New soda spin-offs lack fizz,
classic appeal of‘real thins’
Food review
Helen Schumacher
Pulse Reporter
Long gone is the heyday of Coca
Cola’s diet beverage Tab. Instead, the
age of the gimmick soda is upon us.
In recent months, beverage compa
nies unleashed an abundance of new
carbonated drinks on an unsuspect
ing public. Will any of the new flavors
withstand the test of time, or are they
doomed to be forgotten quicker than
you can say “Crystal Pepsi”?
Hesitantly, I visited the grocery
store in search of these new drinks,
as a public service to our loyal read
ers, to find out if any of these concoc
tions were actually drinkable.
Using copious amounts of sugar and
blue food coloring, the gang at Pepsi
developed something resembling an
tifreeze. They call it Pepsi Blue, and it
tastes like carbonated artificial fruit
flavoring with a cola aftertaste. Al
though Pepsi Blue could work as mix
er, it seems that drinking it alone
would likely prompt a fit of vomiting.
In what must have been a burst of
creative energy, the Dr Pepper/7UP
brand made Red Fusion Dr Pepper,
which tastes almost exactly like regu
lar Dr Pepper, but less syrupy. Al
though Red Fusion is supposed to be
a cherry-flavored Dr Pepper, it lacked
any kind of distinctive quality to jus
tify its existence.
Vanilla Coke is slightly better. Once
again, it doesn’t vary much from the
original. It still tastes like Coca-Cola,
except with a vanilla aftertaste. Instead
of adding to the refreshing classic Coke
taste, the vanilla just leaves a sour taste
on the tongue.
Perhaps the best thing to come out
of the slew of new versions of old so
das, is Pepsi Twist. This drink keeps it
simple by adding a slight lemon fla
vor to the beverage, giving it an extra
bite. Pepsi Twist may actually be a
step forward instead of back.
It seems that most of these drinks
would have been better off left alone.
But then again, who would have
guessed Mountain Dew Code Red
would have made it this long?
Contact the Pulse reporter at
helenschumacher@dailyemerald.com.
Photo illustration Mark McCambridge Emerald
Pepsi recently introduced Pepsi Blue, a beverage "resembling antifreeze," and Pepsi
Twist, a more promising drink with a better chance of standing the test of time.
barah s trust in the universe brims love, Kerensa’s journal
Chapter 10. Sarah’s affair
with Grant.
Last week, Michael relived the
fire that killed Kerensa’s parents.
The Emerald is printing “And the
Dew is Our National Treasure” in
serial form, with an installment
every Tuesday in the Pulse Relax
section. Earlier installments can be
found at www.dailyemerald.com.
From the air, Hong Kong looks like
an unfinished puzzle. Somewhere
amidst the 14,713 people per square
mile is Monty, trying to piece togeth
er how so many live so compactly so
peacefully. Maybe the secret is luck.
The Chinese believe in luck, or for
tune, and follow the flow of the world
instead of trying to make the world
conform to them.
I settle in and think of the Sarah I
first met three years ago. She pos
Where's
Kerensa?
sessed a swallow-in-the-sky confi
dence that protected her in spite of
her going alone to the art galleries on
First Thursday with the tattooed
salmon on her upper thigh visible
through her translucent dress.
Her studio apartment was in the
Pearl District, within walking distance
of the Art Museum where she coordi
nated social events. Through several
environmental fund raisers, she
worked closely with Grant, the presi
dent of a northwest bank, whose soft
voice and concern for Nature gave
Bond
continued from page 5
controller in hand — will tell. But I
will relay a story: As I watched my
friend drive James Bond’s Aston
Martin during one of the later lev
els, it made me realize that no
character has become more apt for
this form of video game. Each in
stallment so seamlessly integrates
the Bond archetypes —beautiful
women, villains, gadgets and guns
— that before long, we might be
unable to tell the difference be
tween film and game.
“NightFire” is available for all
“next-generation” platforms —
meaning the PC, Microsoft Xbox,
Nintendo GameCube and Sony
PlayStation 2.
Contact the Pulse reporter
at aaronshakra@dailyemerald.com.
OPEN HOUSE TODAY
at KWVA Radio 2-4 p.m
Room in EMU, Mezzanine level
We are at the end of the long hall
MORE INFO? contact Charlotte at 346-4091
struggling environmental groups
hope. Meanwhile, Grant came to rely
on Sarah’s laugh to diffuse the anxi
eties of people passionate about a
species endangered by development.
After one unsuccessful bid to
raise money for salmon, they end
ed up alone in her office. “The
economy’s distorted,” Grant
fumed. “Money rushes to defend
the dams — and trickles in to pro
tect the salmon!” His emotions
crossed the formal line between
them, and he held her to his chest
and kissed the top of her head.
During the next few weeks, Grant
and Sarah were careful to meet only
in the company of others, lest, as
happened one night, they might be
alone on the carpeted floor of the
Rare Print Room, where passions
might overcome good sense, and in
the heat, he might utter “Love,” and
a guardrail might break and they
might tumble into chaos.
Sarah had always thought that a
mate would come alongside, sailing
a parallel course toward a common
horizon, so Grant’s being almost 30
years closer to port made her inse
cure. Her confidence waned, and she
became dependent. “It’s my fault,”
Grant said. “Ambiguity is the theme
of my life. By day, I make loans to de
velopers, and by night I raise money
to protect the environment. By day
I’m a bank president and husband,
and by night I’m yours.”
At last, Sarah concluded that
Grant needed both. “I love you,” she
said, “and I’ll be your mistress.”
“Impossible,” he said. “It would
diminish the person I love. I’ll get a
divorce.”
“Also impossible,” said Sarah, “be
cause it would diminish you.”
Grant’s wife learned of the affair
and went to see Sarah. The marriage
had been difficult, she said, with a re
tarded child and his consuming hours.
Now were the good years. Please, she
said, don’t steal my husband.
In a few days, two lucid minds
separated a united heart. Sarah quit
the Museum; he bought her a house
and set up an account. Eventually,
she learned to laugh again. But she
put on weight. And her belief that
luck comes by trusting the universe
became an obsession.
“And now she’s found Kerensa’s
Journal!” I mumble. “No effort; just
luck! Plain, dumb luck!”
Peter Wright is a printer living
in Portland. He received his bachelor's
degrees from UC Berkeley, served
in the U.S. Navy, worked as a stock
broker and taught at Stanford University.
© Peter Wright, 2002. All rights reserved.
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