I was a teenager when the first shots of the Cola Wars were fired. Now, we didn't grow up drinking colas, and probably thought they were your ticket straight to hell, but somehow I aligned myself with the Coca-Cola side. I'll bet it was those commercials in the '70's. People sitting all together, lighting candles, and wanting to teach to the world to sing. How can you argue with world peace AND singing? At any rate, I even bought a 6-pack of that "New" Coke. (Utterly disgusting.)
At the same time, Pepsi and Michael Jackson were touting their product as "the choice of a new generation." I remember mocking them. I was of the "new generation" wasn't I? And I was choosing Coke.
Then the Pepsi Challenge came out. My already angst-riddled heart tightened with even more angst (if that was possible). What if Pepsi won? What if they really were the choice of the new generation? Where was a girl to find her Coke? The black market? (Coke and) Rum runners?
Well, somehow I managed to survive the ordeal and make it to adulthood. Now my choice, diet Coke, but only when diet Pepsi isn't available. Yep, it turns out I was like Leo the Late Bloomer. I finally made the choice of my generation and chose Pepsi. It just tastes better.
