Feast or Famine | Confessions of a Coke addict: why I need the real thing, even when eating at a high-end restaurant
- Some drink the sugary beverage for energy from the caffeine kick, others like the taste, but I have another use for it
- I drink Coke when I have eaten too much salt, oil or meat, and to regain my appetite, even in the fanciest of restaurants
I have a confession to make. I am a Coke addict.
Of course, it has the be The Real Thing: Coca-Cola, not Pepsi, or even worse, some generic brand. My favourite cola comes in those little green-tinted glass bottles (if you serve this in your restaurant, please don’t decant it into a glass – you lose the extra fizz that makes this one so appealing).
My least favourite is the fountain-drinks mixture that comes out of a nozzle – very rarely is it as carbonated as it should be. My Coke has to be classic Coke – not low-cal, zero-cal or less caffeine. And vanilla Coke and cherry Coke are abominations.
Occasionally, I get the Coke craving at work – always in the afternoon, when I’m in need of a pick-me-up.
More often, I need a Coke at restaurants. Like smokers who crave cigarettes only when they are drinking, partying or staying out too late, I need a Coke when I’ve consumed too much salt, meat or oil, am having very spicy food, and especially when I’ve overeaten. Drinking Coke helps me eat more, although some of my friends say it has the opposite effect on them.