Coke or Pepsi? It's all in your head.

[Blue Velvet]

Apparently...

Story here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1271320,00.html

BTW: This is not a Coke v. Pepsi discussion but is about some research into perception, brain patterns & brands...

Myself: going through a weird V8 (vege juice) phase...

Hope I'm not pregnant... :eek:

[Laslo Panaflex]

Wow, what a great use of an fMRI machine, to find out why people like Coke instead of Pepsi, and yet, still no cure for Cancer or AIDS (not like a fMRI machine helps but the money and time to use it does).

[LeeTom]

Yeah, do people actually drink that crap anymore?
jeez!

Lee Tom

[bousozoku]

I wonder if they could tell me why Coca-Cola makes it harder for me to sleep than Mountain Dew, since the latter has more caffeine added.

All-in-all though, trivial research. As Archie Bunker put it "Don't say that. There ain't nothing in my head."

[rueyeet]

Myself: going through a weird V8 (vege juice) phase...

Hope I'm not pregnant... :eek:I get V8 cravings all the time, and since I've never been pregnant I suspect that it's got a lot more to do with my body stepping up and demanding vital nutrients. Pull the spinal cord to ring the hindbrain for service.... *ding*

[Blue Velvet]

I get V8 cravings all the time, and since I've never been pregnant I suspect that it's got a lot more to do with my body stepping up and demanding vital nutrients. Pull the spinal cord to ring the hindbrain for service.... *ding*

lol :D
...maybe it's also the salt.

Goes well with vodka too!

[musicpyrite]

Yeah, do people actually drink that crap anymore?
jeez!

Lee Tom

Yea, coke and pepsi are nasty.

Loaded with sugar. (except for diet coke/pepsi, in which case are loaded with aspritame)

I prefer milk.

[jsw]

Hope I'm not pregnant... :eek:

Well, if you find yourself stirring the V8 with a pickle while craving ice cream and, oh, french fries (together), then I'd start to worry....

[Blue Velvet]

...All-in-all though, trivial research. As Archie Bunker put it "Don't say that. There ain't nothing in my head."

Perhaps those massive companies might disagree with you...

They'll do anything to make you pick something up and try it for the 1st time...

[jimsowden]

Cherry anything in my opinion.

[stevehaslip]

Yea, coke and pepsi are nasty.

Loaded with sugar. (except for diet coke/pepsi, in which case are loaded with aspritame)

I prefer milk.

Milk!!!! Wooooohooooooo! Milk RULES! :D i like milk :D:D

[yellow]

Must... drink.. Coca-Cola... Must.. drink... Coca-Cola...
Pepsi.. tastes... like.. crap...

[bousozoku]

Perhaps those massive companies might disagree with you...

They'll do anything to make you pick something up and try it for the 1st time...

That's true. When I was stopped at an intersection a few days ago, there were a couple of people handing out cans of Coke C2 to passersby. If it has all the taste and half the other bits, they should just offer it as Coke.

I cannot say that I'll pay to try some new soda but if it's available in McDonald's or Burger King, I'll try a little.

I think most people will drink something as long as it's not an odd colour, save Gatorade and other sports drinks. Blueberry Pepsi anyone? ewwwwww

[Mr. Anderson]

He put 40 volunteers into his fMRI scanner and tested their brain reactions as he projected films such as Casablanca and Good Will Hunting on to a mirror suspended above their eyes. Professor Quartz has sold the technique to film companies and said that it will help studios predict blockbusters.


I'm sure this money will allow him to retire early if it works :D

Given the trend here - showing that marketing and science can work hand in hand, makes you wonder if there will be a bit of growth in the R&D departments in all the major companies..... kind of scary, actually.

D

[agreenster]

Speaking of milk and Pepsi, when I was younger, I used to mix milk and Pepsi (or Dr. Pepper). It was pretty good. Had the same taste as a root-beer-float. Except, I guess it was a Pepsi-milk...float....er. I dont know. It was good.

I still drink at least two glasses of milk a day.

Has anyone ever notice that men drink a LOT more milk than women do? Wonder why that is.

[yellow]

C2 defintely tastes similar.. but not the same. Still sickly sweet. But less so.. It's not bad.

You know, I think another thing that should be taken into account is one's proximity to bottling plants, and what one becomes used to drinking. On my last foray to the UK, Coke tasted just plain WEIRD. As in, NOT RIGHT. But in the town I live in, we have both a Coke and Pepsi bottling facility. So my softdrinks are always "fresh", so I might be spoiled.

[iMeowbot]

Wow, what a great use of an fMRI machine, to find out why people like Coke instead of Pepsi, and yet, still no cure for Cancer or AIDS (not like a fMRI machine helps but the money and time to use it does).
It's a shame that when the results of studies like this are published, that reporters and readers dwell on superficial details and utterly fail to understand what was actually learned. The real finding is that another portion of the brain has been identified that filters the way we recognize taste/smell. Each little bit of information like this does end up advancing medicine; research like this is why artificial eyes and ears are now possible, it can be used to help assess the type of damage to stroke and accident patients, and more.

Small experiments like this are performed all the time, but they make for boring reporting. This one happened to include a small element of consumer/pop culture relevance, so it made it into the newspaper, that's all.

