Sadly, when ordering Dr Pepper in SOME (read: nasty) restaurants, they'll say insane things like, "Oh, I'm sorry, we don't carry that. Would you like Mr. Pibb, instead?"
My response is always polite. "Ew, GOD, no. Why would I drink THAT vile spawn of evil? Give me unsweet* tea with no lemon."
I get looks, but my disdain for Mr. Pibb goes very, very deep.
It probably has to do with an incident in sixth grade where the science teacher was drinking Mr. Pibb and half the people in the class were dying of suppressed laughter because they had dissolved an entire piece of chalk in it. The dude couldn't even tell. Nasty. Pure nasty.
* I'm from the southern US (Alabama). "SweetTea (tm)" is sweet enough to use as waffle syrup. Try coming to the southern US and ordering UNsweet tea. You think Dr Pepper gets no respect? Pshaw, I say. P. Shaw.
As far as I (and many others) are concerned, the only acceptable instance of ingesting Dr Pepper is as an ingredient in barbecue. Really. Many BBQ competetors use it in a marinade for their ribs, or in a BBQ sauce. I prefer to use real sugar Cherry Coke.
What, they still make that crap? I have tried Dr Pepper a few times. Fortunately I have never been thirsty enough to willingly drink more than a few sips. But then, I haven't crossed a desert on foot either. So, it could happen.
Don't forget - most everything on The Colbert Report is "sponsored" by Dr Pepper - there even was a Dr Pepper Flavor Zone for the recent interview with Radiohead. Stephen says it's for "indie cred".
Dr Pepper I can't even say it that I don't throw up in my mouth a little. It's how we would punish the kids in our neighborhood (when we were kids) for breaking the social rules - make em drink a Dr Pepper. Picture the scene in Temple of Doom when Mola Ram makes Indie drink the Blood of Kali...
While I tend to prefer more natural, less high fructose infested soft drinks, Dr Pepper, root beer (IBC or Barqs, not the weak, overly sweet A&W) and Vernors all have places in my heart. Son muy deliciosas. Anyone who says otherwise is completely and utterly wrong. (I'm not nor have I ever been a Michigan resident. However, my parents are from Michigan, so I may be genetically predisposed to liking Vernors.)
I've heard some say that Dr Pepper is that company's version of Cherry Coke, but I haven't tried a taste test to verify/discredit the claim. There's one other 'big' cola alternative to Coke & Pepsi: RC (Royal Crown). On a sweetness scale, I think it was someplace between Coke & Pepsi, but it's been years since I've any of all three. Not much of a cola drinker, myself, though I don't mind Dr Pepper. And it's caffeine content does have a good kick. (More on caffeine later...)
I remember Mr. Pibb, but never liked it enough to try regularly... it DID remind me of Dr Pepper, though, back when I was young. My dad used to drink it, back when it was more regularly available. As for the claim of it being a variant of Dr Pepper, I'm reminded of Sun Drop, a 'variant' of Mountain Dew. It's like the 'generic' version of MD, but in my opinion, has a bit more flavor kick to it... Mountain Dew tastes watered down by comparison, and I used to be addicted to MD back in college. (I gave it up cold turkey when I tired to use it one morning to perk myself up, and fell asleep halfway through the can. I now drink caffeinated beverages occasionally, and the 'kick' actually does work for me again.)
All this talk about flavor in soft drinks, though, is kind of amusing... when you think about it, it's all rather disgusting. It's just a matter of personal preference. And/or personal TOLLERANCE!
As for restaurants offering root beer as an alternative to Dr Pepper, that may be because the servers realize that when a patron orders Dr Pepper, that person doesn't want the usual Coke or Pepsi product, and offers the (likely) only non-Coke or non-Pepsi product on their menu as a matter of course. Just sayin', from having worked in the food industry off and on over the years.
Finally, speaking of product placement, anyone remember the old Godzilla movie, Godzilla 1985? The American release of the movie had extra scenes spliced in to 'Americanize' the movie, and one of the sponsors of the film's Stateside release was Dr Pepper. Thus, throughout all the American footage, characters were either drinking cans of Dr Pepper, or walking past Dr Pepper vending machines. (All of which were ridiculously clean & shiny; you couldn't NOT notice the things!) A couple of years after that, Dr Pepper had a pair of ads on tv based upon Godzilla-like creatures destroying a city, only to be satiated with Dr Pepper. (In the first one, the monster even picked up a train car labelled 'cola' and threw it into a building in disgust, ultimately being calmed by a large dose of Dr Pepper. In the second ad, a female version of the monster spurned the male's advances until he gave her a tub of Diet Dr Pepper. Funny stuff for a kaiju eiga fan like myself.)
