PCHsmiles

... whoa, Intrepid, careful there! I bet NYFS isn't too elderly to tie a knot in your thong. I know I'm treading lightly in her vicinity. And I'm brushing up on my grammer (I know, a). A good day to you. You need to get on ahhnold's a** ... his language skills are ... remote.

By periphery, I meant nj, possibly along the banks of a river, on a bridge or in a tunnel.

swalter518

Ah, more calories in the COke Light huh, well that explains why I can tolerate it and DC makes me want to puke! I know you southerners are attached to your Coke but I'll take a Diet Pepsi any day (and that's a pop, not a soda)!

pearlgirl

Have to put my 2 cents in, as I drink enough diet coke to be considered an expert....I also think Coke Light tastes flat, as compared to the US version. It's definitely not the same. Have also had Coke Light in the Carribean & Mexico, and I think it tastes the same as in Italy.

ncgrrl

Swalter518, Pepsi was founded in New Bern, NC a little of 100 years ago.

I found "American Ginger Ale" at a take away place in Germany. The difference I have noticed between USA soda and the rest of the world is in the USA there is more carbonation in the drinks.

ThinGorjus

I can't understand why you Americans go to Europe, Asia, South America, etc., and expect everything to be the same as in the States. Why even travel? Just stay at home and ingest your Dunkin Donuts and Sprite.

We English can't understand how you Yanks can use a TEABAG!! YUK!!

Bitter

I think US beverages, including beer, are over-carbonated. Does anyone know whether the increased carbonation increases the acidity of the drinks (carbonic acid??).
ThingG: I am not one who despises the fact that I am an American, but nor am I one who restricts myself to American ways. I suspect very few regulars on this site should be lumped in your generalization.

ThinGorjus

It was a joke, mate. Lighten (COKE) up!! I have lived in the US for the past 24 years, and my father was born in Boston.

swalter518

ncgirl, I stand corrected. I have relatives in GA that make it sound like Coke and whiskey were the only drinks to ever come out of the South!

PCHsmiles

Coke built a lot of those huge houses in Atlanta - e.g., along West Paces Fy. Rd, just out of Buckhead. Their driveways made some very fine parking places. Coke was a staple of my teen years. It is very much the pause that refreshes.

bettyk

swalter, some of us have to restrict our carbs because we are diabetic; therefore, the DC versus CL. I would have been happy to drink Diet Pepsi, but never did see it anywhere we traveled in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. If you could enlighten me where to find it over there, I would certainly drink it on my next trip!

swalter518

Betty, unfortunately the only place I've seen Pepsi products was in London. Perhaps it's time for Pepsi drinkers to start a cultural revolution!

Intrepid

Is there a Fodors board called "Whining"????

capo

Count me in as a proud member of the I-can't-stand-diet-soft-drinks club. If God had intended for us to drink aspartame, she would have created it.

bettyk

Capo, for the many diabetics out there, Aspartame, Splenda and other artificial sweetners are a godsend! Whether we "like" it or not isn't always the issue. You get use to it because you can't have anything else! God willing, you will never be in this position.

Lil

My daughter has brought back several small cans of coke lite from various trips. I went into her room to check ingredients, color, etc. so I could compare the difference and post here. All I have to say is "GIRL, you're grounded!"

Holy moly...how could I find a can of soda in there when I could barely find the floor.

When she returns home I'll find out just what coke lite is made of. And, we happen to enjoy the beverages in Europe very much, would dissapointed if everything tasted the same.

baker

This whole thread has entertained me (must be a slow day!) such that even though it's 40 celsius here in southern Ontario I just hoofed it from the third floor of my house to the kitchen because I remembered that I had a can of Coke Light in the frig that came back with me from France in June. The ingredients do list aspertame (Bettyk was asking); actually it says "aspartame et acesulfame K". As to the calories the can reads "100ml:valeur energetique:1kj (0.2kcal). Hope that answers a few of th questions asked. Can't quite bring myself to open this last can just yet. Heve enjoyed a few poured over ice with a hint of lime in my new Perrier glasses I bought at Les Resonances in the Carrousel du Louvre. Since I'm not a wine drinker, this is my favourite beverage in France.

capo

Betty, that "If God had intended for us..." line is a pretty classic one, so I figured everyone would see it for the joke it was.

But, that being said, you're absolutely right. Speaking of God, as you put it, artificial sweeteners are a "godsend" for diabetics.

So my apologies to you and any others who have to have soft drinks with artificial sweeteners...but not to those who freely choose them.

BrimhamRocks

LOL Lil

Christina

I found an article in an Atlanta newspaper that describes the difference in the formulas -- it is the sweetener (at least partially). Apparently Coke Light is half aspartame and half some other stuff which is the sweetener they put in Pepsi One. No wonder I don't like it, I've tried that and didn't like the taste much and I also don't like Coke Light very well.

I don't drink soft drinks very much but generally don't like very sweet drinks -- I don't put sugar in coffee or tea and don't drink soft drinks very much in general. However, I prefer Diet Pepsi to Diet Coke because it seems less sweet to me. I know some people swear the opposite, but it is odd this article says Coke Light goes over better in Europe because it is sweeter-tasting. I just think it tastes odd, but I thought Europeans weren't supposed to like things as sweet as Americans, so go figure.

http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/
stories/1999/05/10/story7.html

Dorothy01

xyz123:

I had similar experiences in London last November. I would ask for a Diet Coke (made in the UK) and receive a Coke Light (made in Germany). I too was puzzled. I purchased mine at snack stands in tube stations.

Diet Coke made in the US does taste differnt than Diet Coke made in the UK; however, UK Diet Coke is so much better than Coke Light made in Germany or France. The difference as someone already pointed out is the type of artificial sweetener.

I usually take a couple of .5 liters of Diet Coke with me when I travel to Europe.