[2jaded2care]

Completely off-topic here, but -- is Professor Quartz a cool name or what?

[2jaded2care]

Oops, sorry iMeowbot, didn't mean to prove your point. ;)

[Blue Velvet]

It's a shame that when the results of studies like this are published, that reporters and readers dwell on superficial details and utterly fail to understand what was actually learned...
...Small experiments like this are performed all the time, but they make for boring reporting. This one happened to include a small element of consumer/pop culture relevance, so it made it into the newspaper, that's all.

True -- but you have to get your research noticed somehow.
And yes, it's a hook but that's what the 'average' reader needs and some of the implications are interesting.

Most of the full findings will prob. turn up in the British Medical Journal or Scientific American or similar, aimed at the audience it's intended for.

Professor Quartz is a cool name...

[krimson]

Yea, coke and pepsi are nasty.

Loaded with sugar. (except for diet coke/pepsi, in which case are loaded with aspritame)

I prefer milk.

coke uses corn syrup (im sure pepsi does as well), which really isn't the same as sugar. If you drank original coke (made with sugar) and the new "classic" coke, you'd taste the difference.

[krimson]

Well, if you find yourself stirring the V8 with a pickle while craving ice cream and, oh, french fries (together), then I'd start to worry....

I eat Wendy's Biggie fries dipped in the Biggie Shake all the time.. it's sooo yummy!
and im not pregnant either ;)

[yellow]

coke uses corn syrup (im sure pepsi does as well), which really isn't the same as sugar. If you drank original coke (made with sugar) and the new "classic" coke, you'd taste the difference.

I thought it was sugar from beets. :)

[krimson]

the can in front of me says "High Fructose Corn Syrup" :)

[rainman::|:|]

I never understood why people are either coke or pepsi (or mt. dew/sprite, etc). I can taste a difference but don't really prefer one over the other. Whatever's handy is handy. I've been with people in restaurants that had total ****fits because "their" soda wasn't carried. How juvenile :rolleyes:

I'm beginning to forget what they taste like, tho, it's been 1.5 months since I quit caffeine, so the only soda i've had has been an occasional Sprite. And you know what? I feel great, less stressed out, and I'm not looking back.

...until the smell of freshly ground coffee hits me in the face...

paul

[EminenceGrise]

You know, I think another thing that should be taken into account is one's proximity to bottling plants, and what one becomes used to drinking. On my last foray to the UK, Coke tasted just plain WEIRD. As in, NOT RIGHT. But in the town I live in, we have both a Coke and Pepsi bottling facility. So my softdrinks are always "fresh", so I might be spoiled.

I've noticed a similar thing when I've been in Canada - Sprite in Canada does not taste the same as Sprite in the US. And I don't live near a bottling plant. I think they muck with the formulas a bit for the various markets, to better match the local palette. I seem to remember seeing a TV show where they talked about it; it wasn't a big secret or anything, but it wasn't widely known either.

[iMeowbot]

Oops, sorry iMeowbot, didn't mean to prove your point. ;)
No, no problem with the fun part of it. I'm just tired of seeing things like this written off as frivolous because they don't address one or two pet causes out of the limitless interesting, useful, and yes, even fun things there are to do in this world.

[yellow]

I thought it was sugar from beets. :)

Ack, sorry.. this was supposed to be applied to original Coke.

[krimson]

Ah... im not sure, but i assume that it was taking into account the southern heritage and the year it was first produced...

either way, i try to pick up Kosher Coke (in glass if possible) whenever I see it.

:)

[codycartoon]

"The research is also the latest in the field of so-called "neuromarketing", which digs deep into consumers' minds in an attempt to work out what they like and why they like it."

that's pretty creepy.

I like a nice cold Coke from the fountain with my Chipotle burrito. I get it for free because I am a student.

But this goes farther than just Coke and Pepsi...

Ford and VW
Nike and Puma
Sony and Apple

you already have a feeling associated with each company in your head, before you even look at the product.

-cody

[musicpyrite]

coke uses corn syrup (im sure pepsi does as well), which really isn't the same as sugar. If you drank original coke (made with sugar) and the new "classic" coke, you'd taste the difference.

Corn syrup a.k.a high fructos corn syrup is a type of monosaccharide (http://www.free-definition.com/Monosaccharide.html).

As you can see from the definition, a monosaccharide is a type of simple sugar.

so.... cory syrup=sugar

If you look at the nutrition facts on the back of a food product, somewhere it will list the ingredients. Usually the ingredients listed first are more abundant in the product.

Right now I'm looking at the back of a can of Coca-Cola C2 (the low sugar version) and HFCS is the second ingredient listed. Carbonated water being the first.

And I'm sorry I don't know the original coke and "classic" coke, I never drink the stuff.

[krimson]

Corn syrup a.k.a high fructos corn syrup is a type of monosaccharide (http://www.free-definition.com/Monosaccharide.html).

As you can see from the definition, a monosaccharide is a type of simple sugar.

so.... cory syrup=sugar

If you look at the nutrition facts on the back of a food product, somewhere it will list the ingredients. Usually the ingredients listed first are more abundant in the product.

