New Coke

I still remember the uproar over the introduction of New Coke. As a Coca-Cola fan, I wasn't even remotely amused by the idea of replacing my favorite soft drink with some inferior version. It just didn't make any sense!

I was perusing the bulletin boards at the student union and saw a note urging everyone to complain about it by calling the Coca-Cola Company's toll-free number, so that's exactly what I did when I got home. I think it was the first time I ever actually called a company to complain, but I was mad! The customer service representative informed me that the new formula had done very well in taste tests. I didn't believe it. Who were the tasters, anyway?

In panic mode, I stocked up on 2-liter bottles, trying to space out the opening of each one. Once it was open, it would start going flat. I would have preferred to buy cans, since they would last longer, but with no car, the best I could do was buy a couple 2-liter bottles at a time and lug them back to my place. When I bought cans, it was one at a time from the many vending machines around campus, and I opened it right then and there.

I had a decent supply but didn't go overboard the way a lot of people did. I probably would have, but I was a student and couldn't afford that kind of extravagance.

Sure, I know now that it would have been healthier to just let it go and switch to water, but that wasn't going to happen. At the time, I wasn't amused, but I can admit now that it was better for me to cut down on them anyway. The problem is telling that to someone whose favorite product is about to go away.

I did try New Coke, and I didn't like it. I knew I'd be drinking more Dr Pepper and RC, two of my other favorites, if this stuff stuck around.

By the time the manufacturer admitted its mistake and brought back "Classic Coke," as they decided to call it, I still hadn't run out of my supply.

For the record, I do drink water most of the time now that I'm a lot older and a tiny bit wiser. Still, I remember fondly the days when it was rare to see me without a can of Coke in my hand or on my desk.