i think a thursday calls for delicious coffee beverages

A watched coffee pot does not ever finish dripping.

I tested this theory today and found it sound, which is why I am in my cubicle typing into livejournal instead of muttering into a coffee cup.

Also, my cubicle was decorated for my birthday. This has never, in my life, occurred. I was so ridiculously close to babbling I faked a coughing fit and pretended I found the latest email on new builds utterly engrossing. It's really not. I don't even know what all the words mean. Possibly because all I have had today is Diet Coke which is, I suspect, not actually a drink but a kind of penance for all the sugar I use in my coffee.

No, I am not mocking Diet Coke drinkers but--seriously. How do you get used to the not-sugar? I mean, it's not like my reaction to Pepsi Zero (UNCLEAN. UNCLLLEEAAAANNNN.) which is of a different category, you might say (Did I mention UNCLEEEAAANNNNN?). It's not even *bad*. But I can't get used to it and I don't know why.

After a few minutes just now holding the taste and studying it, I'm still stumped. The smell is different, metallicy, and the taste is very--not lemon but like it maybe in another life had relations with a lemon. And sweet in a way that my mind keeps circling around in a tight, wary loop of uncertainty. I like this? my stomach asks dubiously. Yet I am not sure if it is like-like. Please drink warily and wait for future instructions. Instructions that never come.

However, I do have a strange sort of semi-spiritual moment whenever I drink a regular Coke now. I keep thinking maybe stopping with the regular Coke for a month will teach my tongue to love the not-sugar, but it would be easier to remove my appendix with my fingers. Almost. It's a toss-up. I'd probably pass out from the pain but I might like, have a fugue without Coke, so you see how neither situation is preferable, really.

I wish there were other news, but there is not. There is, however, coffee now. Mmm. Coffee. And it is good.

Comments

[ladycat777.livejournal.com]

May I suggest coke zero? I find diet coke undrinkable, the taste is terrible, and I'm to the point where regular coke tastes ridiculously sweet (the only pepsi product worth drinking is mountain dew, but that was my downfall so, I don't really recommend). Coke Zero does not taste like coke, no, but it tastes less metalically and wrong than diet coke does. It also grows on you. I had given up soda, dammit, and now we consume four bottles a week of the damned stuff.

[touchstoneaf.livejournal.com]

hm. that was supposed to read, 'down her gullet withOUT comment'.

*needs to get to her own wake-up ritual, obviously*

[touchstoneaf.livejournal.com]

>>I tested this theory today and found it sound, which is why I am in my cubicle typing into livejournal instead of muttering into a coffee cup>>

what an image, LOL!

>>Possibly because all I have had today is Diet Coke which is, I suspect, not actually a drink but a kind of penance for all the sugar I use in my coffee>>

*begins giggling helplessly and cannot stop throughout rest of post*

>>seriously. How do you get used to the not-sugar?>>

that Nutra-Sweet aftertaste just kills me. i think it actually PICKLES the back of my throat, urban legend or no.

>>it's not like my reaction to Pepsi Zero (UNCLEAN. UNCLLLEEAAAANNNN.)>>

right there with you. i mean, who drinks a COLA that's CLEAR?! (isn't that the clear one?)
i find that very idea so disturbing and wrong on so many levels that it just worries me too much for ingestion. and i know precisely why; and let me tell you, in case it gives you ammo for your own rants. For me it is kind of like the whole tomato conundrum; the fruit that thinks its a vegetable--notwithstanding a COLA that thinks it's a Seven-Up but still TASTES like a cola. if i can't safely and firmly slot it into a category, i don't want it in my body.

borders.
being.
crossed.
everywhere!

>>I'm still stumped>>

i love you.

>>not lemon but like it maybe in another life had relations with a lemon>>

*actually crying right now, laughing so hard*

>>And sweet in a way that my mind keeps circling around in a tight, wary loop of uncertainty. I like this? my stomach asks dubiously. Yet I am not sure if it is like-like. Please drink warily and wait for future instructions. Instructions that never come.>>

GOD, i know exactly what you mean! thank you so much for finally DESCRIBING it for me!
this whole paragraph should be in an anti-diet-cola GOSPEL somewhere!

>>teach my tongue to love the not-sugar>>

not gonna happen. that stuff is not-lovable. i'm firmly convinced.
My grandmother drinks it like water. i find it terrifying how easily it goes down her gullet with comment.

i truly think the acceptability of aspartame lies somewhere on the genetic level, and i missed the gene. for which i am truly grateful.

>>it would be easier to remove my appendix with my fingers>>

hear hear!

>>have a fugue without Coke>>

i, on the other hand, was raised with Pepsi and Dr. Pepper, and have my drink with Splenda. so i am good.
you should join us!
i'm just waiting for the caffiene free Pepsi to mate with the Splenda Pepsi and make my life totally complete (i have a caffiene allergy and can only have so much per day without going wiggy).

i am happy for you that you finally have coffee. *sticks with her tea with its tiny amounts of caffiene*

thank you so much for the great laugh to start my morning, you coffee-hit-awaiting, sonnet-to-proper-beverages genius, you!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*giggling*

Splenda? In what drink? I *think* I like splenda. I have yet to have a reaction of run, run far away.

