Root Beer, son.

My wife came home the other night with a handful of "Store Brand" soda cans. You've seen them. No matter what store you shop at, the Lemon Lime can is light green. The Black Cherry can is dark purple. Cola is red. Creme Soda is a light brown.

Truthfully, I don't mind store brand soda. As a rule, I won't drink store brand Cola, but the Black Cherry is always good and the Lemon Lime is good enough. The Creme Soda is always yummy, although it's less carbonated than the other flavors and I always seem to finish the can w-a-a-a-a-y before i"m done with my meal!

So last night I pull a can of Creme Soda out of the fridge and take a gulp.

AUGHGHGH! This isn't Creme Soda! It's ROOT BEER!

Why did they color the Root Beer can the same ast he Creme Soda can??!?! Don't they know that I'm a 'visual' type and I count on these color-coding systems to make my life efficient and easy?!?!? BLEAUGHGH!

Pause...you see, it's not that I don't LIKE Root Beer. I do. Well, a little. I like STEWART's Root Beer. And A&W is nice and creamy. But generic Root Beer?! Not so much.

Worse still is that my taste buds are expecting Creme Soda, and here comes a flavor that is NOT Creme Soda. Brain and Taste Buds start to bicker...

So I'm throwing a mini tantrum (more confused than angry) and begrudgingly I sit down with the family to finish my meal. My 6 year old asks if HE can try the Root Beer.

Truthfully, I think he only asked becasue it has the word 'beer' in it. No, we don't let him try beer, but I think that was his motivation.

We also try to limit soda to an 'occassion' (like a party or a trip to a restraunt)...but here was an opportunity to allow him to try a new and somewhat uncommon flavor. (well, uncommon in MY neck of the woods. Maybe YOU drink Root Beer all the time? I didn't even TRY Root Beer until I was in my pre-teens).

Well...the boy takes a gulp and...HE LIKES IT!
He asks for MORE!
He asks if we'll BUY more!

Well, whaddaya know?
Anytime my son tries something new...and likes it!...I'm a proud papa.

Now, the next time we take a trip to the local Burger King or McDonald's, I'll check the soda machine for Root Beer. For the boy, of course.

Root Beer will be making an appearance at my Coke vs. Pepsi lens shortly.