Dr Pepper is a very weird drink. It's delicious from a soda fountain, but it's always a disappointment when I buy it from a gas station or something. Maybe it's just me.
Around here (southern Illinois), the teenagers all drink either Dr Pepper or Mt. Dew. Actually, Ski is preferred over Mt. Dew by some, it's locally bottled.
I know that I'm risking the scorn of the purists, but vanilla Dr Pepper from Sonic is to die for! Half price during rush hour! (No, I don't work for Sonic, just sayin'.)
I went to see the Bloodhound Gang in concert about 10-15 yrs ago. They bet a $100 that no one in the audience could drink a 12 pack of warm Dr Pepper in an hour without puking. They quickly had a volunteer. They gave him a 12er, and let him sit on stage. They kept their $100 bill.
Dr Pepper or Barr's Dandelion and Burdock, I'll choose either when I'm thirsty - not least because the rest of the family will leave it well alone. D&B probably has the highest burp factor of any commercially available soft drink, and could beat most beers as well.
@Amy: Caffeine-free Dr Pepper is missing one of the flavors of the normal one as well as caffeine, and it's pretty noticeable. Don't let that stop you from still looking for it, though.
I've never had to defend myself for liking Dr Pepper, and I don't think I've met anyone that hated it. I still have to wonder why it's never actually available in restaurants - the server always asks me "is Mr Pibb okay?". Alwaaaaays.
How's Lemon & Paeroa, (L&P), for an obscure soft drink? Anyone recognize that one ? It has the highest burb factor of any drink I've ingested although I haven't tried D&B, AnalogKid.
For the record to commenter mcinsand, the hot southern ginger ale is "Blenheim" ginger ale and is still very much around see http://www.blenheimgingerale.com/
Also, I couldn't find the video online, but way back when SNL was funny, they did a parody of the "I'm a Pepper" Dr Pepper commercials casting it as a cult: "Hi, I'm Jane and I'm a pepper. Would you like some literature?"
I'm a bit surprised that some despise Dr Pepper... but then, I like all sorts of things people find odd, disgusting, or contemptible. I can't be bothered long about any of it.
Regarding the Dr Pepper vs. Mr. Pibb comments: it reminds me of other soft drinks, where one is fairly well-known and the other less so, and some have preferences for the lesser known one. Like those that prefer Fresca compared to Squirt. Or Mello Yello compared to Mountain Dew. (Please, I'm not interested in which one is the well-known and which one is the lesser-- I hope you get my point regardless.)
As for the root beer vs. Dr Pepper, I actually like both. I must have a severe sweet tooth, because my root beer preference was A&W for a long time. (And as far as Pepsi vs. Coke-- I've always gone with Pepsi, the supposedly sweeter option.) But then I discovered Virgil's, which is a crafted root beer with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. There is something about soda with cane sugar that I do prefer.
Oh, and this might be pure heresy to everyone, but I really do adore the Cherry Vanilla version of Dr Pepper. (Well, okay, maybe everyone except the one that said Sonic's Vanilla Dr P was awesome.)
as someone who lives in texas, it never occured to me that there might be a class of people who might be repulsed by Dr. Pepper. You've enlightened me even further.
I think mcinsand is referring to Buffalo Rock Southern Spice Ginger Ale, which is indeed still among us, though hard to find outside the South. I have my parents bring it up from Georgia for me. It's a bit odd for a soft drink, but wonderful if you have an upset tummy.
As for Dr Pepper, I learned to like it as a kid because nobody else in my family would touch it, so it was the one guaranteed way to prevent my siblings from stealing my drink. Other than mixing a "suicide" at the fountain, of course... come to think of it, that pretty much ended up tasting like Dr Pepper.
Oh man, all you guys talking about how polarized soda opinions can be, you have to try Spruce Beer (soft drink, not alcohol). It's available only in Quebec though, as far as I know. My dad and I make special grocery trips for it, when we visit the province. Heck, we convince OTHER people to make special shopping trips to get it for us, if they happen to go there.
