Fountain sodapop is one of my favorite things. Lots of ice, unlimited refills, and I’m a happy guy.
Until recently I didn’t know how those machines worked behind the scenes. I had visions of lots of tubes and hoses running for miles and miles behind the counter. You know what — that’s not too far off.
Last week I had lunch at a little shop near the YMCA where I play basketball. Partway through lunch I thought that something about the Diet Pepsi just didn’t taste right. Fountain soda is a funny thing. Sometimes the mix is a little “off” and it’s not good. But was it just a little “off”, or was it regular Pepsi I was tasting? I just couldn’t tell!
The shop was quiet and I have gotten to know the owner, so I asked her about it. She tasted both the regular Pepsi and the Diet Pepsi, and said they tasted exactly the same to her. She let me follow her into the back room where she confirmed it was regular Pepsi coming out of the Diet Pepsi tap!
She was gracious enough to allow me to take a couple of pictures, which I hope gives you an idea of how these machines work behind the scenes. Maybe I’m the only one who didn’t know this already, but it’s all too easy to hook up the wrong syrup mix.
