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

Why are they so popular?
I can't stand them

Me neither. Looks like we might be in a minority though.

RF

Perhaps because they are so sweet.

Well I drink them because they make me a successful, attractive and socially acceptable person.
By not drinking them you must be social inadequates who will never amount to anything and have no friends and generally be uncool and so forth.

That is correct, yes?










for those who don't know me.

i hate cola drinks icky icky icky

I was a successful, attractive and socially acceptable person. I had a wide circle of influencial friends and glamorous women always on my arm. I was seen at all the top social occasions. I was A list. Then I started drinking Cola. My teeth fell out, I put on 5 stone and I fart all the time. But who gives a sh*t, pass me another can.

Some one once told me that cola was good for cleaning silver or was it brass
I have never tried it so don’t know if it’s true

Cola is good for cleaning copper, brass and bronze, but not as good as HP Sauce! Any of those brown sauces will clean up your copper pennies nicely.

I don't know - except that they are addictive (even though the cocaine hasn't been an ingredient for many years) I've been trying to quit over the past couple of days, replacing cola with water - in an attempt to lower sugar intake. And I've been getting cravings for it!

Cola is a great way to boost your blood sugar levels, but then again it dissapears as quickly as it comes. Maybe that's it - you end up with huge sugar withdrawl so you need another drink?

Zantic

Yuck cola is horrid, less you mix it one part cola with four parts vodka Personally I prefer beer to cola, which has the added benifit of being sterile because of the alcohol But seriously, if your thirsty I've never understood why people drink colas, there generally not that good at hydrating you if I understand correctly cause of all teh caffine in them I find water does the trick

Kinda like slurm, then.

RF

There have been all kinds of arguments as to why certain drinks companies continue to put caffeine in their soft drinks. The companies argue that it's a flavouring while opponents claim that it is only added to give the drink addictive properties. If the courts could prove it was not a flavouring, they'd be banned from adding it, but so far the drinks companies are in the lead.

"The drug increases blood pressure and stimulates the heart lungs and other organs. There have been few verifiable links between caffeine and serious health problems, though research has shown it can increase sensitivity to pain, cause panic attacks and play havoc with sleep cycles. Some role in heart disease and cancer has been suggested, but not proven. Research has hinted that caffeine perhaps offers some unusual benefits by protecting against diabetes and radiation poisoning. Critics argue that addictive caffeine - supposedly a flavouring - is used by soft drink manufacturers to keep punters coming back for more." Pickrell, J (2004) www.newscientist.com

It is the phosphoric acid in cola drinks that cleans up metal - neat it pretty much dissolves coins and tastes awful too.

There are other reasons not to drink Coca-cola mainly their rather shady dealings in South America and their total disregard for the inhabitants around their plant in India.

Marl Thomas' current touring show deals with this alot his web site is:

http://www.mtcp.co.uk/

To warn you he has also got a 'F**k Bush' campaign going so the f-word is spread over the page here and there in case you are surfing on a pc where naughty words aren't allowed.

Can't stand cola drinks. Last time I had one was about eight years ago, *the morning after* when I had a very serious hangover. Got a bit of a sugar and caffeine buzz from it. Short-lived. Didn't make up for the icky taste though.

I seriously think that cola drinks should not be allowed for children!


az

"It is the phosphoric acid in cola drinks that cleans up metal - neat it pretty much dissolves coins and tastes awful too."

just think what is doing to your stomach

Gnomon, is it the vinegar in the sauce that does the biz?

Yes, plus cola drinks were amongst the first carbonated drinks to be aggressivly marketed. They now hold a specific place within pop (!) culture that seems almost unassailable give that the huge revenues mean that the makers can keep up their marketing efforts going for as long as they hold their market share.

They tase very sweet and as such are popular with children and once a habit is formed in early life it can be hard to shake.

one love

So why aren't they illegal???


az

As your stomic acid is already pH 1-2, the phosphoric acid, as acid, ain't doing that much. The breakdown products might be causing other problems, but I wouldn't know what they are.

Zantic