Return to Five Guys

For no pre-planned reason at all I stumbled over a blog entry I wrote YEARS ago about my trip to Fie Guys Burgers and Fries.


And, of course I documented all the soda-interactions I had.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have written it ... right?

Well, since I accidentally revisited the blog post, I should tell you what happened when I revisited the restaurant.

Driving home from basketball practice 2 weeks ago, I asked my son and his friend if they'd like to stop at Arby's.   (this is because THEY had basketball practice. I didn't).

They were on the fence about Arby's and when we stopped at a traffic light they saw 5 Guys and petitioned to go THERE.

I really, really wanted Arby's to be honesy.
But I'd not been to Five Guys in some time, (maybe only once or twice since the blog, to be honest) so I relented. After all, it was the friend's favorite place to eat so I wanted to come off as "the coolest dad ever".

We got inside, and I don't see any prices on the Giant Sized Menu behind the counter, so I said the "Coolest Dad Ever" thing.
I said "Go ahead and order whatever you want. Just please eat whatever you order."

As I recall, the order looked like this:
Son = Burger, fries, Soda
Friend = 2 Burgers, fries, Soda
Dad = 1 burger, 1 hot dog, soda

Bill = $57.90

FOR LUNCH!??!?!?!?

Ah, HELLLLLLLL NOOOOOOO.

Well, on the INSIDE I said "ah hell no"
On the Outside I glared at my son and just...paid it.
After all, I'm the Coolest Dad Ever.

I'm also the broke-est dad ever.
I ALSO set a new rule with my son.
NO MORE FIVE GUYS
We can go to McDonald's if we want a hamburger...

Happy Anniversary, Soda IS Good!!

Today marks yet another year that this blog has been kicking around in cyberspace.

Sure, it's quirky and niche'....but whenever I see a can of soda somewhere my first thought is "can I blog about this???"

I never told Mrs. Soda about this blog, and one day last year it sorta came out.
She said to me "Who ARE you?! You blog about SODA?!?! I never knew that!!!"
Yeah...it's a deep, dark secret.
I mean...Soda?!

 Here's the irony.
Here's the deepest, darkest secret:
I drink very little soda these days.

IT'S TRUE
I got back in the gym in March and it's been 80% Water, 10% Iced Tea and the remaining 10% is Soda.
Unless it's a Sunday when Football is on.
Then it's about the Beer!

But I love soda.
I love all the flavors and colors and styles and brands.
I love discovering a new brand I never heard of before.

I mean...Chocolate Mud Pie soda?!   Mmmmmmmmmmmm
And Chocloate BACON Soda??!!   #Weird
Or Blumer's 16 pack?!    #Awesome

Yeah, there is more than just Coke and Pepsi out there in the World.
And I keep finding it.

Maybe Soda is NOT so Good?

I know...in this day and age it's not an incredible new or earth shattering question.

But it TASTES so good!
And if you look at brands like Bacon Freak and Blumer's Premium you will see flavours you never heard of before, but probably want to TRY!!

That being said, this infographic from  a U.K. pharmacist named Niraj Naik has apparently gone viral, and that might leave some soda drinkers concerned.  Or curious.

I've blogged previously about healthy sodas...sodas that do not have such a high sugar content.
Zevia makes a pretty good Ginger Ale.   and a good Cream Soda, too!

What I think the info graphic is lacking, however, is the fact that this information is being given in a vacuum.. What if you ate a lot earlier?  What if you have a high tolerance for sugar spike?  What if you traditionally have a LOW blood sugar count?

Is this the results of one can of Coke "always"...or for folks who usually don't drink soda...or for folks who drink it daily??

Remember...anything in moderation is OK.

Except rudeness.   ;)

Soda Stream offers Free Shipping

Soda...mmm...yummy.
...but Expensive!

Unless, of course, you make your own.

Don't scoff.
You COULD go out for breakfast every morning, or you can fry your own eggs and microwave some bacon, right?

You COULD go out for dinner every night, but that costs an arm and a leg!
That's why you cook, right?

Making your own soda with a reliable soda maker is a low cost way to get your favorite flavored beverage without leaving the house!  (So you don't spend extra for GAS, either. See?!?!?)

AND...when made right...soda made in house is healthier because it lacks the additives and chemicals that are used when mass-produced and then stored on shelves.

Would you like to make your own delicious, healthy soda?

This baby sits comfortably on your kitchen counter...like a blender or a coffee maker!

 
 But there are MANY to choose from!

And they all are Soda Makers that now feature FREE SHIPPING?
(Go ahead...click the link and see for yourself!)


Make yourself a sparkling water drink....flavor it as you wish...and enjoy the beverage right in your own home for nickels at a time!!!

The Return of Stop Killer Coke

All the way back in 2008 I learned about a campaign called Stop Killer Coke.
I even blogged about it, although at the time I took it somewhat lightly. I didn't exactly blog an in-depth history of the campaign.

There does not seem to be a real plethora of press on the issue since, so while I feel I was slightly negligent, I dont think I missed out on (or misrepresented) a major news topic. Maybe a few articles from 2010 show up on Google.


But the Stop Killer Coke website IS still active.

And I noticed that after 2 years of inactivity, the Stop Killer Coke Twitter Account started rolling again in late June.
(the Twitter feed does not seem to be exclusive to the South American Murders, but rather to the negativity of Coke/soda in general)

Ironically, this past September Mexico was introduced to Coca Cola Life ...which is being positioned as a "healthy" soda given that it has half the calories of a 'regular' can of Coke.
 

Further ironic (is there an expression for THREE items all contradictory?) is that Mexico has since instituted a Soda Tax as a way to compensate for the effort to fight obesity in-country.

South South America has a push-pull relationship with Soda, in several directions!

I'll cover Mexico's love for soda and the corresponding soda tax in later blog posts, but I originally put these thoughts together as I looked back into whether the Stop Killer Coke campaign took on any global traction.

It appears, at least based on my quick research, it hasnt come to much here in the states.


 

Finally, Pleasant Mello Yello News

A can this nice looking should always come with an enjoyable experience.

But the last few times I blogged about Mello Yello, it was bad news.

Like the time I had one while Fishing.

Or the time I had one while helping a friend move.

When it got harder to find the soda here in the North East, I figured the problem was past me.


But as of late, I've been having a GOOD experience with my Soda nemesis.

A while back, Burger King put a new soda machine in their stores.
Instead of standard 4 or 8 sodas to choose from, you get a TON of flavors to choose from!
It's like a library of Soda Flavors!

See all the buttons?
And those buttons reveal MORE buttons!

I remember seeing this "kind" of machine in a Taco Bell in the past.
But it's here, in my neighborhood, and it's got...

...yes!....

...Mello Yello.

In FACT, it's got 3 flavors of Mello Yello!
Regular!  Peach!   Cherry!

And the "good"news, is that once a month my son and I go to Burger King and I get myself a nice tall Mello Yello  (regular)...and I don't get sick.

Welcome back, my yellow friend!