Soda Pop

Is it SODA? Or is it POP?
Yes, I am brave to start what I know could become a heated debate. Folks here in So Cal are going to say soda, whereas folks from everywhere else (I think) call it pop. Well, at the Spangler home we call it soda and makes us happy. It actually provided the icing on the cake (or should I say the bubbles in our drink?) for the great weekend away Greg and I had a few weeks ago.

There's a place I'd heard about that I've been wanting to visit for quite some time now, and we made it our first stop on the way East. It's called Galco's Soda Pop Stop, and we have to tell you- YOU GOTTA GO! It's an old little market that now carries almost nothing but soda pop, and the most unheard-of, hard to find, and interesting sodas you can imagine. We went in intending to each pick out two, and, well, see the picture?

We picked out lots and spent the weekend and the next week and a half sampling all kinds of interesting sodas. It was a hoot! We loved seeing what the other picked, and even picked out one each for the other person. It provided for some fun conversation and made every meal interesting.

Here's what we picked out, left to right.



-Kickapoo Joy Juice: We bought it just because of the name. It's a citrus flavored soda. My dad really liked it.
- Lorina Frenchberry Lemonade: oooh la la! It's from France. I bought it because I wanted to know what a "Frenchberry" would taste like. Turns out it's actually strawberry lemonade, and I thought it was too fizzy.
-Hank's Root Beer: Greg loved it. He actually licked his lips just remembering it now. He says it was "Smooth at the start, just right root beer flavor without being too syrupy, and a sharp but not strong bite at the end." It was his favorite.
-AJ Stephans Sarsaparilla: Greg thought it was OK.
-AJ Stephans Rasperry Lime Rickey: A taste sensation, a burst of joy to my tongue, a true delight!
-Stirrings Pink Grapefruit Soda: My mom thought it was OK
-Hot Lips Pear Soda: My absolute favorite. It really tasted like real pears and it wasn't overly carbonated. I could drink this stuff morning, noon, and night.
-Stirrings Tart Cranberry Soda: It was OK
-Nesbitt's Peach: "An American Classic" the bottle says, and everyone of a certain age seemed to brighten up and say "Nesbitt's!" and we understand why now. It was deeeeelicious.
-Lorina's Blueberry Lemonade: Also too fizzy. The French seem to overdo it a bit.
-Moxie Cherry Cola: Greg thought it was "slightly more cherry-y than wild cherry Pepsi", and says it's worth a try.

So really people, if you live in the Los Angeles area, you should really take a little trip down to Galco's. You won't regret it, and you'll enjoy every sip!