The Pause that Refreshes

Do you drink Coke? I do. I’m not one of those folks who drink a Coke for breakfast. No, I’m horrified that these people understand so little about what their bodies need to function. However, there are times when I feel the need for a treat and times when my stomach is queasy and those are times when I want a Coke – a Coke made in Mexico.

I first heard of “Mexican Coke” when we went to Arizona for the winter. We looked up other people from Kansas who live there. Some we never sought out again, but others became dear to us. They are musicians, good musicians who play at a small—batch brewery on Sunday afternoons.

We became fans and attended regularly. The bar pays them and expects that increased patronage will offset the band’s fee. That makes sense, but I’m not a fan of beer drinking, but I noticed the bar’s menu board which listed, in addition to their several brews, Mexican Coke. 

I tried a Mexican Coke and found it tasted so good it became my drink of choice when we went to the Sunday sessions. Then the brewery’s hard benches became a deterrent, and our attendance became sporadic.

A few weeks later I found myself wanting a Coke, specifically a Mexican one. I thought I’d have to go to a Mexican tienda to buy it, but I soon learned that most grocery stores in Arizona carry it. Now that I’m back in Kansas I can buy it here, too.

Mexican Coke bottle

There’s actually a controversy nationally about the difference between Mexican-made and U.S. made Coke. Mexico uses cane sugar but the U.S. uses high-fructose corn syrup to sweeten their Coke. Moreover, there’s a trade war over it. The controversy spawned two appeals to the World Trade Organization. 

Afficianados of the two kinds argue over taste. “Mexican Coke doesn’t have that ‘chemical’ taste that U.S. Coke has.” “Nonsense,” the U.S. group respond, “sweetness is sweetness whether it comes from cane sugar or corn.”

Those who favor Coke heche en Mexico argue that the traditional curvy glass bottle is more aesthetically appealing than an aluminum can or plastic bottle. Some even claim that Coke’s taste is adversely affected by aluminum cans or plastic bottles.

Yet another argument is that the choice of Mexican over U.S. Coke is an ideological choice, a protest against globalization

This hubbub amuses me. I drink Mexican Coke for one reason only: it tastes better. After a couple of sips of U.S. Coke, I don’t want any more of its metallic aftertaste. Mexican Coke is sweet and smooth, like a good bar of chocolate, and distinctly preferable. In fact, I’m sipping one right now.

Copyright 2019 by Shirley Domer