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NOVEMBER 09, 2004
JONES SODA AGAIN RAIDS THE
DINNER TABLE FOR IDEAS
Copyright 2004,
Associated Press. All rights reserved.
SEATTLE - Jones Soda Co.
takes the idea of a liquid diet to a new low. How does Green Bean
Casserole Soda strike you? And how about an aggressively
buttery-smelling Mashed Potato Soda?
Even the creators of the fizzy concoctions at this small
Seattle soda company can hardly stomach the stuff. But last year's
unexpected success of the Turkey & Gravy Soda means another
round of bizarre food-flavored soft drinks. As an added bonus -
they're calorie-free.
This week
Jones Soda Co. launches a full meal deal of five Thanksgiving soda
flavors, from the bile-colored Green Bean Casserole to the sweet -
but slightly sickly - Fruitcake Soda. Last year's Turkey & Gravy
is also back on the menu.
If you think
it sounds less than appetizing, you're not alone.
"Oh, man, I can't drink that!" cries out company chief
executive Peter van Stolk, after pouring himself a drink of mashed
potatoes.
To banish the buttery
aftertaste, he recommends a chaser of Cranberry Soda, the only one
of the holiday bunch that doesn't make you want to pick up a
toothbrush.
Drinking last year's savory
Turkey & Gravy was no picnic, either, but that didn't stop
people from clamoring for it, pushing bidding on auction site eBay
Inc. up to $63 for a two-bottle set.
This year Jones plans to produce up to 15,000 five-packs
of the 12-ounce bottles, which come complete with utensils (a straw
and a toothpick). The sodas may not be as satisfying as a real
holiday meal, but they can boast being both calorie- and carb-free,
not to mention vegan and kosher.
Beginning Thursday, they'll be on sale at some Target
Corp. stores throughout the country, and at other retailers, for
between $14.95 and $16.95, with proceeds benefiting Toys for
Tots.
Known for its quirky ads and
offbeat bottle designs, Jones traces its roots to a soda
distribution operation that began in 1987. But it wasn't until the
mid-1990s that the company began its own line of sodas, cultivating
a following among skaters, surfers and snowboarders with unusual
flavors like blue bubble gum, green apple and watermelon. These
days, Jones soda, juice and energy drinks are available nationwide
at stores including Target, Albertson's and Safeway.
Five tasters were assigned to the task of
perfecting the holiday flavors, although van Stolk said most other
employees ended up trying the sodas sooner or later.
In the early stages, the staff grew deeply
divided over mashed potato versus sweet potato: "It was like red
versus blue," van Stolk said, referring to the recent presidential
election.
In the end, he called it for
mashed potato, arguing it was the more familiar food.
Jones isn't the only company to find that
people have a certain fascination with foods that make you go
"yuck." There's the real-life version of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor
Beans, made famous by the Harry Potter books and featuring tastes
like Vomit, Booger and Earthworm. And millions of Americans
regularly tune in to reality shows to watch contestants eat things
like spiders and snails.
Experts say
part of the human fascination with such foods is the omnivore's
natural tendency to try a varied diet. But there's also a certain
group of people who are simply novelty seekers who get a thrill out
of more extreme gastronomical adventures, said Virginia Utermohlen,
an associate professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell
University.
For those people, she said,
the thinking is, "So long as I know it's not going to kill me, it
might be just interesting."
Barbara
Rolls, nutritional sciences professor at Penn State University, said
research shows young people are more likely to try new foods, but
she speculates it's not just nature.
"It's that bravado factor," she said.
And for some, Rolls added, the risk will have a
reward.
"Who knows, maybe it really
tastes good," she said.
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