It's great stuff; tastes just like licking a Christmas tree! But in a good way :)
>>For the record to commenter mcinsand, the hot southern ginger ale is "Blenheim" ginger ale and is still very >>much around see http://www.blenheimgingerale.com/
No, it isn't Blenheim, which, for the record (*grin*) is totally different. I actually still have the bottle from that day with my father.
I am a caffiene addict and though I have given up gladly all other source of painfull (for me) caffiene, but I can still hear the Dr Pepper calling me. (Sigh). I just can't quit you, Dr Pepper.
Thanks, but I think we're still off target a little. The Buffalo Rock ginger ale bottles have a slightly different logo, and even the ones going back to the early 1900's seem to have painted product and logo names. Mine looks like this one::
The more I think about drinking another, though, the more I am rethinking any disparaging comments I made about Dr Pepper, and it's been 3 decades since I got that one.
September 27, 2011
Reader Comments (96)
David Y.
I am from MI and I love Vernors, but now I live in CO and can't get it. Its like suped up ginger ale!
Sadly, when ordering Dr Pepper in SOME (read: nasty) restaurants, they'll say insane things like, "Oh, I'm sorry, we don't carry that. Would you like Mr. Pibb, instead?"
My response is always polite. "Ew, GOD, no. Why would I drink THAT vile spawn of evil? Give me unsweet* tea with no lemon."
I get looks, but my disdain for Mr. Pibb goes very, very deep.
It probably has to do with an incident in sixth grade where the science teacher was drinking Mr. Pibb and half the people in the class were dying of suppressed laughter because they had dissolved an entire piece of chalk in it. The dude couldn't even tell. Nasty. Pure nasty.
* I'm from the southern US (Alabama). "SweetTea (tm)" is sweet enough to use as waffle syrup. Try coming to the southern US and ordering UNsweet tea. You think Dr Pepper gets no respect? Pshaw, I say. P. Shaw.
|| "dates, etc. are among the earwax class of fruits."
|
| Ever had sticky toffee pudding?
| Know what the lovely toffee flavour comes from?
Umm...
| Dates.
Whew. I was afraid you were going to say "earwax."
As far as I (and many others) are concerned, the only acceptable instance of ingesting Dr Pepper is as an ingredient in barbecue. Really. Many BBQ competetors use it in a marinade for their ribs, or in a BBQ sauce.
I prefer to use real sugar Cherry Coke.
I wish people got this irate about things that mattered. Like cheese.
This comic has been brought to you by the wonderful Dr. Pepper
Not only do I like Dr. Pepper, but I prefer it warm. Drinking it cold mutes all the complexity of the drink.
What, they still make that crap? I have tried Dr Pepper a few times. Fortunately I have never been thirsty enough to willingly drink more than a few sips. But then, I haven't crossed a desert on foot either. So, it could happen.
Don't forget - most everything on The Colbert Report is "sponsored" by Dr Pepper - there even was a Dr Pepper Flavor Zone for the recent interview with Radiohead. Stephen says it's for "indie cred".
I have deep, deep contempt for all the Dr Pepper haters up there.
Dr Pepper I can't even say it that I don't throw up in my mouth a little. It's how we would punish the kids in our neighborhood (when we were kids) for breaking the social rules - make em drink a Dr Pepper. Picture the scene in Temple of Doom when Mola Ram makes Indie drink the Blood of Kali...
While I tend to prefer more natural, less high fructose infested soft drinks, Dr Pepper, root beer (IBC or Barqs, not the weak, overly sweet A&W) and Vernors all have places in my heart. Son muy deliciosas. Anyone who says otherwise is completely and utterly wrong. (I'm not nor have I ever been a Michigan resident. However, my parents are from Michigan, so I may be genetically predisposed to liking Vernors.)
I've heard some say that Dr Pepper is that company's version of Cherry Coke, but I haven't tried a taste test to verify/discredit the claim.
There's one other 'big' cola alternative to Coke & Pepsi: RC (Royal Crown). On a sweetness scale, I think it was someplace between Coke & Pepsi, but it's been years since I've any of all three. Not much of a cola drinker, myself, though I don't mind Dr Pepper. And it's caffeine content does have a good kick. (More on caffeine later...)
