The Road Back to Root Beer
One fine day when I was about ten (I can't really recall), I decided that I no longer liked vanilla ice cream and root beer. 'Decided' is probably not the right word. I didn't feel that I had much choice. After you throw up an exponential amount of root beer float (made with homemade vanilla ice cream), you're not going to be too keen on either vanilla or root beer. Trust me. So, why is this important right now? It's not. Not really anyway. Of course, it does make it even more noteworthy that I'm drinking very good Venezuelan rum mixed with diet root beer. Yes, the very same root beer (well, the original was most certainly not diet) I threw up all those years ago.
I have to say I was incredibly skeptical the first time. I had spent nearly thirty years avoiding root beer. Once I accidentally ate a root beer barrel and almost puked on the spot. Root beer was a no-go. I couldn't even stand the smell. Then a friend mixed me the most heavenly drink. She told me ahead of time it would involve diet root beer. I wasn't sure. I took my first sip, a very, very, very small sip. Just in case. Suddenly I discovered a slightly root beer, but mostly rum-flavored, Nirvana. I was in, hooked. There was no going back now. I had found my favorite drink. My friend warned me that my life would be changed, even though I hated root beer, and it was.
I have to admit that until a few days ago, I hadn't tried root beer sans rum. I still clung to the last vestiges of my old conditioned taste aversion. I wasn't sure I could do it. But I had a sip left in a 20 oz bottle of Diet Mugg Root Beer and not wanting to waste it, I gave it a go. Amazingly, it didn't make me retch and it was actually pretty good. Now, I'm not sitting here drinking rum and diet root beer ruing my thirty years without root beer. It's not THAT good (fried okra is another story). I don't think I'll drink it very often without rum (that's going to be a negative on the root beer barrels as well), but I'm happy that I can drink it and smell it without becoming nauseous.
What about vanilla ice cream? I'm pretty sure I was in college before I could stomach it. Surprisingly, all these years later, I'm almost partial to it. I don't think my parents imagined when they got out the old ice cream churn and bought the root beer that I would end up scarred for almost thirty years. Needless to say, they never did anything fun like that again. Thank God for rum and my wise friend otherwise I might still hate root beer. And I wouldn't be sitting here sipping on a little root beer flavored Nirvana. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't like rum or root beer. Sometimes you just gotta try things you know you don't like. The surprise might be worth it.
I have to say I was incredibly skeptical the first time. I had spent nearly thirty years avoiding root beer. Once I accidentally ate a root beer barrel and almost puked on the spot. Root beer was a no-go. I couldn't even stand the smell. Then a friend mixed me the most heavenly drink. She told me ahead of time it would involve diet root beer. I wasn't sure. I took my first sip, a very, very, very small sip. Just in case. Suddenly I discovered a slightly root beer, but mostly rum-flavored, Nirvana. I was in, hooked. There was no going back now. I had found my favorite drink. My friend warned me that my life would be changed, even though I hated root beer, and it was.
I have to admit that until a few days ago, I hadn't tried root beer sans rum. I still clung to the last vestiges of my old conditioned taste aversion. I wasn't sure I could do it. But I had a sip left in a 20 oz bottle of Diet Mugg Root Beer and not wanting to waste it, I gave it a go. Amazingly, it didn't make me retch and it was actually pretty good. Now, I'm not sitting here drinking rum and diet root beer ruing my thirty years without root beer. It's not THAT good (fried okra is another story). I don't think I'll drink it very often without rum (that's going to be a negative on the root beer barrels as well), but I'm happy that I can drink it and smell it without becoming nauseous.
What about vanilla ice cream? I'm pretty sure I was in college before I could stomach it. Surprisingly, all these years later, I'm almost partial to it. I don't think my parents imagined when they got out the old ice cream churn and bought the root beer that I would end up scarred for almost thirty years. Needless to say, they never did anything fun like that again. Thank God for rum and my wise friend otherwise I might still hate root beer. And I wouldn't be sitting here sipping on a little root beer flavored Nirvana. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't like rum or root beer. Sometimes you just gotta try things you know you don't like. The surprise might be worth it.
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