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kottke.org posts about soda

The decline of Big Soda

Sales of “full-calorie” soda in the US has decreased by more than 25% in the past 20 years.

The drop in soda consumption represents the single largest change in the American diet in the last decade and is responsible for a substantial reduction in the number of daily calories consumed by the average American child. From 2004 to 2012, children consumed 79 fewer sugar-sweetened beverage calories a day, according to a large government survey, representing a 4 percent cut in calories over all. As total calorie intake has declined, obesity rates among school-age children appear to have leveled off.

I’ve been a dedicated soda drinker1 since at least high school. But this summer, I started cutting back. The big reason is that my kids are getting old enough to read labels and wonder why I’m consuming so much sugar, the little blighters. “All that sugar is not good for you, right Daddy?” they would say. And they’re completely right of course and I couldn’t argue with them on that point, so I’ve been drinking a lot less of the stuff. I haven’t cut it completely out of my diet but I treat it more or less like every other food or beverage I consume: everything in moderation.

  1. Pepsi, not Coke. And back in Wisconsin, we called it “pop”.โ†ฉ


DIY soda recipes

Here are some DIY soda recipes. I’d really like to try that ginger ale at some point.


The cost of soda and fruit

In an article about the lobbying effort against a proposed soda tax in the District of Columbia, this nugget:

We’re drinking more soda for several reasons. Above all, the inflation-adjusted price has fallen 34 percent since the late 1970s, largely because it can be manufactured more cheaply than in the past. Meanwhile, the average real cost of fruits and vegetables has risen more than 30 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

PS: Alternate titles for this post include:
“What’s that got to do with the price of soda in DC?” (Too obscure?)
“This is why you’re fat.” (Too mean?)
“Ur doing it wrong.” (What is this, the internet?)

(via @ceberle)


Root beer tasting

NY Times wine guy Eric Asimov and his panel taste a bunch of root beers and conclude, among other things, that “too much root beer can make a man mean”.

Our No. 1 root beer, from Sprecher in Wisconsin, a wonderfully balanced and complex brew, uses a combination of corn syrup and honey, while our No. 2, the restrained and flavorful IBC, uses only corn syrup. So even with the importance of the sweetener, something more is at play with root beers.

I’ve always wanted to have a root beer tasting.


Why do journalists drink so much Tab?

Why do journalists drink so much Tab? Futhermore, if, as conservatives would like us to believe, the political and cultural tempo of the country is being dictated by the pulse of the liberal media and they all guzzle fantastic amounts of Tab, why is Tab not more popular?


USASODA.com has tons of images of

USASODA.com has tons of images of old soda cans. They’re a little hard to find, but there’s good stuff if you dig around a little bit.


Some fun images of advertising painted on

Some fun images of advertising painted on fingernails. That’s some seriously intricate work…love the soda pop nails.