June 5, 2015

Something Someone Wonderful: "So now we have about 500 different sodas."

You just have to love John Nese and spend 12 great minutes with a great American businessman. As Chow.comtells it:

John Nese is the proprietor of Galcos Soda Pop Stop in LA. His father ran it as a grocery store, and when the time came for John to take charge, he decided to convert it into the ultimate soda-lovers destination. About 500 pops line the shelves, sourced lovingly by John from around the world. John has made it his mission to keep small soda-makers afloat and help them find their consumers. Galcos also acts as a distributor for restaurants and bars along the West Coast, spreading the gospel of soda made with cane sugar (no high-fructose corn syrup if John can avoid it).
No high-fructose corn syrup? Yes, yes, and yes! High-fructose corn syrup is perhaps the single most invidious ingredient in super-market foods. When I scan ingredients and see it on the list that item goes back on the shelf. It's not only calories consumed to no purpose, it's calories that taste crummy.

I've been dining out lately on the incredible difference between Mexican Coke (sane cane sugar) and the swill passed off as American coke (high-fructose corn crapola). It's true and you can taste and feel the difference with one sip. As a result I am very pleased to listen to this high-priest of boutique sodas, a man who knows what he's talking about.

Here's a few choice quotes pulled from the video:

Corn syrup is totally unnecessary. Why would you use corn as the sweetener? Once a year Coca Cola makes a kosher Coke. It's got a yellow cap. Try it side by side with the regular Coke. The one with the cane sugar just goes pop! And it explodes and it's delicious., The one with the corn just goes fzzzzt.....

"Energy drinks? UGH! Energy drinks just taste bad."
"Big business loves big government. It just uses it to take over the market and then jack up prices."
"What I always wanted to do was to do business with other businesses my size."
"People still come in looking for RC Draft which was a soft cola. Very smooth."
"Coke and Pepsi love recycling. It gets them out of ever have to wash a bottle. If we really cared about the environment you'd have 're-use' and not 'recycling.'"

Re-use rather than recycling. I guess he's hip to the ever expanding glass mountains accruing at municipal garbage dumps around the nation since, surprise, it's cheaper to make glass from sand that to recycle it. Men like Nese should be in government rather than the substandard toads, right and left, that currently infest it. But then again, no. If he did we'd be out one really great soda store and that is just not worth it.

[UPDATE: Yes, Nese's Galcos Soda Pop Shop lets you buy on line for shipping to your parched home address. Check out Galco's Soda Pop Stop for details. ]

Posted by Vanderleun at June 5, 2015 1:22 PM
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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.

Says the guy who is selling you cane sugar soda.

I have poured them side by side to folks who swearsy that they can taste the difference. Turns out they can't. But if folks want to believe they can, fine with me.

Posted by: Gordon at June 5, 2015 1:12 PM

high fructose may be bad but cane sugar is POISON

Posted by: bgarrett at June 5, 2015 1:41 PM

I made a pilgrimage to his store after seeing the video from Chow, and he's exactly like what you see in person, off-camera.

Posted by: Dr. Ted Nelson at June 5, 2015 2:18 PM

RC was the best cola.

I used to be able to point out out Pepsi/RC/Coke blindfolded by taste alone, but I dunno about cane sugar vs corn syrup. Seems like you should be able to tell the difference, but I haven't tried it and can't do it safely these days anyway.

Posted by: Christopher Taylor at June 5, 2015 3:25 PM

"Cane sugar is POISON!!!"
What a nellie.

I used to teach high school right around the corner from Galco's. Too bad they dropped the deli- best sandwiches in Highland Park. And yeah- the place is pop heaven.

JWM

Posted by: jwm at June 5, 2015 3:31 PM

Screw the cola. Weller's Bourbon (Wild Turkey if that is not available), three ice cubes and hand it over.

RC is the real deal. Coke close at #2. Pepsi only if I was in hell and brown toilet water to drink was not available.

Posted by: Snakepit Kansas at June 5, 2015 4:34 PM

The last time I drank wild turkey I wrecked 2 trucks!

Posted by: Mhf at June 6, 2015 4:15 AM

Wrecked two trucks!!! Mercy! heheh.

Posted by: Snakepit Kansas at June 6, 2015 4:36 AM

@Snakepit:
"only if I was in hell and brown toilet water to drink was not available."

Best laugh of the day award. And please be aware that I'm going to shamelessly steal that line.

JWM

Posted by: jwm at June 6, 2015 10:06 AM

Wild Turkey, uh?
It seemed like every time I drank Jack Daniels black I broke out in handcuffs.

Hey Snake, why dilute the good stuff with ice? Put the jug in the freezer and then you can drink it straight.
A lot of times when I cracked a bottle I'd throw the cap away. Take no prisoners was my motto and I got some scars to prove it.

Posted by: chasmatic at June 7, 2015 7:28 PM

CRV is a crony capitalist's wet dream. It has nothing to do with environmentalism.....I had a Mexican bottled Coca-Cola with lunch on Friday. It definitely tastes different. But is it different due to the cane sugar or the glass bottle? Or both?....FYI RC Cola is still very much around, bottled by the Dr. Pepper/Snapple company. However RC "Draft" is not.

http://www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com/brands/rc-cola/

Posted by: Jason at June 7, 2015 9:42 PM