from, as near as I can tell, Turkey. Huh!
Now as many will tell you I am a Coca-Cola addict. And anyone who has ever
eaten at a restaurant with me can attest to that. When dining at a place
for the first time I ask the server "Do you have Coke or Pepsi" and God
help them if they try to pass off Pepsi - or any other cola, for that
matter - as Coke! I know the difference. I passed the Pepsi Challenge taste
test Pepsi used to do years ago. Oh, maybe in their eyes I flunked it
because I knew the difference and preferred Coke.
And now when I travel it is always an adventure when ordering a Coke. Not
many people know but Coca-Cola tastes different in each country. They allow
local bottlers to modify that sacred formula to suit local tastes. Find it
hard to believe? Well try ordering Chinese food, for example , in another
country. I guarantee you Kung Pao Chicken will taste very different in
Paris than it does here. And it certainly is different from what you'd get
in Beijing. Heck, try Mexican food in Alabama and you can see how foods get
modified to suit local preferences!
So UK Coke tastes different than German Coke, which is different than
Chinese Coke and different from Swedish Coke and so on. Let it be known the
Real Thing is the best and it is only found in the US. The other countries
renditions are usually close enough to handle for the few days I am in the
country. But when I board that plane bound home for the US I always look to
see - did you bring it with you from home or did you pick it up somewhere
along the way? For the record, The Netherlands and Germany are closest to
the Real Thing. France they are too focused on wine and UK must really have
no taste - at least when it comes to Coke.
So, when I ordered my Coke on this flight I wondered, did they pick it up
in LA or bring it from Seoul, or was it possibly from Tokyo. Right off when
she set the can down I saw the "330ml" and "kola". Hmmm, not US. Ok. So I
read the label trying to uncover its origin. The language was strange to
me. I thought German when I saw Kafein but quickly realized that wasn't
German. The first line was "The Coca Cola Company'nin izni ile
uretilmister." Well that cleared it up right there. I had *no* friggin idea
where this was from. Then I saw what looked like it could be an address and
it ended with Istanbul. Ah ha! Turkey. Never been there. Its not on our
route. In fact not even close to the US, Japan or Korea. What the heck was
it doing here? The poor little guy was obviously lost.
You may be wondering how it tasted. Or you may be wondering why this idiot
is writing about Coca-Colas around the world. Or, you may even be
questioning why you are reading this stupid thing on Coke! Well, let's jut
address the first one. It almost tastes like the Real Thing, but definitely
different. Usually the formula is changed with regard to the sweetness.
This, though, didn't seem to have a goofy after-taste. It wasn't too sweet
or not sweet enough. No, this tasted like the dialed down the flavor
itself. Like they skimped on the syrup. It tasted like a shell of the Coke
and not Coke. The taste was ghost-like - kind of there, but not full in
body. (Yea, I am talking about Coke like it's wine! I guess I am a Coke
Geek!) I found it worthy but definitely not the same.
And right now I find it empty - as in the can is empty. Time to track down
a flight attendant and refill!
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