Yes. A different combination of sweeteners makes it taste much more like “normal coke.” For people, like me, who gave up Coke for the calories but never gave up loving the taste of Coke, it is the nectar of the gods. Here, both Coke Zero & Diet Coke exist side by side in many permutations.
I can NEVER understand how anyone can come to prefer the taste of Diet Coke (although I gave up “normal soda” more than 4 years ago, on the rare occaision I have had regular Coke it is sinfully delightful) – but now that there’s Coke Zero I don’t have to.
I only drink Coke Zero now if I have a choice. Most restaurants don’t carry it, so I drink Diet Coke if I’m out, but I prefer Coke Zero (including the Vanilla and Cherry incarnations) because it tastes a lot less like poison. I’m used to the poison flavor if Diet Coke, but I don’t prefer it to non-poison, that’s for sure.
It’s also a way to get caffeine into you that is a little easier on the stomach than airplane coffee. I know that serious jet lag can make my stomach feel a little off.
I would get regular Coke if I was feeling really nauseous- it’s pretty effective against motion sickness, and Diet Coke isn’t. In all other circumstances where I want caffeine, Diet Coke for me, please.
I do that sort of thing as a trick to avoid jet lag- start trying to live on the time zone you’re going to as soon as you get on the plane. Most flights I’ve been on to Europe from the US leave in the early afternoon our time, which, with a 5 to 9 hour time difference (depending on where you’re starting from and where you’re going), that makes it late evening their time, and an appropriate time to drink alcohol. The alcohol might also help to make you feel tired earlier, which is good for adjusting to the time change. In the middle of the flight, I try to sleep (and they turn off the lights on the plane) and don’t drink anything. The flight usually gets to Europe in the morning their time, so caffeine is called for. That first day in Europe, I’m trying to stay up until 9pm local time with no naps (this seems to help with adjusting to the time change), so definitely no alcohol until at least dinner time.
I’m one of those diet Coke drinkers who loathe the taste of regular Coke. I used to drink regular coke like it was water. Then I stopped drinking soda altogether for about six months, and when I started again, regular Coke was far, far, far, far too sweet.
In fact, I don’t like the taste of any Coke products except Diet Coke, and the only other pop I’ll drink is certain brands of root beer. I never really thought about that until now. Huh. Weird.
My 2L bottle of Diet Coke says that his older brother, sugared Coke is a jerk.
I don’t like regular coke, no sir. Too sweet, too sticky, and I need a glass of water when I’m done. With Diet Coke, I just use it to replace water as my day-long drink of choice. But I switch to water when I get home after work.
I get plenty of caffeine thoughout the day, without the spikes that coffee delivers, and without the 100+ calories in a 12oz serving.
Who the heck orders Coke/Diet Coke in a restaurant? (Unless, by “restaurant”, you mean McDonald’s/BK etc.) Drinking Coke with a meal just seems wrong on so many levels.
[slight hijack] I remember a version of Coke that was marketed for a very short period of time here in the Philippines as a zero calorie soda that didn’t have any sweeteners at all. I absolutely loved it - it lacked any sweetness but it was very refreshing. It was pulled out within just a couple of months. [/slight hijack]
Americans! Probably not at a really upscale restaurant, but at fast food places or the casual dining places we frequent (Chili’s, Outback Steakhouse, that kind of place) it’s pretty much soda, iced tea, lemonade, or water. Or alcoholic beverages.
What do you order at a restaurant if you don’t want to drink alcohol? Remember, a lot of Americans drive to restaurants. Many of our chain restaurants are located in strip malls, where there really isn’t any other way to get to them. I don’t tend to go to restaurants I have to drive to, but I’m very much in the minority there.
Most of us don’t drink mineral water- it tastes like really bad tap water to me. I might get a glass of tap water at a restaurant if I had driven there and it was too late for caffeinated soda. Otherwise, I’m going to get a Diet Coke.
Also, it’s rare for people to drink alcohol at lunch in America, especially on weekdays. Soda and iced tea are the most common things available, other than water.
Water? Sure, I’ll occasionally have a coke with a burger, but if you’re paying for food you actually want to taste then why would you want to completely mask the flavour with a load of sugary (or sugary-tasting) syrup?
I guess it’s a whole different culture. I drink Coke or other sodas maybe two or three times a month, if that, but judging by some of the posts on here it seems that Coke is the “default beverage” for a lot of people and they get through pints of the stuff every day. I couldn’t drink that much sweet fizzy stuff without feeling horribly bloated, and I certainly couldn’t imagine ordering a Coke in a proper sit-down restaurant.
It’s Diet Coke here too (Ireland, also part of Yurp). They’ve recently launched Coke Zero (or Bloke Coke) for men who think Diet Coke is too gay or girly. I buy Diet Coke but I find it hilarious when I see the competitions, one recently was “Win a Designer Handbag”.
Who the heck orders Coke/Diet Coke in a restaurant? (Unless, by “restaurant”, you mean McDonald’s/BK etc.) Drinking Coke with a meal just seems wrong on so many levels.