How about the part where I said I gave up soda?

For those who didn't see my FB status, I gave up soda again two weeks ago (9th of June 2012) for what, the fourth time now?  I tend to quit, stay off of soda for anywhere up to 1-3 years before going back to it.  This time, other than a day or two of discomfort, it hasn't been hard at all.  I'm now up to drinking over a gallon of water most days, but I am feeling much better, and it makes me happy to think of all the money I am not dumping into the soda industry's deep pockets.

I don't think I made myself entirely clear to the hubs though (who is still drinking soda, but it doesn't bother me, since this was a personal choice) because of what happened about a week into the new no-soda routine.

I had asked the hubs to stop by the store on his way home to pick up something I needed to go with dinner that night.  He does, and then brought it home to where I was waiting.

"Here you go", he says, handing over said dinner ingredient.

There was  a pause and then he continued with, "I bought a surprise for you where I was there".

Me, still chopping and simmering and sauteing paused, looked up and said, "Oh? What for?"

"Because you've been doing so good with this soda thing", he replied, and then pulled out two cans of my favorite flavors of soda and set them on the counter.

It is safe to say I was dumbfounded.

I looked at these two brightly designed cans, cans that were fresh from the soda machine at the grocery.  So cold that beads of cool condensation had formed and were running enticingly down the sides of the cans.

"Baby", I said, trying to remain calm, sweet and nice, when on the inside a part of me was screaming grab the can! grab the can!  "Why did you get me these when you know I gave up soda?"

He looked at me with sudden alarm crossing his face.  "Gave up?  I thought you were just cutting back and I was so proud of all the water I've seen you drinking...."

I felt bad for him, doing something he thought would be nice (after all, he did pick my two bestest and favoritest flavors) but I admit I wanted him to take those cans and put them out of my sight.

Thankfully he drank one of them that night, but the other one is still sitting in the fridge just waiting for me to slip up.  Not that I am all that worried about it.... if I have a soda it is not the end of the world.  I am just happy that if nothing else that I have gotten myself to the point where not having a soda is fine by me.  After all, Richard is still chugging away, and its not a temptation to me anymore, but I am not about to turn down a root beer float should one come in through my front door and I find myself in the mood to partake of such a delicious and refreshing treat.

Here's the strange part though... I've noticed now that I have sent soda packing for parts unknown, that my sugar cravings have gone way down.  We're talking a freakishly huge reduction.  I was that girl who'd chug soda (mostly diet, but a lot of full sugar Shasta brands were making their way home as well) all day long.  Single-handedly going through a 12-pack in a weekend was not unheard of.  But along with that I constantly had the munchies and the munch in mind was candy, ice cream, or chips.

Now that I am a water girl again (I stopped with the Crystal Light after day 3) I have noticed when I went to the store the other day I bought fresh pears and couldn't wait to get them home, wash one and take a bite.  The gauntlet of candy bars that holds sway in pretty much every grocery in America wasn't even a temptation to me.  Let me tell you that pear (and the banana I had the next day) were literally like the fruit of the Gods... a sweet, sweet ambrosia to my usually chemical-stimulated taste buds.

Now that alone was worth giving up the soda for.

Nostalgia

image borrowed from Flickr

Anyone around here old enough to remember The Pop Shoppe? It was a wonderful slice of my childhood.... I would remember walking with mom and my brother into a store that was nothing but bottles of liquid goodness. You would pick up a 24 slot plastic tray at the front of the store, and then my brother and I would carefully select the flavors that were our allotted portion. Flavors were weighed and discarded.... lime? cream soda? root beer? ooh, maybe grape or orange or black cherry..... the rainbow colors of the sodas enticed and promised sweet and refreshing moments in our summer to come. With 30 flavors to pick from, the possibilities seemed endless......

We had to keep in mind that whatever we picked, there was no suddenly changing your mind and walking down the street to pick up a new flavor.... if you took a chance on a soda and didn't like it you were stuck with it.... not that I remember ever finding a "bad" flavor! The reason for this was that it was a good hour-and-a-half drive to Spokane, where the Pop Shoppe was located, and I admit that going to the "Big City" was a thrill in and of itself.

The Pop Shoppe was a Canadian based company that had its heyday in the 1970's, before closing up their shops in 1983, thanks mostly to Pepsi and Coca~Cola who were beginning to hit their stride.

When The Pop Shoppe went out of business it was a sad moment....

Why do I bring this up? Well, someone started it up again.... sorta. The flavors are limited, but are now available (in the same glass bottle, but you don't get to bring these ones back for a credit against your next purchase) at your local grocery. I was looking around the cold soda and bottled waters the other day, when I spotted the familiar bottles, looking a little out of place amongst the plastic bottles of Dr Pepper and Sprite. A wave of nostalgia came over me and I found myself tucking a Lime Rickey and Cream Soda into my cart. (Funny, but I don't remember the cream soda being cherry red, but a little online snooping confirms that yes, the original was a bright red....)

I admit that when I got to the cash register and discovered those little bottles were $1.19 each (ouch!) I had to firmly remind myself that it was a cheap price to pay for a moment of my childhood back. I took the bottles home and tucked them into the fridge for later (later turned out to be nearly 2 weeks later as they somehow were shifted behind the milk and I forgot all about them!)

I pulled out first one and then the other, debating on who I should drink first. Cream soda drew the short straw and while I managed to make it last by taking small sips I was surprised at just how delicious that soda was. The Lime Rickey turned out to be very good as well, but it was the cream soda that had me remembering long summer days, kicked out of doors by a mom who insisted that my all-day reading-in-the-house habit needed a break for fresh air and sunshine. (By the way mom..... I forgive you!) I would sit outside, breathing my prescribed dose of "country air" and enjoy my soda (this being the days where a soda was a rare treat.... not a daily requirement that my adult addictions have thrust upon me!)

So would I buy another? Maybe.... if I was feeling especially nostalgic. It was good enough for it... but glass bottles are a bit delicate to be lugging around in my lunchbox! There's a website for The Pop Shoppe in case you are interested... you can find it here.... it gives you a listing of where you can find their soda in your area!