I love soda pop. Call me an American (which is awesome), but I just flat love soda pop. I was thinking about this and decided to put together this list of links. I think you'll like it.The Great Soda vs. Pop Controversy: That's right. Arguably the best non-scientific survey ever.
Jones Soda Company: You know how Cartoon Network saved the short cartoon? So it is with Jones Soda Company. In particular, check out their labels, Jonx.
Royal Crown Cola (That's RC Cola to the "laymen" amongst you): Yup, its 101 years old. Grab a Moonpie and kick off your Berkinstocks, you hippies.
Mountain Dew: Before it was "extreme," Mountain Dew was that nice brand of bellywasher that was invented by river in Knoxville as a mixer for the good stuff, and by that I mean the White Lightning and by that I mean the shine and by that I mean the stuff you can clean your engine as sure as your guts with. There's another site you're gonna' want to peruse, MountainDewBottles.com. That's right. Trust me, you'll read for way longer than you think.
the soda pop blog: Its pretty new, but its interesting. . . inspiring some might say. I keep thinking I should start a food comparison blog, but all I can come up with is the destined to failure "chile verde" blog. The author has another blog, the Root-Beer blog, but given that I don't like root beer, well, it gets a secondary link. Sorry Christopher.
12 comments:
Eric,
Those crazy Tennesseans have gotten inside your head. Mountain Dew was NOT invented in Knoxville. It was invented in Marion, Virginia: http://members.aol.com/seanborg/mtdew/t13.htm
T-
I thought you researched all your information. Thoroughly disappointed, shame. Otherwise a good article.
A man that prides himself a lover of the fountain drink but shows ill will toward Root Beer is a man without honor!
Oh, no. Oh, no. No one contradicts my trivia captain and gets away with it*!
From Mountain Dew's OWN website:
The rumors are true. Mountain Dew was born way back in the hills of Tennessee in the 1940s. The name Mountain Dew was first trademarked by two brothers, Barney and Ally Hartman, who ran a bottling plant in Knoxville.
I believe the only appropriate rejoinder is silence. Shamed, shamed silence.
*Rule does not apply to me.
--Trivia Doug
Yeah kids, its true. . . no matter what Marion wants to believe, the history behind Mountain Dew's invention is pretty well elaborated. . . six guys were playing poker on the south side of the Tennessee River in Knoxvegas, they needed a mixer for their shine, and BAM, the earliest version of Mountain Dew was created. I got to meet all these guys involved through the history of the drink two summers ago when they had the anniversary celebration here in Knoxville including an, get this, art exhibit featuring early, hillbilly-logo Mountain Dew advertising and bottle designs. It was also first bottled here. Now, I do think Marion was involved (briefly) down the line, before the soda was sold to PepsiCo, but so was Kingsport or JC.
Here is what I think happened. The Name "mountain Dew" originated in Knoxville. However, the actual drink we are familiar with is from Marion. Thus, the actual "Drink" is from Marion, not Knoxville. The only thing from Knoxville is the name. Pepsico used the Knoxville name with the Marion drink. Thus the soda we know as Mountain Dew is from Marion.
A local businessman, William H. "Bill" Jones of Marion, during the period 1959 to 1962, created what is now the nationally successful soft drink "Mountain Dew" at Marion's Tip Bottling Company, now site of Hungate Business Services at 517 North Main Street. Jones experimented with flavors, routinely offering Marion residents samples of what he bubbled together. He eventually sold the soft drink "Mountain Dew" to Pepsico in 1964. Marion now boast itself as the "Home of Mountain Dew" on signs and brochures.
The last Paragraph I wrote is from the Town of Marion Homesite. I did not want to plagerize myself.
Here is some info from the "Mountain Dew" Homepage.
When did Pepsi begin to sell Mountain Dew?
Pepsi purchased Mountain Dew from the TIP Corporation(Location Marion) in 1964.
Where did Mountain Dew originate?
The Mountain Dew flavor we know today was developed in Marion, Virginia. Mountain Dew, the drink, began in Knoxville, Tennessee.
(This is misleading, because without the flavor their would not be a drink, thus the drink we have today is from Marion and only the name survives from Knoxville.sct)
Way to go, Sean. Nice sleuthing.
BTW, Eric, Margaret is ticked off at you for publishing such tripe in the first place (she is from Marion).
Wow. First, my boy Papaw? Damn. Good research. I am impressed. I accept Doug's plan of compromise as to the historic claims on the beverage rights. Secondly, damn. . . the most commented on thing in the history of this blog is the history of soda pop. This, my friends, is America.
I propose that Knoxville and Marion have a knife fight -- West Side Story-style -- and the winner takes the ultimate prize of being named Once-And-For-All Orignial, Actual Home of Mountain Dew.
If this can't be arranged, then Golden Age Mountain Dew and Silver Age Mountain Dew should make out. With tongue.
It's how civilized compromises are reached, people.
I agree with Cechols. In fact, we can have two knife fights. The other can be Rural Retreat, Virginia versus the entire State of Texas on the origins of Dr. Pepper, a much more delicious and refreshing beverage than any other variety of "soda pop."
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