I'm a girl who loves her Dr. Pepper.
If you haven't read the news, Dr. Pepper corporate settled a lawnsuit last Friday with one of their bottling companies in Dublin, Texas. The 120-year old mom-and-pop soda shop is no longer bottling or selling Dr. Pepper.
That sounds innocuous enough. Companies divide, multiply, and reincorporate like your favorite pop boy band all the time. What makes this case unique is that the Big Bad Corporation has effectively wiped out the economy of the small town after, as I mentioned above, 120 years of business. Its a stab in the Heart of Texas, so to speak. Now fans across the state who made the pilgrimmage to stock up on Dublin Dr. Pepper are not only going without, but also giving up Dr. Pepper Snapple products altogether.
My part of this story starts about a decade ago.
It was fall 2002 and I had just moved into the college dorms at Howard Payne University in Brownwood. A strictly Coke-drinker (Okay, there was a brief affair with Mt. Dew, but who drinks that for long?), I rolled my eyes at students who talked of weekend roadtrips to nearby Dublin for their Dr. Pepper. I'd toured the bottling company, which was fun. I'd even sampled the sugar-sweetened soda a time or two. It was unique, using pure cane sugar, but worth a regular road trip?
Meh.
And this is back when gas was less than two dollars per gallon.
Then something happened. I met a guy. I'm sure this part sounds familiar. He was handsome, clever, and a serious Dr. Pepper drinker. He did not drink Coke. Soon my weekends were filled with roadtrips to Dublin for the sacred beverage. How could I say no?
Much like in the epic Star Wars vs. Star Trek battle, we came to a compromise. I had kind of been converted to a being a DP fan anyway. He might have used a Jedi mind trick on me.
I married that handsome guy, of course.
But I think its time for Dr. Pepper to become a thing of the past.
After all, I am a girl.
And Dr. Pepper doesn't like those either.
I can't do it. I literally cried when I heard the depressing news about Dublin. Seriously? I can never again get a Frosty Pepper on my way to Homecoming? REALLY? But I just can't give up Dr Pepper completely. Of course, I've always been a DP girl. I'm not a fan of Coke, Pepsi or whatever else may be out there. I'll drink them in a pinch but I'll choose DP over the rest any time I have the option.
ReplyDeleteI know I hate they are closing. Ihave been there too and I am going to miss it so much. The other DP dose not even come close.
ReplyDelete