Right now I'm looking at the back of a can of Coca-Cola C2 (the low sugar version) and HFCS is the second ingredient listed. Carbonated water being the first.

And I'm sorry I don't know the original coke and "classic" coke, I never drink the stuff.

my point was in taste, not chemical makeup ;)

[Blue Velvet]

"The research is also the latest in the field of so-called "neuromarketing", which digs deep into consumers' minds in an attempt to work out what they like and why they like it."

that's pretty creepy...

Exactly.

And you just thought you liked using a Mac because it was a better computer? :)

The bit I didn't like was the bit about the major movie studios -- there's enough formulaic pap out there already...

[musicpyrite]

my point was in taste, not chemical makeup ;)

Oh..... OK....

Maby somebody else learned something.....

I still wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between the two because I haven't tried either in several years....

[yellow]

I still wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between the two because I haven't tried either in several years....

I'd say "Original Coke" is about as easy to find as "New Coke". I've not had an original coke since the New Coke debacle (or genius marketing move).

[Sun Baked]

Must... drink.. Coca-Cola... Must.. drink... Coca-Cola...
Pepsi.. tastes... like.. crap...The Olde Sugar-based Coca-Cola tastes much better than this corn syrup/lowest current bid sweetner crap we get these days.

Of course it's all about squeezing the best profit out for the shareholder, instead of delivering quality to the consumers. :(

Of course I wasn't in it for the sugar taste so I used to like the less overt taste of sugar in Coke.

[MongoTheGeek]

Milk!!!! Wooooohooooooo! Milk RULES! :D i like milk :D:D

I like adding 3 tablespoons of milk to a a cup and a half of coke and watching the milk pull a lot of the coke stuff out of the coke.

[cheekyspanky]

I like adding 3 tablespoons of milk to a a cup and a half of coke and watching the milk pull a lot of the coke stuff out of the coke.

Whats a cup and a half? Is it a recognised size in the states? I can taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi, I rather Coke, but if one is much cheaper than the other thats the one I'll buy. I really like Vanilla Coke, that stuff is so much nicer than the Cherry flavour!

I don't think we have Coke C2 here, Coca Cola has become less adventurous lately since the offical bomb of Dasani. No one bought it as it cost as much as Evian, Volvic etc, and then everyone found out it was actually slightly purified tap water, then worse still, it broke the laws on levels of bromate content and had to be pulled from sale across the whole country! Here's some more about it (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3809539.stm and http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0304-04.htm)

[bousozoku]

Whats a cup and a half? Is it a recognised size in the states? I can taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi, I rather Coke, but if one is much cheaper than the other thats the one I'll buy. I really like Vanilla Coke, that stuff is so much nicer than the Cherry flavour!

I don't think we have Coke C2 here, Coca Cola has become less adventurous lately since the offical bomb of Dasani. No one bought it as it cost as much as Evian, Volvic etc, and then everyone found out it was actually slightly purified tap water, then worse still, it broke the laws on levels of bromate content and had to be pulled from sale across the whole country! Here's some more about it (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3809539.stm and http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0304-04.htm)

Wasn't Perrier found to be plain, filtered, French tap water?

The packaged Cherry Coke is not like the soda fountain Cherry Cokes I remember. They didn't have so much carbonation, perhaps because they used cherry juice and that diluted it. There is a lot of difference between Coke and Pepsi. Pepsi is sweeter and Coke is more bitter and will dissolve teeth in eight hours.

[EminenceGrise]

The Olde Sugar-based Coca-Cola tastes much better than this corn syrup/lowest current bid sweetner crap we get these days.

Of course it's all about squeezing the best profit out for the shareholder, instead of delivering quality to the consumers. :(


Actually, it's because back when they made the switch to corn syrup "ordinary" cane sugar was getting real expensive. No one is going to pay $3 for a can of Coke. They were actually really concerned that the switch was going to make it taste different and did a bunch of studies (both Coke and Pepsi), but discovered nobody could tell the difference. Obviously, if you have a product which people buy solely on taste, you don't want to change it and make it taste like crap so people don't buy it anymore. Which makes me wonder: do you actually have a bunch of "Old" Coke stockpiled that you've compared to the new stuff, or are you just making this up? Not to mention that half of the sweetener in Coke was corn syrup by 1980... you'd have to have a pretty old stockpile - I can't imagine anything that old tasting all that good.

[Abstract]

Given the trend here - showing that marketing and science can work hand in hand, makes you wonder if there will be a bit of growth in the R&D departments in all the major companies..... kind of scary, actually.

D

Why do more R&D when apparently, the only thing that matters is the brand?

[Sun Baked]

Which makes me wonder: do you actually have a bunch of "Old" Coke stockpiled that you've compared to the new stuff, or are you just making this up? Not to mention that half of the sweetener in Coke was corn syrup by 1980... you'd have to have a pretty old stockpile - I can't imagine anything that old tasting all that good.So you must be one of the people that think the cane sugar Coca Cola in the bottle tastes like crap.

Personally, I think it tastes better -- but haven't been drinking sugar colas during the past decade. So I don't feel the need to drive across the border to get it.