I remember Mr. Pibb, but never liked it enough to try regularly... it DID remind me of Dr Pepper, though, back when I was young. My dad used to drink it, back when it was more regularly available. As for the claim of it being a variant of Dr Pepper, I'm reminded of Sun Drop, a 'variant' of Mountain Dew. It's like the 'generic' version of MD, but in my opinion, has a bit more flavor kick to it... Mountain Dew tastes watered down by comparison, and I used to be addicted to MD back in college. (I gave it up cold turkey when I tired to use it one morning to perk myself up, and fell asleep halfway through the can. I now drink caffeinated beverages occasionally, and the 'kick' actually does work for me again.)
All this talk about flavor in soft drinks, though, is kind of amusing... when you think about it, it's all rather disgusting. It's just a matter of personal preference. And/or personal TOLLERANCE!
As for restaurants offering root beer as an alternative to Dr Pepper, that may be because the servers realize that when a patron orders Dr Pepper, that person doesn't want the usual Coke or Pepsi product, and offers the (likely) only non-Coke or non-Pepsi product on their menu as a matter of course. Just sayin', from having worked in the food industry off and on over the years.
Finally, speaking of product placement, anyone remember the old Godzilla movie, Godzilla 1985? The American release of the movie had extra scenes spliced in to 'Americanize' the movie, and one of the sponsors of the film's Stateside release was Dr Pepper. Thus, throughout all the American footage, characters were either drinking cans of Dr Pepper, or walking past Dr Pepper vending machines. (All of which were ridiculously clean & shiny; you couldn't NOT notice the things!) A couple of years after that, Dr Pepper had a pair of ads on tv based upon Godzilla-like creatures destroying a city, only to be satiated with Dr Pepper. (In the first one, the monster even picked up a train car labelled 'cola' and threw it into a building in disgust, ultimately being calmed by a large dose of Dr Pepper. In the second ad, a female version of the monster spurned the male's advances until he gave her a tub of Diet Dr Pepper. Funny stuff for a kaiju eiga fan like myself.)
Dr Pepper is a very weird drink. It's delicious from a soda fountain, but it's always a disappointment when I buy it from a gas station or something. Maybe it's just me.
Around here (southern Illinois), the teenagers all drink either Dr Pepper or Mt. Dew. Actually, Ski is preferred over Mt. Dew by some, it's locally bottled.
I know that I'm risking the scorn of the purists, but vanilla Dr Pepper from Sonic is to die for! Half price during rush hour! (No, I don't work for Sonic, just sayin'.)
It's Black Cherry and Apple. Seriously.
I love Dr Pepper and I can say with almost absolute certainty that it's Black Cherry and Apple.
I LOVE Dr Pepper!
I'm filled with joy everytime my stupid supermarket has it available.
My brother on the other hand hates it. As if Coca Cola would be any good...
Wait, I don't get it. Is this a thing? Is Dr Pepper not universally loved? Is that a thing that happens?
I've always loved Dr Pepper, and have never known anyone who doesn't love Dr Pepper. Have I been an ostracized social outcast this entire time?
I, I might need to go for a walk.
I went to see the Bloodhound Gang in concert about 10-15 yrs ago. They bet a $100 that no one in the audience could drink a 12 pack of warm Dr Pepper in an hour without puking. They quickly had a volunteer. They gave him a 12er, and let him sit on stage. They kept their $100 bill.
Dr Pepper or Barr's Dandelion and Burdock, I'll choose either when I'm thirsty - not least because the rest of the family will leave it well alone. D&B probably has the highest burp factor of any commercially available soft drink, and could beat most beers as well.
Apparently just mentioning Dr Pepper in your comic is the secret to generating a brazilian comments.
If you want a terrible soda, drink Moxie.
@Amy: Caffeine-free Dr Pepper is missing one of the flavors of the normal one as well as caffeine, and it's pretty noticeable. Don't let that stop you from still looking for it, though.
I've never had to defend myself for liking Dr Pepper, and I don't think I've met anyone that hated it. I still have to wonder why it's never actually available in restaurants - the server always asks me "is Mr Pibb okay?". Alwaaaaays.
How's Lemon & Paeroa, (L&P), for an obscure soft drink?
Anyone recognize that one ?
It has the highest burb factor of any drink I've ingested although I haven't tried D&B, AnalogKid.