[annaalamode.livejournal.com]

I battled an addiction to Diet Coke that I finally managed to concur. IDK, but it remains my favorite soda.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I have to think it's how one was raised. I had a acquaintance who swore by Diet Pepsi and could drink nothing else. It was always boggling.

But see, Diet Coke is like--everyone seems to like it.

[lillian13.livejournal.com]

I missed your birthday?

Happy birthday, kiddo!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Heh, no, it's not until Sunday, but they are all proactive here, so there is balloons. Seriously, it's awesome. I must get a picture so I can glee over it.

[cynonymous.livejournal.com]

Try the diet coke with a shot or two of vanilla syrup -- the stuff in the coffee aisle of the supermarket. I find it masks the lingering nasty diet-y aftertaste quite well. (Note: Not the sugar-free syrup.)

A lot of convenience stores now have the flavor syrup stuff right on the soda dispensers, if you want to try it. Or Sonic does a good job of mixology.

Another Diet Coke tip is to drink it when it is ice-cold. When it gets warm it exponentially increases the nastiness factor.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Okay, that could be part of teh problem. I almost never drink soda cold; it's room temperature or not at all.

Hmm. Refrigeration. *eyes breakroom*

[akacat]

Different diet sodas use different not-sugars. And almost everybody seems to get a different taste, or after taste, from each of them.

You should google them to find out which fake sweetener they each use. I'd do it, but there's no such thing as a Pepsi Zero, so I'm left wondering if you meant Pepsi One, or Coke Zero.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Pepsi One or Coke Zero. Actually, I have an lj entry about it. Let's see if Ican find it.

*goes to search*

[nymphaea1.livejournal.com]

See, it is the lack of sugar in Diet Coke that makes me like it. It took me a while to get used to the different taste, but now it just tastes so much cleaner than regular Coke to me. I honestly cannot choke down regular Coke now.

I would, however, recommend staying away from Diet Coke Plus, which to me tastes like soap.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

There are pluses? *bewildered*

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I haven't knowingly had sugar/corn syrup in a drink since before I was in high school. I don't think I know what regular Coke tastes like. In fact, I'm sure I don't because I stopped drinking it before they changed from sugar.

So,I don't compare. Diet Coke tastes like itself, and it's just fine. I prefer it just slightly to Diet Pepsi and both taste better with a squeeze of lemon.

And if I can get drinks unsweetened, I'm happier still. I drink my coffee and tea black, and I search for the elusive bottles of plain, unsweetened iced tea.

[twistedchick]

Seriously? I drink diet Coke only as a remedy for my knees and ankles swelling up too much when I'm standing on very hard surfaces for too long, or when I've been subjected to too much salt. It reduces the swelling, probably a diuretic effect but it works better than coffee or tea for me in this instance. And when my legs aren't comfortable I don't care what it tastes like.

[cat-77.livejournal.com]

Never liked the taste of Diet Coke - it tasted like the can to me. I got allergic to too many things in college and switched to drinking only Sprite or 7-up (Sierra Mist is gross), or those bottled juice/tea things. I'm with the people who say you can taste the Splenda, but found one worse: Stevia. It's hyped as all natural and more sugar than sugar, but I know more people than not who get awful headaches off of it.

Personally, for me, every morning starts with a huge mug of hot chocolate (milk, sugar, cocoa powder) and maybe a shot of coffee if it looks like it's going to be one of those kind of days. Should I be scared I've had coffee every day for two weeks?

[nebulist.livejournal.com]

I got used to diet coke/pepsi, though I believe it is very not good for you. Sometimes I can handle regualar soda now. It's so SWEET. It's crazy. I like mildly sweetened seltzers. They should make weak, low-sugar sodas.

[vee-fic.livejournal.com]

I have the same "ew, metallic" reaction to Diet Coke, and drink Real Coke Only. Heck, I am purist enough to seek Real Coke Only in a can over the same thing in a plastic bottle.

Heck, I have Sekrit Alerts set up to warn me when the kosher-for-Passover Coke starts showing up in local grocery stores, because pre-New Coke Coke (i.e., real sugar) is worth it.

[cynonymous.livejournal.com]

I don't know how you feel about Dr Pepper overall, but here in Texas you can get "Dublin Dr Pepper," which is different from the regular stuff because it is made with real (cane) sugar. And as far as I know it's available year-round.

[fyrdrakken]

Oh, right, your birthday! That's -- Sunday, good, I haven't missed it. Have a happy one!