Of course this place is also down the street if I don't want to drive as far as Mexican border.

http://www.popsoda.com/info.html

[sonyrules]

OMGH, Where's Snapple??? Its funny how the best stuff on earth isnt even mentioned. Anyways, I agree its all in thier head, My step mother has been drinking pepsi all her life, and i switched it out with coke and she never knew, but you put it in her face, totally different situation. And yes, she really hated me for that stunt.

[krimson]

...
Which makes me wonder: do you actually have a bunch of "Old" Coke stockpiled that you've compared to the new stuff, or are you just making this up? Not to mention that half of the sweetener in Coke was corn syrup by 1980... you'd have to have a pretty old stockpile - I can't imagine anything that old tasting all that good.

If you live in an area with a sizeable jewish population, coca-cola makes a special run of Kosher Coke every year around passover. Im lucky enough to live near a large population, so i stock up every year.

Dont have to drive to mexico, although, Sun Baked, try the mexican mercado's, they usually have some in the glass bottles. The lady running the lunch truck that serves our building has mexican glass bottle cokes, but I haven't been adventurous enough to get one.

[krimson]

Whats a cup and a half? Is it a recognised size in the states? I can taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi, I rather Coke, but if one is much cheaper than the other thats the one I'll buy. I really like Vanilla Coke, that stuff is so much nicer than the Cherry flavour!

I don't think we have Coke C2 here, Coca Cola has become less adventurous lately since the offical bomb of Dasani. No one bought it as it cost as much as Evian, Volvic etc, and then everyone found out it was actually slightly purified tap water, then worse still, it broke the laws on levels of bromate content and had to be pulled from sale across the whole country! Here's some more about it (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3809539.stm and http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0304-04.htm)

Has the "low-carb" insanity hit the UK yet? ;)

[rainman::|:|]

...and Coke is more bitter and will dissolve teeth in eight hours.

Not quite. The legends about coke or pepsi being able to dissolve a) teeth b) an entire steak c) nails are all just that... legends.

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/tooth.asp

paul

[takao]

the corn syrup thing is intresting...

here on coca cola bottles etc. there is still listed 'sugar' but on the next occasion i'll check it out again

boy i wish cherry-coke and all that other different things would be available here..from time to time they are testing out 'Fantas' with new flavours but that's it (vanilla coke , and coca cola light with lemon is available since last year )

from what i heard the mixture of coa cola is sweeter in the US is that correct ?
perhaps this explains the dominance from coca-cola over pepsi over here... my guess is that pepsi is too sweet for market here...

[agreenster]

I eat Wendy's Biggie fries dipped in the Biggie Shake all the time.. it's sooo yummy!
and im not pregnant either ;)

My wife and I call 'em frostyfries. We've done that since we were kids. I think everyone does! Wendy's unofficial spokesman should make a commercial.

[krimson]

Frostyfries! that's great and so much easier than saying Fries dipped in Shake. Im gonna have to borrow that term :)
most people i've met have never tried it, and are usually disgusted at the thought, until they try it.

kinda like pepper/ketchup and fries

[wdlove]

Cherry anything in my opinion.

I like to have cheery Coke or Pepsi occasionally. Enjoy the different taste. Still nothing better than getting fresh from the fountain, using the syrup.

It would seem that the research into reaction to a movie. Will be much more of a groundbreaking and important research. They will just have to decide on the cost versus saving ratio.

[applekid]

I've noticed a similar thing when I've been in Canada - Sprite in Canada does not taste the same as Sprite in the US. And I don't live near a bottling plant. I think they muck with the formulas a bit for the various markets, to better match the local palette. I seem to remember seeing a TV show where they talked about it; it wasn't a big secret or anything, but it wasn't widely known either.

Hmmm, actually that may be possible. When I was at Disney World a couple of years ago, they had a gift store setup for Coke. There was this small fountain where you can get a sampling of Coke (or Coke products, cannot remember) in other countries. Some of the things were really whacky. Like one country's Coke was basically like Sprite. Another was this pink soda that had a watermelon flavor. Fun stuff.

krimson, what's special about a Koscher Coke?

[bousozoku]

Frostyfries! that's great and so much easier than saying Fries dipped in Shake. Im gonna have to borrow that term :)
most people i've met have never tried it, and are usually disgusted at the thought, until they try it.

kinda like pepper/ketchup and fries

That's just nasty. :D How can you ruin good potatoes by putting nasty sauces or chocolate on them? The furthest I'll go is seasoned fries.

By the way, glad to see that someone else has seen Audition. That was bizarre.

[krimson]

That's just nasty. :D How can you ruin good potatoes by putting nasty sauces or chocolate on them? The furthest I'll go is seasoned fries.

By the way, glad to see that someone else has seen Audition. That was bizarre.

One of my favorite movies, by one of my favorite directors, when I heard of the R1 release, i pre-ordered as soon as i could find it :)


krimson, what's special about a Koscher Coke?

it's made with sugar not corn syrup. tastes much better, and the bubbles aren't as large, so you dont get the throat burn if you drink it too fast. (strange to mention, i know)

[comictimes]

I wonder if they could tell me why Coca-Cola makes it harder for me to sleep than Mountain Dew, since the latter has more caffeine added.
heh- try "jolt", then try and sleep, and if you fall asleep quickly it's definitely not the caffeine in coke that's keeping you from sleeping ;)...

