Ick.
Company Again Touting Weird Soda Flavors
November 8, 2004 03:42 PM EST
SEATTLE - Jones Soda Co. takes the idea of a liquid diet to a new low.
How does Green Bean Casserole Soda strike you? And how about an
aggressively buttery-smelling Mashed Potato Soda?
Even the creators of the fizzy concoctions at this small Seattle soda
company can hardly stomach the stuff. But last year's unexpected success
of the Turkey & Gravy Soda means another round of bizarre food-flavored
soft drinks. As an added bonus - they're calorie-free.
This week Jones Soda Co. launches a full meal deal of five Thanksgiving
soda flavors, from the bile-colored Green Bean Casserole to the sweet -
but slightly sickly - Fruitcake Soda. Last year's Turkey & Gravy is
also back on the menu.
If you think it sounds less than appetizing, you're not alone.
"Oh, man, I can't drink that!" cries out company chief executive Peter
van Stolk, after pouring himself a drink of mashed potatoes.
To banish the buttery aftertaste, he recommends a chaser of Cranberry
Soda, the only one of the holiday bunch that doesn't make you want to
pick up a toothbrush.
Drinking last year's savory Turkey & Gravy was no picnic, either, but
that didn't stop people from clamoring for it, pushing bidding on
auction site eBay Inc. up to $63 for a two-bottle set.
This year Jones plans to produce up to 15,000 five-packs of the
12-ounce bottles, which come complete with utensils (a straw and a toothpick).
The sodas may not be as satisfying as a real holiday meal, but they can
boast being both calorie- and carb-free, not to mention vegan and
kosher.
Beginning Thursday, they'll be on sale at some Target Corp. stores
throughout the country, and at other retailers, for between $14.95 and
$16.95, with proceeds benefiting Toys for Tots.
Known for its quirky ads and offbeat bottle designs, Jones traces its
roots to a soda distribution operation that began in 1987. But it wasn't
until the mid-1990s that the company began its own line of sodas,
cultivating a following among skaters, surfers and snowboarders with unusual
flavors like blue bubble gum, green apple and watermelon. These days,
Jones soda, juice and energy drinks are available nationwide at stores
including Target, Albertson's and Safeway.
Five tasters were assigned to the task of perfecting the holiday
flavors, although van Stolk said most other employees ended up trying the
sodas sooner or later.
In the early stages, the staff grew deeply divided over mashed potato
versus sweet potato: "It was like red versus blue," van Stolk said,
referring to the recent presidential election.
In the end, he called it for mashed potato, arguing it was the more
familiar food.
Jones isn't the only company to find that people have a certain
fascination with foods that make you go "yuck." There's the real-life version
of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, made famous by the Harry Potter
books and featuring tastes like Vomit, Booger and Earthworm. And millions
of Americans regularly tune in to reality shows to watch contestants
eat things like spiders and snails.
Experts say part of the human fascination with such foods is the
omnivore's natural tendency to try a varied diet. But there's also a certain
group of people who are simply novelty seekers who get a thrill out of
more extreme gastronomical adventures, said Virginia Utermohlen, an
associate professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University.
For those people, she said, the thinking is, "So long as I know it's
not going to kill me, it might be just interesting."
Barbara Rolls, nutritional sciences professor at Penn State University,
said research shows young people are more likely to try new foods, but
she speculates it's not just nature.
"It's that bravado factor," she said.
And for some, Rolls added, the risk will have a reward.
"Who knows, maybe it really tastes good," she said.
November 8, 2004 03:42 PM EST
SEATTLE - Jones Soda Co. takes the idea of a liquid diet to a new low.
How does Green Bean Casserole Soda strike you? And how about an
aggressively buttery-smelling Mashed Potato Soda?
Even the creators of the fizzy concoctions at this small Seattle soda
company can hardly stomach the stuff. But last year's unexpected success
of the Turkey & Gravy Soda means another round of bizarre food-flavored
soft drinks. As an added bonus - they're calorie-free.
This week Jones Soda Co. launches a full meal deal of five Thanksgiving
soda flavors, from the bile-colored Green Bean Casserole to the sweet -
but slightly sickly - Fruitcake Soda. Last year's Turkey & Gravy is
also back on the menu.
If you think it sounds less than appetizing, you're not alone.
"Oh, man, I can't drink that!" cries out company chief executive Peter
van Stolk, after pouring himself a drink of mashed potatoes.
To banish the buttery aftertaste, he recommends a chaser of Cranberry
Soda, the only one of the holiday bunch that doesn't make you want to
pick up a toothbrush.
Drinking last year's savory Turkey & Gravy was no picnic, either, but
that didn't stop people from clamoring for it, pushing bidding on
auction site eBay Inc. up to $63 for a two-bottle set.
This year Jones plans to produce up to 15,000 five-packs of the
12-ounce bottles, which come complete with utensils (a straw and a toothpick).
The sodas may not be as satisfying as a real holiday meal, but they can
boast being both calorie- and carb-free, not to mention vegan and
kosher.
Beginning Thursday, they'll be on sale at some Target Corp. stores
throughout the country, and at other retailers, for between $14.95 and
$16.95, with proceeds benefiting Toys for Tots.
Known for its quirky ads and offbeat bottle designs, Jones traces its
roots to a soda distribution operation that began in 1987. But it wasn't
until the mid-1990s that the company began its own line of sodas,
cultivating a following among skaters, surfers and snowboarders with unusual
flavors like blue bubble gum, green apple and watermelon. These days,
Jones soda, juice and energy drinks are available nationwide at stores
including Target, Albertson's and Safeway.
Five tasters were assigned to the task of perfecting the holiday
flavors, although van Stolk said most other employees ended up trying the
sodas sooner or later.
In the early stages, the staff grew deeply divided over mashed potato
versus sweet potato: "It was like red versus blue," van Stolk said,
referring to the recent presidential election.
In the end, he called it for mashed potato, arguing it was the more
familiar food.
Jones isn't the only company to find that people have a certain
fascination with foods that make you go "yuck." There's the real-life version
of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, made famous by the Harry Potter
books and featuring tastes like Vomit, Booger and Earthworm. And millions
of Americans regularly tune in to reality shows to watch contestants
eat things like spiders and snails.
Experts say part of the human fascination with such foods is the
omnivore's natural tendency to try a varied diet. But there's also a certain
group of people who are simply novelty seekers who get a thrill out of
more extreme gastronomical adventures, said Virginia Utermohlen, an
associate professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University.
For those people, she said, the thinking is, "So long as I know it's
not going to kill me, it might be just interesting."
Barbara Rolls, nutritional sciences professor at Penn State University,
said research shows young people are more likely to try new foods, but
she speculates it's not just nature.
"It's that bravado factor," she said.
And for some, Rolls added, the risk will have a reward.
"Who knows, maybe it really tastes good," she said.