For the record to commenter mcinsand, the hot southern ginger ale is "Blenheim" ginger ale and is still very much around see http://www.blenheimgingerale.com/
Also, I couldn't find the video online, but way back when SNL was funny, they did a parody of the "I'm a Pepper" Dr Pepper commercials casting it as a cult: "Hi, I'm Jane and I'm a pepper. Would you like some literature?"
A good strong reader touche` after the Dr Pepper debacle of the last comments. Well played, sir.
Dr. Pepper drinkers of the world! UNITE!!
We are the people of god! we are the 23,000 who will be saved from the rapture!
@LdaQuirm
Lemon & Paeroa? Obscure?
Surely you jest - it's world famous (in New Zealand)
I'm a bit surprised that some despise Dr Pepper... but then, I like all sorts of things people find odd, disgusting, or contemptible. I can't be bothered long about any of it.
Regarding the Dr Pepper vs. Mr. Pibb comments: it reminds me of other soft drinks, where one is fairly well-known and the other less so, and some have preferences for the lesser known one. Like those that prefer Fresca compared to Squirt. Or Mello Yello compared to Mountain Dew. (Please, I'm not interested in which one is the well-known and which one is the lesser-- I hope you get my point regardless.)
As for the root beer vs. Dr Pepper, I actually like both. I must have a severe sweet tooth, because my root beer preference was A&W for a long time. (And as far as Pepsi vs. Coke-- I've always gone with Pepsi, the supposedly sweeter option.) But then I discovered Virgil's, which is a crafted root beer with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. There is something about soda with cane sugar that I do prefer.
Oh, and this might be pure heresy to everyone, but I really do adore the Cherry Vanilla version of Dr Pepper. (Well, okay, maybe everyone except the one that said Sonic's Vanilla Dr P was awesome.)
as someone who lives in texas, it never occured to me that there might be a class of people who might be repulsed by Dr. Pepper. You've enlightened me even further.
All this talk of Dr Pepper means I have to go out and buy one now.
For what it's worth, I'm one of the people who loves it.
I think mcinsand is referring to Buffalo Rock Southern Spice Ginger Ale, which is indeed still among us, though hard to find outside the South. I have my parents bring it up from Georgia for me. It's a bit odd for a soft drink, but wonderful if you have an upset tummy.
As for Dr Pepper, I learned to like it as a kid because nobody else in my family would touch it, so it was the one guaranteed way to prevent my siblings from stealing my drink. Other than mixing a "suicide" at the fountain, of course... come to think of it, that pretty much ended up tasting like Dr Pepper.
I love Dr. Pepper. Then again, I like Jamaican ginger beer, which makes Vernor's taste like 7-Up.
@beejootx Never actually tried Mr Pibb. Where do you live? Is it a European thing?
Oh man, all you guys talking about how polarized soda opinions can be, you have to try Spruce Beer (soft drink, not alcohol). It's available only in Quebec though, as far as I know. My dad and I make special grocery trips for it, when we visit the province. Heck, we convince OTHER people to make special shopping trips to get it for us, if they happen to go there.
It's great stuff; tastes just like licking a Christmas tree! But in a good way :)
TedN wrote:
>>For the record to commenter mcinsand, the hot southern ginger ale is "Blenheim" ginger ale and is still very >>much around see http://www.blenheimgingerale.com/
No, it isn't Blenheim, which, for the record (*grin*) is totally different. I actually still have the bottle from that day with my father.
I am a caffiene addict and though I have given up gladly all other source of painfull (for me) caffiene, but I can still hear the Dr Pepper calling me. (Sigh). I just can't quit you, Dr Pepper.
Kate,
Thanks, but I think we're still off target a little. The Buffalo Rock ginger ale bottles have a slightly different logo, and even the ones going back to the early 1900's seem to have painted product and logo names. Mine looks like this one::
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-Buffalo-Gingerale-Charlotte-NC-Soda-Bottle-A13135-/120738138230?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1c8dc876
The more I think about drinking another, though, the more I am rethinking any disparaging comments I made about Dr Pepper, and it's been 3 decades since I got that one.
Regards,
mc
I'm always amazed at how worked up people get over Dr pepper. No other soda generates nearly this amount of conflict.
I had a Dr Pepper once. Wasn't anything special. I'd drink it if it were the only thing there but otherwise wouldn't have it.