Holiday COKE from the Dollar Store and a quick sandwich

The New York Times had this article on Coke's secret formula which inspired me to grab one from the fridge. Now normally, you can't get real Coca Cola from the Dollar Store, though you can get plenty of cheaper brands of cola, namely Shasta.

When I was growing up, soda was a treat, not a necessity, and the brand was usually Cragmont -- which was Safeway's store brand. It seems I'm not the only one who thinks Cragmont should still be on the shelves.

I came from a big, thrifty family (one of my mom's favorite sayings was "we're going to eek out a miserable existence until payday"), so a can of Cragmont (or Shasta) was reserved for special occasions like a trip to our cabin. We did however, have Coke from time to time, especially on my Mother's birthday in December when we trimmed the Christmas tree, or when we were on the road, and could buy a bottle from one of those great old dispensers.

I come by my love of Coke naturally, you might say, and I have never trusted anyone who drinks Pepsi.

I work with Coke drinkers, well, Diet Coke drinkers, and one woman can down as many as four or five cans a day without blinking an eye. She doesn't give a hoot, that now they are saying that diet sodas can give you increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and cancer. . . but I digress.

Anyways, never one to miss a marketing opportunity, Coke issues special Holiday cans each years, and after the festivities, you can usually find the leftovers in the 99 Cent Only Store.

Today, I wanted a quickie lunch, so I threw together a sandwich of salami, cheese, and the herb mayo I featured a while back and downed it with a can of Holiday Coke 2010. Yummy.