I learned something new this week. Every year, the town of Lisbon Falls, Maine, holds an annual festival to celebrate moxie. This carbonated beverage is only regionally popular so that’s why I’ve never heard of it. One of the first soft drinks to be mass-produced in the United States, it was introduced in 1876. It’s not as sweet as most soft drinks. Some people think it’s bitter. It became the official soft drink of Maine on May 10th, 2005.
On the other hand, Dr. Pepper, my favorite soft drink, was introduced in 1885 and was first marketed in the U.S. in 1904 and is sold in Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. As far as I know, it’s not the official beverage of any state, and there’s no festival to celebrate it. If you haven’t drunk Dr. Pepper, I can’t tell you what it tastes like because the flavor is so unique.
The 2011 Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls, Maine, was held July 8th through the 10th. Activities included a fireworks display, parade, and a Moxie chugging contest, to name a few. According to Maine author Jim Baumer’s blog, this year’s festival might be the last. It’s no wonder since it attracts twenty to thirty thousand people, and only a handful of volunteers put it on every year.
I wish Dr. Pepper could be designated Wyoming’s official beverage, and a Dr. Pepper festival could be held here inSheridan. However, I don’t have the time and energy to coordinate such a festival so I’ll be content to just drink it. I love Dr. Pepper so much that I’m going to post a poem I wrote about it.
ODE TO DR. PEPPER
I love to swallow its cold carbonation,
feel it come back into my mouth in the form of a belch.
Oh, that feels so good!
I drink it in mid afternoon.
It helps me get through the day.
I sometimes consume it in the evening,
when I’m sleepy, and it’s too early for bed.
In the good old days,
I drank a lot of it,
just what the doctor ordered.
Now, the doctor says it has too much sugar
so I limit my consumption to one or two cans a day.
What would I do without it?
Do you have a favorite soft drink? Please feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail. I’d love to hear from you.
Abbie Johnson Taylor, Author of We Shall Overcome
http://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com
abbie@samobile.net
I used to drink Dr. Pepper. I still do sometimes, but I like Pepsi and Mountain Dew better.
ReplyDeleteBill Taylor
I would have to say that Hires Root Beer has always been my favorite, but in my non youth, it bloats me now. Ha.
ReplyDeleteI have tried moxie, bbeing from Maine, and I never acquired a taste for it.
I do like Dr Pepper alot.
Deon Lyons
Honey, when I met you face to face for the first time in 2004 after communicating with you by phone and e-mail for two years, you offered me a Dr. Pepper. I was surprised and delighted to learn that we both like the same soft drink. When you handed me that ice cold bottle, I should have known this would be the beginning of something more wonderful than just a long distance relationship.
ReplyDeleteOne or two cans a day? Yikes! I doubt if I drink that much in a month. But enjoy. Live long and Pepper--I mean prosper.
ReplyDeleteHi, Deon, I used to like rootbeer when I was a kid. I drank Dad's and A&W. When we moved to Sheridan, Wyoming, there was an A&W drive-in, and you could order hamburgers, French fries, and a frosty mug delivered right to your car. Whatever happened to those good old days?
ReplyDeleteHi, John, I probably shouldn't even drink one can a day, but I do. Thank you for your comment, and I hope you live long and prosper as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Abbie.
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved to this area back in the mid 70's, there was an A and W drive in restaurant here also. I did love their root beer, and the food was greasy good.
Deon Lyons
Hi, Deon, I don't think A&W root beer stands exist anymore, but there is a drive-in chain called Sonic, and their hamburgers and French fries are pretty close tastewise to those at A&W. We don't have one here in Sheridan, but Bill and I went to one in Pueblo while visiting his sister in Fowler.
ReplyDeleteAbbie Taylor