# Did the original coke taste similar to today's version? What about other vintage foods? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [December 26, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-original-coke-taste-similar-to-todays-version-what-about-other-vintage-foods/845412 "2019-12-26T19:35:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-original-coke-taste-similar-to-todays-version-what-about-other-vintage-foods/845412/41 "2020-01-04T01:03:29Z")
Let’s see. Original McDonalds hamburgers (ready & waiting), .15 plus 2% sales tax. Fries (one size), .15. 2020 McDonalds hamburgers (special order, must wait), $6.95 plus 10% sales tax. Fries (small), $1.95. Nope, they don’t taste the same at all. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-original-coke-taste-similar-to-todays-version-what-about-other-vintage-foods/845412/42 "2020-01-04T04:26:04Z")
I have heard that bananas and tomatoes used to taste a lot better, because farmers have over the years doubled down on strains that are less prone to spoilage and blight. I can’t tell the difference and I’m almost 60. Maybe the 1940s and 50s were a golden age of heirloom strains and varietals? Or maybe everybody’s taste buds trail off after the age of 40? Beer isn’t as delicious to me now as my first Schlitz was at the age of ten. Or maybe it was Falstaff? It was some brand they tinkered with the recipe and then discontinued in the 70s. I know the Milky Way bar was better decades ago. It used to have nougat, now it’s basically a Twix bar without the cookie. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-original-coke-taste-similar-to-todays-version-what-about-other-vintage-foods/845412/43 "2020-01-04T12:56:35Z")
Candy bars labeled as “Milky way” are different in different countries. In the US, they still have nougat covered with caramel, all dipped in chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-original-coke-taste-similar-to-todays-version-what-about-other-vintage-foods/845412/44 "2020-01-04T23:48:43Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > I buy Coke in returnable, half liter, glass bottles for about 40 cents. It definitely tastes better than the plastic ones, but I believe it is because of the glass. > > You folks say it is the cane sugar vs HFCS. But the truth is, there are no ingredients listed on either product. So, how can we be sure? The Mexican cokes have a sticker on them that lists the ingredients and US coke lists its ingredients, too. It’s required by law. The only foodstuff I’ve seen recently without an ingredient list was alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-original-coke-taste-similar-to-todays-version-what-about-other-vintage-foods/845412/45 "2020-01-05T01:25:44Z")
Gracias señor scabpicker. Here in my town, the returnable bottles don’t have stickers. Ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-original-coke-taste-similar-to-todays-version-what-about-other-vintage-foods/845412/46 "2020-01-05T03:27:47Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > If we consider God (god) a creator of foods, then I would assume chicken has always tasted like chicken. Other than that, I got nuthin’. 🙂 Thanks for bringing that up. I was going to mention that chicken (and other meats) probably IS different, actually. God sure isn’t farming the chicken we eat. I mean, even in the time I’ve been grocery shopping for myself (since late '90s) the chicken available in stores is considerably different. When I have a recipe that requires 1lb of breast, for example, I can never even find a pack that small (or that can be easily portioned) and often a pack of 2-3 breasts is well over 2lbs. I remember when a 8oz breast was huge. Now you have to buy “tenders” or thinly sliced chicken breasts to even get a hunk of meat that’s not multiple servings. So, this pumped up meat we have now tastes the same as it always has? ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-original-coke-taste-similar-to-todays-version-what-about-other-vintage-foods/845412/47 "2020-01-05T04:25:34Z")
Alton Brown talked about how chickens don’t taste like they did on the coq au vin episode of _Good Eats_ explaining that the original recipe called for an old hen or rooster what was much tougher and gamier than what we have now. The trope “Tastes like chicken” is because the taste of modern chickens (and turkey and pork) is basically nondescript which is why you have to brine them or cover them with spices, gravy or sauces. Bake a skinless chicken breast without salt and it tastes like…ummm some kind of meat? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-original-coke-taste-similar-to-todays-version-what-about-other-vintage-foods/845412.md?page=2)