[mattduke]

Fun to watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPbh6Ru7VVM

[stephankrasner]

I love that guy!

[Sixstrings]

Neat video, thanks for posting.

Lots of food for thought here..

It's sad that the corporatization of America is wiping out interesting small businesses like this. And all those independent soda makers.. I wonder how long they can last.

At the end of the day, the "Walmarting" of our society has made us a bland place. It's boring. Everywhere you go, the same old soda flavors all owned by a few companies. Half the stuff on store shelves is made from corn if you break it down. Corn syrup, ugh.

And these stupid energy drinks.. a symptom of a hopped-up chemical culture. Thank goodness real speed isn't legal, I think people would buy meth in the supermarket if they could.

Lastly, the absurdity of his state's recycling laws.. they said they'd sue him if he opens his own recycling center!

[Bill Hicks]

Neat video, thanks for posting.
At the end of the day, the "Walmarting" of our society has made us a bland place. It's boring. Everywhere you go, the same old soda flavors all owned by a few companies. Half the stuff on store shelves is made from corn if you break it down. Corn syrup, ugh.

I particularly hate this aspect of modern America. There are only a few rare pockets, usually wealthier enclaves, where they have managed to maintain some local diversity.

The comedian Marc Maron remarked in a routine a few years ago how he couldn't believe so many tourists in NYC would flock to the Times Square Applebees, TGI Fridays and Chevys when they were visiting the culinary capital of the U.S. The plebes are so thoroughly conditioned that they don't know any better.

[DomusAlbion]

When I was still quite young in the 1950's we would take trips by train and car. When traveling by car you traveled the state highways and back roads; there were no interstates. You drove through every little town, not around them and saw the local culture and experienced the uniqueness of each locale and drank the local soda pop and ate the local food. The variety was terrific.

There are now corporations that try to capture that same unique/funky feeling; Jones Soda in the PNW being one of them. My grandson was featured on the label of one of their sodas. Olive soda, I believe; never tried it. The whole idea feels contrived and does not ring true with me.

[Sixstrings]

The whole idea feels contrived and does not ring true with me.

Yup. Contrived is the perfect word.. like all these theme restaurants with chotchkis on the wall. Just random old photos, fragmentary references to community and culture but nothing actually real.

Funny thing is if the Mom and Pops get a bit of success they just sell out to the big brands. Bert's Bees did that, Ben & Jerry too.. now corporate mega-giant Unilever markets their counter culture lefty feelgoodness.

It's an old story.. the lady who came up with Toll House Cookies sold out in the 1940s. Famous Amos sold out too. Even McDonalds was once a quirky regional thing.

All this talk about food is making me hungry.. I'm going to order dinner from an Australian-themed restaurant that was founded by Florida businessmen. Maybe I'll get some "Walkabout Soup" and pretend I'm in the wild bush where they hunt dugong.