My Pop/Soda Addiction

I grew up in the Midwest faithfully calling it "pop".

I argued for months in CA that it was most definitely "pop".

Then I went to a Taco Bell to order some nachos and a "pop", and she looked at me and said "what, you want pasta?"

I reluctantly starting calling it "soda" that day.




I haven't been able to kick that habit, even though now no one would know what I was saying no matter what I asked if I went to a local fast food place. (Note to self: find out what the word for that delicious carbonated beverage is in Japanese).





Whatever you call it, I'm addicted.




And as much as it hurt to see all those empty calories filling up my daily food intake, I couldn't and wouldn't kick my delicious addiction.

So I started making adjustments. My old favorite that will probably always be my first choice:



Got replaced with 0 calorie alternates that don't taste "diet", but still have the caffeine kick I adore.



If I switch them out occasionally, I don't really notice the taste difference from the good ol' regulars. Our current favorite in this household is Diet Cherry Coke. We love Cherry Coke Zero, but it's hard to find in the states, much less in the sadly stocked overseas Commissary. I saw the diet and cringed, but figured it was worth a shot. The cherry flavor overrides the diet flavor enough that it doesn't taste diet. And I don't feel guilty overindulging in my addiction!

Since we're grilling tonight, I'm pretty happy with my substitutes today. Nothing goes better with a grilled burger and corn on the cob than some ice cold soda/pop/delicious bubbly dark beverage.