[kenkooler]

The interesting thing here, is that Coke is made from cane sugar while Pepsi uses corn syrup. While Pepsi is about 30% cheaper, most people still prefer Coke....

I remember that around 5 years ago, there was a huge strike that made sugar almost triple in price and Coca-Cola started using corn syrup... good thing it only lasted for 2-3 months.

[MongoTheGeek]

krimson, what's special about a Koscher Coke?

Kosher for passover...
It is made with sugar and not corn syrup. Corn Syrup is made from grain, and with the fizzyness in it is leavening. Grain and leavening makes it leavened bread.

[Cadence]

One of the main reasons why Coca Cola is #1 is because McDonald's carries them. If McDs's switched to Pepsi, Pepsi would be the new #1 soda.

[Kingsnapped]

Hmmm, actually that may be possible. When I was at Disney World a couple of years ago, they had a gift store setup for Coke. There was this small fountain where you can get a sampling of Coke (or Coke products, cannot remember) in other countries. Some of the things were really whacky. Like one country's Coke was basically like Sprite. Another was this pink soda that had a watermelon flavor. Fun stuff.
::snip::

The thing at Disney is still there, I think it'll be there for a long time. The soda fountains are to sample sodas from other cultures. The sodas weren't their "versions" of coke, but rather their cultures' sodas which Americans might find odd, much in the same way France (for example) might think Dr. Pepper is pretty messed up.

[Maxx Power]

Wow, what a great use of an fMRI machine, to find out why people like Coke instead of Pepsi, and yet, still no cure for Cancer or AIDS (not like a fMRI machine helps but the money and time to use it does).

You said it, brother. Particularily, with all these pseudo-medical break throughs that the needy won't ever need, the US still doesn't have a public health care system out of all the other first world nations.

[Nermal]

I can taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi, I rather Coke, but if one is much cheaper than the other thats the one I'll buy.

Same here. A 1.5 litre bottle of Pepsi is 99c, and Coke is $1.65 :eek:
Actually, I tend to buy Mountain Dew at 99c instead of Pepsi ;)

[takao]

One of the main reasons why Coca Cola is #1 is because McDonald's carries them. If McDs's switched to Pepsi, Pepsi would be the new #1 soda.

actually it is impossible here to get pepsi in a restaurant...even burger king serves coca cola (last tiem i were in one)

here you have to go into special stores to even get pepsi (etc.)

prices for pepsi is ranging from 99 euro cent to 49 cent for 2 liter bottles
coca cola is about twice as much

mountain dew is not available except some pit stops across the border

[Les Kern]

Yea, coke and pepsi are nasty.

Loaded with sugar. (except for diet coke/pepsi, in which case are loaded with aspritame)

I prefer milk.

Coke is too sweet. Aspartame makes me get the jitters (like my mom), a cold Pepsi once in a while is great, milk is for babys. :)
There is a difference between Coke and Pepsi, but it's pretty subtle.
Most anything in moderation is fine. Enjoy whatever you choose. (Except Clamato, which is swill flavored with dead shellfish)

[PBGPowerbook]

Yea, coke and pepsi are nasty.

Loaded with sugar. (except for diet coke/pepsi, in which case are loaded with aspritame)

I prefer milk.

i think milk is worse for you, although I don't drink any of the mentioned beverages. Loaded with antibiotics, growth hormones, casein proteins which leach calcium from your body, actually causing osteoperosis and bone density loss. The idea that milk is good for you is a marketing ploy by the immense dairy industry in the US (and West Europe, to a lesser extent) Look at the osteoperosis rates in Asia and Africa, where consumption of cow's milk is virtually zero...

you heard it here first.

[Kingsnapped]

::snip:: The idea that milk is good for you is a marketing ploy by the immense dairy industry in the US ::snip::

Aside the osteoporosis rates (which could be attributed to their massively different diet) do you have any sources to back that up? I'm interested in hearing more.

/Wisconsinite

[Maxx Power]

i think milk is worse for you, although I don't drink any of the mentioned beverages. Loaded with antibiotics, growth hormones, casein proteins which leach calcium from your body, actually causing osteoperosis and bone density loss. The idea that milk is good for you is a marketing ploy by the immense dairy industry in the US (and West Europe, to a lesser extent) Look at the osteoperosis rates in Asia and Africa, where consumption of cow's milk is virtually zero...

you heard it here first.

This is only partial. You are correct that milk is loaded with all that junk, especially terrible are the rBGH or rBST, as well as antibiotics because the hormones cause the cattle to sick and produce puss in their udder and hardening and enlarging their udder due to infection. This only affects the United States, not Canada where bovine growth hormones of any kind is banned. The united states right now is paying farmers to NOT produce milk due to a huge surplus. Osteoperosis is especially evident in the European and descendants population due to their genetic make up (a good read up on this yields many similar issues), where the culture traditionally calls for drinking milk, removing it definitely would not help, more than a certain amount per day doesn't help either, infact, the recent development of a huge increase in people becoming resistant to antibiotics and mutated super bacteria/virii is a result of the general population consuming antibiotics in their daily diet. This indeed is marketing ploy/scam, for some more information refer to the documentary movie "The Corporation". As well, most things we think we need are all manufactured needs, for this refer to "Manufacturing Consent" where Noam Chomsky covers this topic. Believe it or not, a typical north american's life is so full of these types of scams its really hard to pinpoint what the underlying problem is, which I won't go into here.

