Tue, Jun 13 2006

Soda Snob

I'm not sure this is worthy of a blog post, but the topic has come up a lot lately, so here it is. I've been in some casual restaurants, and a few not so casual, that were wonderful in all aspects, except one. When I order a soda they bring me a can of it with a glass of ice. I love ice in my beverages, but the can presentation bothers me, for some reason. Fountain soda isn't always a better choice in terms of flavor, but if I wanted to crack open a can of something I could have brought one from home or put some money in a vending machine on my way into the restaurant.

Aside from the lack of customer service I associate with a can plunked down on the table, the metal can itself is a problem for me. When I buy soda for home consumption I never choose cans. It might be my imagination, but I always feel as though I'm picking up a metallic taste from those things.

The can presentation doesn't seem to be limited to Amercian diners. I've gotten canned sodas in Japanese restaurants, in family-owned Mexican places and in cozy little Italian spots. Maybe it doesn't bother the rest of you one bit, but I see it as a big black mark against an otherwise ideal place to get a meal. In fact, I've begun asking the servers if the soda they're about to bring me will be in a can. If they say it will, I decline and I give them my reasons for doing so and I order water with lemon. It may be overly-chlorinated water from a tap, but at least they haven't ever brought it to me in a can.

posted at: 08:47 | category: /Food | link to this entry