Europe ruined soda

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m so glad to know that in a world of conflict and strife, the colas wars have clearly been decided. In this climate of disagreement, it’s nice to know we can agree that Pepsi is terrible.

I mean. It *is* objectively terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you ordering soda in Europe? There are so many other delicious things you could be drinking. What a weirdo.

There's no shortage of soda anywhere in Europe. So obviously plenty of Europeans do drink them. They must be weirdos.

Not everyone has the inclination for beer or wine or apertifs and sometimes you want something that isn't water, even sparkling water.

There are sodas everywhere because there are American tourists everywhere. Not because Euros drink soda.

I mean, Europeans obviously drink soda. They likely drink less soda than Americans, but they do not stock soda solely for American tourists. This is preposterous. The Europeans do a lot of things better than Americans, but they are not all health nuts.

This, these threads are always so strange to me. Soda is a worldwide phenomenon. Might have been invented in the US, but like jeans and social media, it's been embraced all over the world. American culture around soda is different than elsewhere (I've never seen a Big Gulp while traveling in Europe) but of course it is served at many restaurants and cafeterias and sold in grocery stores.

I also love the "drink wine not soda" people. As though people in Europe are pouring themselves a nice cab sav at 11am to perk themselves up after a long flight. It's like a caricature.

[Anonymous]

If you think Pepsi is bad, then you've never had the Scottish Irn Bru. That is genuinely gawdawful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you ordering soda in Europe? There are so many other delicious things you could be drinking. What a weirdo.

There's no shortage of soda anywhere in Europe. So obviously plenty of Europeans do drink them. They must be weirdos.

Not everyone has the inclination for beer or wine or apertifs and sometimes you want something that isn't water, even sparkling water.

There are sodas everywhere because there are American tourists everywhere. Not because Euros drink soda.

I mean, Europeans obviously drink soda. They likely drink less soda than Americans, but they do not stock soda solely for American tourists. This is preposterous. The Europeans do a lot of things better than Americans, but they are not all health nuts.

They even put Sprite and Fanta in their wine sometimes ("sangria"). There also sodas that are only available in Europe. I swear some people on this board have never been to Europe and learned everything they know about it from the book "French women don't get fat"

[Anonymous]

I don't drink soda, but I can't believe anyone thought it was a good idea to replace sugar with sucralose. How is that even remotely better for anyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't drink soda often, but were in Europe recently and got a pepsi. It tasted gross -- like diet pepsi, so I checked the ingredient list. It had sugar, but also sucralose. After googling a bit, I learned that the soda companies were under EU pressure to reduce the sugar in their sodas, so replaced about 20% of the sugar with sucralose. It's so disgusting! I'd rather drink 20% less soda, than have 20% of the sugar replaced with a gross chemical. Or maybe they could just make it with less sugar, and it would probably still be sweet enough? I was also excited to drink Lemon Fanta again -- it's really impossible to find in the US. But sadly, I could only find sugar-free Lemon Fanta anywhere that I looked. (It was gross, but actually not as gross as the Pepsi, because it turns out that lemon covers the sucralose taste better.)

Normally I think the EU food regulations are so much better than America, but they really dropped the ball on this one. Just say no to sucralose, Europe!!!

+1000

It’s revolting. We’re in the UK often to visit family, and I won’t let my kids drink it. Most juices (especially those marketed to kids) have this as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Europeans aren't as obsessed with soda as we are in the US. Perhaps that is why they look better and live longer.

They do not. Either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s Europe, drink wine. What’s wrong with you?

We’re not all wine moms, you lush.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Europeans aren't as obsessed with soda as we are in the US. Perhaps that is why they look better and live longer.

That is not true.

Have you lived in the UK recently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't drink soda often, but were in Europe recently and got a pepsi. It tasted gross -- like diet pepsi, so I checked the ingredient list. It had sugar, but also sucralose. After googling a bit, I learned that the soda companies were under EU pressure to reduce the sugar in their sodas, so replaced about 20% of the sugar with sucralose. It's so disgusting! I'd rather drink 20% less soda, than have 20% of the sugar replaced with a gross chemical. Or maybe they could just make it with less sugar, and it would probably still be sweet enough? I was also excited to drink Lemon Fanta again -- it's really impossible to find in the US. But sadly, I could only find sugar-free Lemon Fanta anywhere that I looked. (It was gross, but actually not as gross as the Pepsi, because it turns out that lemon covers the sucralose taste better.)