[Nermal]

actually it is impossible here to get pepsi in a restaurant...even burger king serves coca cola (last tiem i were in one)

Over here, McD's, BK and Subway have Coke, and KFC and Pizza Hut have Pepsi.

[bousozoku]

Over here, McD's, BK and Subway have Coke, and KFC and Pizza Hut have Pepsi.

Being that Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, A&W, and Long John Silver's are all part of a subsidiary of Pepsi, it's no wonder they serve Pepsi products there. :)

[MongoTheGeek]

Being that Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, A&W, and Long John Silver's are all part of a subsidiary of Pepsi, it's no wonder they serve Pepsi products there. :)

No longer. They were spun off a while ago. Not profitable enough.

[wdlove]

Same here. A 1.5 liter bottle of Pepsi is 99c, and Coke is $1.65 :eek:
Actually, I tend to buy Mountain Dew at 99c instead of Pepsi ;)

Here in the Boston area it's Coke that is on sale week after week. So that is what my wife buys. If and when Pepsi is on sale then my wife would happily purchase Pepsi. :D

[chanoc]

Follow this logic: Coke C2, with half the carbs and sugars of a regular Coke. :rolleyes:

Yeah, that's nice. Atkins friendly, not likely.

F*ck Coke and Pepsi; I drink Safeway Select and Sam's Colas -- half the price. :p

[MongoTheGeek]

Follow this logic: Coke C2, with half the carbs and sugars of a regular Coke. :rolleyes:

Yeah, that's nice. Atkins friendly, not likely.

F*ck Coke and Pepsi; I drink Safeway Select and Sam's Colas -- half the price. :p

Giant, the local supermarket carries 2 store brand colas. One called Rally and the other one spin. One in a red can, one in a blue. One tastes like pepsi, the other like coke.

I typically prefer coke but there are times when I want an RC.

[Nermal]

Here in the Boston area it's Coke that is on sale week after week. So that is what my wife buys. If and when Pepsi is on sale then my wife would happily purchase Pepsi. :D

Stop Americanising my spelling :eek: :p

[iMook]

I don't like either of the Big Two. When it comes to soda (no, not "pop") I go straight for the Dr. Pepper. That is some gooooooood stuff. :D

Is Coca-Cola seriously made with cane sugar? Why do I doubt that? I believe both Pepsi and Coke use high-fructose corn syrup. Of course, some local markets have different blends. For example, Dr. Pepper uses high-fructose corn syrup nationwide, but in Texas, it purportedly (I heard about this from several independent sources, but can't confirm) uses cane sugar, which makes the taste better. Maybe this is also the case with Coke and/or Pepsi?

For caffeine, I usually down a Mocha Frappuccino, though if I want to pull two all-nighters in a row, I down a Red Bull. Seriously, my body is SO sensitive to that stuff. One night, I downed one at around 1 am, and didn't fall asleep for the next 40 hours, I kid you not.

Yes, milk does indeed rule. Does milk really contains proteins which leach calcium? Even juice companies keep saying "Contains the same amount of calcium as one glass of milk" in their ads. Are they just inadvertently (or out of necessity) spreading the marketing ploy? Damn cow people.

[King Cobra]

Hah, yeah, that was posted a while back. Though oddly enough, I still don't find it all that insightful.

[Timelessblur]

personly I can noticed the diffence bettween the 2. Cokecola is just slightly more acidic and not as sweet. Either way I perfer pesi over cokea cola.

[Apple Hobo]

It's easy to notice the difference between Coke & Pepsi. :confused: However, I find that RC Cola and Coke taste very similar. :o

[Sun Baked]

I don't like coffee, but neither of these has as many medical uses as a pot of coffee -- especially when it come to cleaning out the lower GI tract.

So seeing doctors talk about Coke and Pepsi isn't too impressive to me.

[BrianKonarsMac]

I don't like coffee, but neither of these has as many medical uses as a pot of coffee -- especially when it come to cleaning out the lower GI tract.

So seeing doctors talk about Coke and Pepsi isn't too impressive to me.coffee and medical uses don't belong in the same sentence. you want to clean out your GI tract? eat a vegetable. you want a legal alternative to speed? have a starbucks.

[Sun Baked]

coffee and medical uses don't belong in the same sentence. you want to clean out your GI tract? eat a vegetable. you want a legal alternative to speed? have a starbucks.Some people skip the vegetables and go straight to the coffee enema.

But I can understand how some people would still love trying the vegetable anyways, even if they don't plan on eating it. :eek:

[Counterfit]

Did someone say enemas (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000530H4/002-1472353-4496008?v=glance)? :D


I am a sick sick bastard....


Anyways, I've always preferred Coke, but the 20 oz. bottles always seem to have more fizz than cans and the 2-liter bottles... :confused:

[MacNut]

Its nice too see medical funding going to something so useless. That being said, you can tell the difference, Coke has more of a carbonation and Pepsi is watered sugary and flat.

