h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Every time I drink Mountain Dew, it makes me sad, strange as it may seem. I'll explain.

My brother is hopelessly, helplessly addicted to the stuff, and I used to absolutely idolize him when I was a little younger, and would often find myself drinking it with him (though for myself, I prefer Cherry Coke when I can get it and Dr Pepper when I can't). However, a few years ago, he turned strange. He started back to school, got himself a girlfriend, more or less froze our parents out entirely, and started finding fault with EVERYBODY. I don't hang out with him much anymore because I get tired of listening to him preach, but the taste of Mountain Dew always reminds me of what used to be .

Incidentally, when I was in Iraq, there were two places to get Dew. The stuff we paid money for at the exchange was imported from home and tasted just like what you might find here, but the cans they had in the chow hall were local--you could tell by the Arabic labels and the old-fashioned pull tabs--and it tasted funny. Any idea what the difference might have been?