Back in the Day

When my grandmother was little, people still remembered why Coca-Cola was invented.  It wasn't just any beverage; it was medicinal.  It was meant to be enhance a cheerier mood and it was meant to clear the bowels.  (Seriously.  It was flavored with liquorice, and liquorice herb is a laxative preparation that is still in use to this day.)  Ginger Ale was also, by the way, meant to be medicinal.  Ginger is an herb that restores the digestive tract and the lungs.  My great-grandmother, when she was a young woman, grew herbs for Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Compound--a famous health tonic of the time.  Those old ladies from my family knew what was what when it came to herbs and health, so some of that understanding was passed along down the years.

These days, of course, some of the soda formulas have changed (no more cocaine in Coca-Cola) and folks drink the stuff like it's going out of style.  But I don't--thanks to Nana (my grandmother), we were taught to see Coke as something that you drank at need when you were feeling poorly or as a very occasional beverage that you might enjoy as a treat.

Yesterday was my birthday.  No one was celebrating except me; no one ever does.  So I decided to buy myself a sandwich at Subway and to have a Coke with it as a treat.

When you have something frequently, you don't necessarily notice the changes in the product.  But I hadn't had a Coca-Cola in months.  I've been noticing a substantial change over the past few years.  It just doesn't taste the same.  In fact, it was so sort-of-unfortunate tasting that I didn't enjoy it and I didn't want to drink the whole thing, and there was about half of it leftover.

Since I'm not one to waste things unnecessarily, I decided to pour it into the bathroom sink.  No, not down the sink.  In the sink.  I'm using the leftover Coke to clean the rust off the sink stopper.  It's working quite nicely.

If I can do that with Coca-Cola, just guess what it's doing to your digestive tract if you guzzle gallons of the stuff?  Pretty scary.

Back in the day, people had a sense of proportion.  They used things sparingly.  I kinda think that's a habit we need to find our way back to.  And I don't think I'll waste money on Coca-Cola again.