[Abstract]

personly I can noticed the diffence bettween the 2. Cokecola is just slightly more acidic and not as sweet. Either way I perfer pesi over cokea cola.

Obviously, you DO notice the differences.

And I could never mistaken a Coke for a Pepsi. Coke is so much better.

[caveman_uk]

Both taste OK out of a new bottle or can - both taste awful out of a dispenser. Sadly a lot of pubs here seem to think it's OK to give you that flat crap out of a dispenser then charge as much as a beer for it.

[homerjward]

i dont especially like coke or pepsi anymore. i used to, but since they came out with C2 coke and pepsi just taste thick and gooey somehow...when i want a serious caffeine boost i eat one of those caffeinated chocolate chews from thinkgeek.com

[fuzzwud]

i like neither coke nor pepsi. i prefer Barq's root beer. it's more subtly sweet and very carbonated then fizzles out.

[FelixDerKater]

Coke wins out over Pepsi any day.

[cr2sh]

I was always a coke drinker (I'd occassionaly drink Mt. Dew or Dr. Pepper or what-have-you) but in the last year I've switched to diet coke to cut back on the sugar - in doing so my preference for Coke over all other soda has grown even stronger.

If I have a choice of any soda... its going to be Diet Coke. Hands down.

Has anyone else experienced this? You drink coke and like coke.. but then when you switch to diet coke you want it even MORE than before?

[caveman_uk]

Has anyone else experienced this? You drink coke and like coke.. but then when you switch to diet coke you want it even MORE than before?
Oddly enough it happened the other way 'round for me. Used to drink diet coke, had a few 'full-fat' cokes then couldn't drink the diet. Not that I drink 'soda' that much anyway...I prefer beer :D

[ThomasJefferson]

Coke!
No Pepsi!
Pepsi FUBAR!
Drink COKE!

[MacNut]

Diet Soda in general tastes like crap, its flat and tasteless, I like Coke over Pepsi, Coke has more carbonation as Pepsi seems like something is missing. I disagree about the tap, I think Coke and Pepsi both taste better out of the fountain.

[Chaszmyr]

In a blind taste test, not only can I tell a difference between canned coke and canned pepsi, but I can also tell a difference between the soda from the local Wendys, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Burger King and Subway. :p

If I recall correctly, I think Pepsi sells better in the US, but Coke sells a lot better world-wide.

[jkeithh]

I was always a coke drinker (I'd occassionaly drink Mt. Dew or Dr. Pepper or what-have-you) but in the last year I've switched to diet coke to cut back on the sugar - in doing so my preference for Coke over all other soda has grown even stronger.

If I have a choice of any soda... its going to be Diet Coke. Hands down.

Has anyone else experienced this? You drink coke and like coke.. but then when you switch to diet coke you want it even MORE than before?

I have definitely noticed that too. Now that I have been drinking Diet Coke for several years, I can't stomach regular Coke. I have found that I also drink a lot more soft drinks now with the Diet Coke than I ever did with regular Coke.

[ravenvii]

I'm a soda lover. It doesn't matter which brand it is. But I'm picky on how the soda is served. I refuse soda from a dispenser, reluctantly accept soda from a can or a 2 liter bottle. If I have a choice, I will go for the 20 oz bottles. Always. They just taste so much better. It's like Pepsi and Coca-Cola put the soda they meant to make into 20 oz bottles, and the leftovers go into the cans and 2 liter bottles.

[virividox]

well since going to college iv stopped drinking cola
but if i had to chose id go coke all the way :)

[wdlove]

I don't really notice that much difference between Coke and Pepsi. Coke is the one that I drink the majority of time, because it is always on sale. During the iTunes campaign that was the most Pepsi that I drank since my childhood. Come on Pepsi and have some better sales than Coke.

[Apple Hobo]

I disagree about the tap, I think Coke and Pepsi both taste better out of the fountain.

I also agree. To me, soda tastes better when I get it from a restaurant or fast food joint.

Coke is "sharper" in taste and texture; Pepsi is softer and sweeter. I like both, and I'll drink any brand of cola without complaining. :cool:

[Blue Velvet]

I'm going through an intense smoothies phase.

There's a brand here in the UK called Innocent.

Absolutely no concentrate, preservatives, colours etc. just grape juice or bananas used as 'binder'

Seriously nice, but a bit expensive...

http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/us/us.html

[PixelFactory]

I'm a soda lover. It doesn't matter which brand it is. But I'm picky on how the soda is served. I refuse soda from a dispenser, reluctantly accept soda from a can or a 2 liter bottle. If I have a choice, I will go for the 20 oz bottles. Always. They just taste so much better. It's like Pepsi and Coca-Cola put the soda they meant to make into 20 oz bottles, and the leftovers go into the cans and 2 liter bottles.

Pepsi and Coca-Cola only sell they syrup that is mixed with the carbonated water. They offer incentives to bottlers to sell the larger oz sizes. Maybe the bottler is "adjusting" the mixture to make the 20oz taste better. You drink 20oz per serving instead of 12oz and the cola company sells more syrup. Also, this is why fountain sodas taste so different. Sometimes they use straight tap water. A properly calibrated fountain machine with filtered water will almost always taste better than bottled.

