Not really. Well, maybe. Depending on who it was I was having sex with.
shakes head
Anyway… Yesterday, I was doing some food shopping at The Market in Highlandtown, an independent grocery store here in Baltimore. This market happens to be located not far from an area of town with a good sized Latin population, and the food selection reflects that. It’s a good place to pick up some ethnic foods, but by and large it’s just your typical supermarket, albeit on the smallish size. Anyhow, walking down one of the aisles, I saw a display of glass Coke bottles. They were the famous contour bottles, nothing special, except that as I passed by I noticed that the label said “Refresco” on it under the Coca-Cola logo. I took about five more steps before the light bulb went off in my head. I leaped back to the display and I grabbed a bottle. Turning it, I saw what I had been hoping for: “Hecho en Mexico”. Hardly daring to hope, with trembling fingers I traced the ingredients on the nutrition sticker that was on the bottle. “Carbonated water, sugar, carmel color…”
YES!!!OH MY FUCKING GOD, YES!!!
I had, in my hand, a container of coke that was not only made the old-fashioned, correct way, with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, but that was also in a glass bottle, not plastic. Nirvana!
I immediately bought a couple bottles, took them home and chilled them down to about 33-34 degrees in the beer fridge. Last night I popped the top off of one and was treated to a taste that I haven’t enjoyed in more than 20 years. Now THAT, my friends, is the REAL THING.
I don’t care if they do cost $1.25 each for 8 oz bottles, I’m gonna send this grocer’s kids to college buying these things.
Heh. This is reason #673 that I love living in a truly diverse neighborhood. I can get real, sugar laden Coca-cola at any number of grocery stores, and even a bunch of tacquerias. I can also get fresh lychee fruit for under $2 a pound and real kimchee and Indian curry that will make you sing songs and thank your Mama for the breath of life. Down the street are Korean groceries only a block or two away from Bagels and Bailys. T’other way is Ethiopian just down the block from Swedish. It’s like a culinary map of the world. (Even the urgy stuff like Nigerian food shudder OK, dodo is great, the rest is slime - and the Jamaican I’m trying to learn to like.)
Ohhhh yeah. The real stuff. I’m not even old enough to remember the whole “New Coke” fiasco, but I love going to the little Hispanic groceries for two reasons - REAL Coke, and cheap spices (seriously - I can get saffron so cheap at those places. It’s amazing).
It really IS better than sex. And I’ve had some good sex.
I had one at a movie theater the other day. (The Grand Illusion, in Seattle’s University District.) It did taste great and bring back fond memories. Not quite as good as sex, though.
That’s the real secret: spices. You can find so much for so little at the little markets “nobody you know shops at.” Around here it is mostly Mexican, but real Coke and rock-bottom spices are worth looking out for.
Put those babys in some crushed ice so when you pull them out little ice chips stick to the bottle and hurt your hand. And, you can use a real Coke bottle opener to open them!!
I’d like to disagree firmly with the thread title.
As this is a family board, please use your imagination to complete the following sentence, including the words ‘dribble’ ‘slowly’ ‘naked’ ‘body’ ‘lick’:
“Sex is better even than original Coca-cola, especially when you take the chilled drink and …”
Yes, this is true, and I’ve imported quite a bit over the years when we visit Ginger’s family, but I’ve never seen it in glass bottles up there, and for some reason, glass seems to make a difference. Also, this is close to home so I can buy it anytime.
You can get the little 250ml old-school glass bottles at a number of places around Ontario, and probably most of the rest of Canada. They usually cost as much as or more than a 355ml can though – but I will say, it does taste different in a glass bottle. I can’t explain precisely how, except that it sort of tastes “fresher.”
I seem to recall also still being able to buy the 750ml glass bottles as recently as a few years ago (this century), but they may not be made anymore.
I feel I need to step in here and tell you all that it is not, indeed, better than sex. Also, that we have a case of Canadian coke in aforementioned beer fridge.