Normally I think the EU food regulations are so much better than America, but they really dropped the ball on this one. Just say no to sucralose, Europe!!!

+1000

It’s revolting. We’re in the UK often to visit family, and I won’t let my kids drink it. Most juices (especially those marketed to kids) have this as well.

Does UK have to follow that recommendation since they aren't in the EU anymore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't drink soda often, but were in Europe recently and got a pepsi. It tasted gross -- like diet pepsi, so I checked the ingredient list. It had sugar, but also sucralose. After googling a bit, I learned that the soda companies were under EU pressure to reduce the sugar in their sodas, so replaced about 20% of the sugar with sucralose. It's so disgusting! I'd rather drink 20% less soda, than have 20% of the sugar replaced with a gross chemical. Or maybe they could just make it with less sugar, and it would probably still be sweet enough? I was also excited to drink Lemon Fanta again -- it's really impossible to find in the US. But sadly, I could only find sugar-free Lemon Fanta anywhere that I looked. (It was gross, but actually not as gross as the Pepsi, because it turns out that lemon covers the sucralose taste better.)

Normally I think the EU food regulations are so much better than America, but they really dropped the ball on this one. Just say no to sucralose, Europe!!!

+1000

It’s revolting. We’re in the UK often to visit family, and I won’t let my kids drink it. Most juices (especially those marketed to kids) have this as well.

Yes! The fake sugar in juice thing! Juice isn’t good for you but adding fake sugar—now that’s dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would you ever ask for a Pepsi anywhere?

Honestly Pepsi needs to go away. Agree that it’s gross everywhere. Who drinks it?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't drink soda often, but were in Europe recently and got a pepsi. It tasted gross -- like diet pepsi, so I checked the ingredient list. It had sugar, but also sucralose. After googling a bit, I learned that the soda companies were under EU pressure to reduce the sugar in their sodas, so replaced about 20% of the sugar with sucralose. It's so disgusting! I'd rather drink 20% less soda, than have 20% of the sugar replaced with a gross chemical. Or maybe they could just make it with less sugar, and it would probably still be sweet enough? I was also excited to drink Lemon Fanta again -- it's really impossible to find in the US. But sadly, I could only find sugar-free Lemon Fanta anywhere that I looked. (It was gross, but actually not as gross as the Pepsi, because it turns out that lemon covers the sucralose taste better.)

Normally I think the EU food regulations are so much better than America, but they really dropped the ball on this one. Just say no to sucralose, Europe!!!

+1000

It’s revolting. We’re in the UK often to visit family, and I won’t let my kids drink it. Most juices (especially those marketed to kids) have this as well.

Yes! The fake sugar in juice thing! Juice isn’t good for you but adding fake sugar—now that’s dumb.

Why is it dumb?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't drink soda often, but were in Europe recently and got a pepsi. It tasted gross -- like diet pepsi, so I checked the ingredient list. It had sugar, but also sucralose. After googling a bit, I learned that the soda companies were under EU pressure to reduce the sugar in their sodas, so replaced about 20% of the sugar with sucralose. It's so disgusting! I'd rather drink 20% less soda, than have 20% of the sugar replaced with a gross chemical. Or maybe they could just make it with less sugar, and it would probably still be sweet enough? I was also excited to drink Lemon Fanta again -- it's really impossible to find in the US. But sadly, I could only find sugar-free Lemon Fanta anywhere that I looked. (It was gross, but actually not as gross as the Pepsi, because it turns out that lemon covers the sucralose taste better.)

Normally I think the EU food regulations are so much better than America, but they really dropped the ball on this one. Just say no to sucralose, Europe!!!

+1000

It’s revolting. We’re in the UK often to visit family, and I won’t let my kids drink it. Most juices (especially those marketed to kids) have this as well.

Yes! The fake sugar in juice thing! Juice isn’t good for you but adding fake sugar—now that’s dumb.

Why is it dumb?

Juice doesn’t need sugar, it is sugar. So to add fake sugar to fruit sugar is just wtf??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh dear. I'll find out in June what my beloved diet coke tastes like. If it's awful, well, there goes the trip.

There is no Diet Coke in Europe - it's Coke Zero in a Diet Coke container...