Carbonation Connoiseur

When I was drinking beer, I became familiar with many different styles and brands of that fermented beverage. But I don't drink anymore. I've adopted another drink: flavored carbonated water. Somewhat like beer, I discovered that there are many flavor options in that area.

The absolute best I've found is WalMart's Orange Cream. It tastes just like those old orange cream ice creams we ate out of toilet paper rolls as kids. Push Pops, I think they were called, because there was a plastic stick which you used to force the ice cream out. WalMart has a Red, White, and Blue mix of fruit flavors which is good too.

If Dollar General is to your liking, their house brand (Cloverdale, I think?) has a blood orange carbonated water which is outstanding. I had never heard of a blood orange, and I still haven't actually sought out and tasted one. But I like the artificial flavor of blood orange. DG's black cherry is great too.

Family Dollar's house brand, Silver Falls, has a strawberry kiwi water which is almost in a class by itself. They have a wild cherry which is great as well. Aldi's has a couple flavors of carbonated water too, but as I'm not at Aldi's very often I can't think of their flavors this minute.

Wait! Yes I can! Cranberry. They have a cranberry which is well worth the 64 cents per liter.

So there you have it. Everything is competitive and innovative these days, including carbonated waters. I'm having a good time discovering that.

Lemon Lime Risks

I am often accused of being unwilling to try new things. That is patently unfair. I'm more than willing enough to try new things.

Why, just yesterday while I was in Dollar General buying blood orange flavored carbonated water I took  a walk out on the edge. I loosened my wild side. Determining to try something different, I bought - you'll gasp at how bold of a choice this was - lemon lime flavored water. 

It tasted like lime with a twist of lemon. Or maybe lemon with a shot of lime juice, I'm not sure. 

I also went ahead and bought two bottles of blood orange, just to make sure I had something I like. No reason to throw all caution to the wind now, is there?

Another story

Mom always carries granola bars with her. One of the medications she's on gives her food cravings, and she likes granola bars. In fact she's actually gotten such a taste for them that me brother Phil buys them by the crate at warehouse stores. Very often the staff have to get a hi-lo and bring them out to his van on a pallet. But that's another story.

As Mom and I enjoyed our usual Sunday drive yesterday, I pulled into a Dollar General because I wanted to buy this blood orange flavored carbonated water they have, which is sooooo goooood. I'd never even heard of blood orange until I one day bought a bottle of this stuff at another Dollar General on a lark. Apparently there are oranges with a red pulp, hence 'blood' oranges, with a bit of a raspberry taste along with the expected orange dominant flavor. But that's another story.

When I had finished parking, Mom took about three granola bars out of her vest pocket and put them in the console between us. "I don't want to take these into the store," she explained, "Because they might think I stole them and it would set off the alarms and make all that noise."

"And I wouldn't bail you out of jail," I teased.

"I know that," she replied in mock disgust. "That's why I'm leaving them here."

And that's today's story.

It just figures

A few days ago while on the road I decided I wanted to buy a certain type of carbonated water. I wanted blood orange flavor. I didn't even know there were such things as blood oranges, oranges with reddish pulp and a raspberry-ish taste, until I stumbled upon this water. It is available through Dollar General on their house brand.

Dollar General stores are everywhere, right? Every wide spot in the road has a DG. Hell, there's even some places where they are the wide spot in the road: no town, no houses, no other buildings, just a Dollar General sitting alone almost as though randomly set down. Anyone own that piece of land? No? Then buy it and put up a DG; what are you waiting for?

My taste for blood orange grew with every turn of the highway, every glimpse of rural town, every mileage marker for the next city of any import. And no Dollar General anywhere. What the heck?

Maybe they hide are readily as they appear, eh?

A video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhK7VbozCcE&feature=youtu.be

Just trying something different. Enjoy!