[fyrdrakken]

Also, having read the rest of your entry and the comments now -- I distrust all artificial sweeteners on principle and refuse to drink anything diet or sugar-free if I can avoid it. (I've found myself tasting diet drinks on a few occasions and they were not happy ones.) Then again, I'm also pretty much addicted to plain Dr Pepper -- don't much like Coke or Pepsi any more than I like drinking diet cola, though I can tolerate them if a caffeine fix is vital and that's all they have -- I'd like to find where to acquire Dublin Dr Pepper at some point so I can see what a difference the real sugar instead of HFCS makes, because that HFCS worries me, but mostly I've been just cutting back on the DP.

Fortunately, I have developed a taste for tea with a spoonful of real sugar and a healthy dollop of Irish creme -- starting the day off right with the caffeine/sugar/alcohol trifecta, and winding down after work the same way. Which lets me cut out a lot of DP for my caffeination needs. (But, dude -- I ran out of Irish creme Saturday night in the wee hours and couldn't get any more till Monday night, so I had to drink a few cups of tea with Mom's condensed milk instead, and my taste buds have totally adapted. My tea tasted weird with milk, and Mom said that when she runs out and has to borrow my Irish creme for her tea she feels the same way about the taste. We're used to what we're used to. Mind you, she's also used to Diet Dr Pepper in all the funny cherry and vanilla and berry flavors they've brought out now.)

[summertea.livejournal.com]

I know Diet drinkers say they don't taste a difference, but I do! A lot! Fake sugar has never tasted right to me. D:

[bethcarielle.livejournal.com]

*admits she has an addiction to both Cherry and Lime (sometimes mixed!) Diet Coke*

I can't drink regular soda anymore. It's just way too sweet. And Pepsi tastes chemically to me. I like Sprite Zero if I don't want cola, but I have no idea what the difference is between "Zero" and "Diet" products.

[aurora]

See, I'm just the opposite: love the Diet Coke, can't really stomach the regular kind. *ducks*

But Coke Zero is the devil. So disgusting omg.

[everysecondtues.livejournal.com]

I like drinking it out of a can so it is even more metal-y. I don't really like Coke Classic (excepting the ones from Mexico that don't have high fructose syrup and are much sweeter), but I love Diet Coke. They're just, very different. It's like trying to explain why I love orange juice (though at least I can throw in that it is healthy). I've found most other Diet Coke drinkers I know to do it for the taste, not the lack of calories.

[lovelokest.livejournal.com]

I've had to swear off all artificial sweeteners, everything I've tried makes my digestive system rebel. Which is sad, because I have a deep love for diet Dr Pepper and this diet chocolate pop I used to drink as a kid.

*clings to full fat coke*

[loriel-eris.livejournal.com]

I am having a bloody miserable day, however this post just brought a smile to my face. One of those wobbly ones that occur when threat of utter misery is still imminent. However, it was a smile. Which right now? Is totally a win. So thank you.

*clings to the internet*

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*pets you* I have had days like that. *gives you cookies*

[ellixis.livejournal.com]

I was told in high school that there's a gene that determines whether you get a chemical aftertaste from artificial sweeteners. Some folks can't taste the difference. Others get that weird metallic bitter flavor afterwards. (It lingers, too. Nasty stuff.)

I was recently told by my doctor that I'm not allowed sugar on this dietary regimen. But you can have Splenda and that kind of sweetener, he added, and then looked at me funny when I told him I'd rather just have my drinks unsweetened, thank you.

[beck-liz.livejournal.com]

You know, there was a time when if someone had told me that I'd stop drinking Classic Coke, I would've been looking for the straight jacket. However, due to weight issues and sugar issues, I had to stop. Fortunately, right around when I stopped, they came out with Coke Zero. Now, that is still not anywhere near the same as Classic Coke. However, it's loads closer than Diet Coke, which although I will occasionally drink it in restaurants, I still mostly can't stand.

From what I've been told, Diet Coke's formula is based off of New Coke's, whereas Coke Zero is based off the Classic Coke formula. I'm not clear on whether this is actually the case or not, but if true, does explain why I like Zero 100% more than Diet.

[deadlychameleon.livejournal.com]

Try the fun new flavors of diet Pepsi? I used to hate it, but with lots of added flavors, it's kind of tasty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_%28soft_drink%29

Very sweet, but not in a way that tastes bad to me. My favorite is the Caramel.

[calligrafiti.livejournal.com]

I like Diet Coke and I like regular Coke, but they're two different drinks to me, like coffee and tea.

[(Anonymous)]

Er... believe it or not I cannot tell the difference. Apart from the fact that any spill doesn't become sticky I mean.

*Newsflash:

some people -eg: me- out there have no taste buds*

Though upon reflection I prefer Diet Pepsi to Diet Coke (I read somewhere that statistical studies show that Pepsi is sweeter while Coke is more carbonated or something like that... )

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Someone--er, upthread--said something about a genetic component in tasting the artifiical sweetener. Which is fascinating. Hmm.

[winterlive.livejournal.com]

it is so nice to see that somebody else shares my irrational hatred of granulated carcinogens. *squinty ick face*

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Just get me on an anti-nutella day. *grimly*