http://DrinkMoreSoda.Blogspot.com

http://cokevspepsi.blogspot.com

http://pepsivscoke.blogspot.com

http://colawars.blogspot.com

http://drinksoda.blogspot.com


Maaaaaaaaan, that's just not cool!

Don't forget: http://www.squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi/
That's my life work at work!

Drink More Soda

MAN! What a chore it was to set up this ode to Coke vs. Pepsi!

Don't get me wrong...Blogger is a great blog site and I've run blogs here before...but every name I was able to think of for this blog was already taken!

Coke vs. Pepsi
Pepsi vs. Coke (I thought I was being clever. I was wrong)
Drink More Soda
Cola Wars (too obvious..I shoulda' known)
Drink Soda (to simple. Shoulda' figured that, too)

So, here we finally are.

This blog was inspred by my very favorite Squidoo lens: http://www.squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi/

Do you Squidoo? It's cool.

So, every...single...day...you will get to read my thoughts on Soda. Soda Pop. Cola. Call it what you will. Soda is Good, as my blog is called...and no one ever avoided the dentist while drinking Soda!