[Koodauw]

By far the best.

I drink Coke & Pepsi to mix it up though. To behonest they are all beginning to taste the same...boring.

And Fountain is by far better.

[Chappers]

I'm going through an intense smoothies phase.

There's a brand here in the UK called Innocent.

Absolutely no concentrate, preservatives, colours etc. just grape juice or bananas used as 'binder'

Seriously nice, but a bit expensive...

http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/us/us.html

Try Marks and Spencer - their range is good and I think a bit cheaper.

Of course this study has two sides, the blind and not so blind taste testing. It was not really about the product but the power of advertising. the results are no great surprise - advertising works - wow. Obviously Coke adverts taste better than Pepsi adverts.
Basically 'My product may or may not be any good but you will buy it cus its been advertised'.

[JeDiBoYTJ]

pepsi has a much sweeter taste than Pepsi, so there is a taste difference to me.

Also, if you place a Coke and a Pepsi 20oz in front of me, I will grab the Pepsi, and knock over the Coke.

so Pepsi > Coke

[jayscheuerle]

Now Dr. Pepper.... there's a sody-pop...

[Apple Hobo]

How about Turkey and Gravy flavored soda? Yummy! http://bellsouthpwp.net/g/s/gserv2/gifs/puke2.gif

[_bnkr612]

If you take out the carmel color, carbon and all those other nasty ingredients you are left with...


...H20, The best liquid to drink. That and 100% Juice.

[Colonel Panik]

My God. You people would talk about anything.

:)

[comictimes]

I'm going through an intense smoothies phase.

There's a brand here in the UK called Innocent.

Absolutely no concentrate, preservatives, colours etc. just grape juice or bananas used as 'binder'

Seriously nice, but a bit expensive...I'm all for actual smoothies. frozen strawberries, banannas, blueberries, with some milk... mmm...

Anyways, that study seems kind of odd to me, because I know several people who are seriously addicted to pepsi, and only a couple of people who prefer coke to pepsi...

Oh god... turkey and gravy flavored soda?! excuse me while I go throw up...

[cyks]

If you were to look at the raw numbers for total sales... US (and by far in worldwide) you'd see that Pepsi and Coke aren't competitors... or at least, not in the sense where Coke sees them as one (much like MS and Apple).

Coke's biggest (and only according to them) competitor is tap water.

Even if Pepsi, or any other soda out there tasted better then Coke... at this point they'd still lose due to the shear market and name recognition that Coke has. Again, much like MS and Apple.

[Mord]

Apparently...

Story here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1271320,00.html

BTW: This is not a Coke v. Pepsi discussion but is about some research into perception, brain patterns & brands...

Myself: going through a weird V8 (vege juice) phase...

Hope I'm not pregnant... :eek:

as a 16 year old let me reassure you that V8 rules.

and btw i dont drink coke or pepsi.


But this goes farther than just Coke and Pepsi...


Sony and Apple

you already have a feeling associated with each company in your head, before you even look at the product.

-cody


blasphemy

the only good things sony came up with:

original walkman
the digital camcorders are decent

THATS IT

VIAO's suck

there HD mp3 or atrak (whatever) players are plain fugly.

sony and apple could not be more different.

[aloofman]

You know, I think another thing that should be taken into account is one's proximity to bottling plants, and what one becomes used to drinking. On my last foray to the UK, Coke tasted just plain WEIRD. As in, NOT RIGHT. But in the town I live in, we have both a Coke and Pepsi bottling facility. So my softdrinks are always "fresh", so I might be spoiled.

I think that Coca-Cola changes its formula for different parts of the world to account for regional tastes. I took a trip to the Persian Gulf region a couple years ago and I noticed that the soda was bland. Not just Coke, but Pepsi and Sprite also. It was less sweet and not as fizzy, like the poorly mixed soda fountain at a fast-food place. It was like they'd taken a lot of the "soda" out of it. I never understood why this would be, since Arabs enjoy sweets as much as anyone else. I told one of the locals that the cola in the U.S. was much stronger and he was mock-outraged that they were watering his down. :p

Since we're on the subject: anyone know why soda fountains can't get their mixtures right? When was the last time you got soda from a fountain that tasted as good as right from a plastic bottle? Are the restaurants just screwing us? Because it can't be that hard to calibrate these machines.

[aloofman]

If I recall correctly, I think Pepsi sells better in the US, but Coke sells a lot better world-wide.

The main difference is in soda fountain sales. Pepsi and Coke sell in similar amounts when you tally up the cans and bottles. But Coke makes a lot more in fountain sales. Most fast-food chains and bigger restaurants have Coke instead of Pepsi. I'm not sure if that's because of customer preference or Coke just having a better sales force. Does anyone avoid a restaurant chain just because it doesn't have Coke or Pepsi? That seems odd to me.

[Chappers]

Coke's biggest (and only according to them) competitor is tap water.

I think thats why they started putting tap water in bottles here in the UK and sold that to us as well.

At least coke and pepsi are good for a hangover along with a painkiller of course.