About Tesco banning Ribena- and weird beverages in UK and USA

So all week I was working on a blog about the difference between "weird" British and American soft drinks... and then the Tesco story broke, about them banning Ribena. Suddenly, discussing whether Ribena is delicious or disgusting is au courant, as well as black currant.

http://expatclaptrap.com/ribena-whybena-a-guide-to-strange-british-and-american-beverages/

Best blog yet!  Loved it!

I do think you should add American lemonade and an Arnold Palmer though!

Btw...  My husband drinks Ribena like it's his job.

Great blog post .

I was hardly ever allowed Ribena as a kid because it was 'too expensive', so we just had the cheap, generic squash alternatives. When I moved to the US in 2008, I took a bottle of Ribena with me as I hadn't had it in years... it was only when I was packing to move back a few months later, noticed hadn't drunk much of it and decided I should try to finish it that I realised exactly how much sugar was in each diluted glass! For the sake of my teeth, I ended up throwing the rest of the bottle away .

You mention that Dr. Pepper is starting to show up in the UK, but it has actually been available here for over 30 years (since 1982) and you can get it pretty much everywhere these days. I tried Dr. Pepper for the first time in 1995 when I was on holiday in the US and I've been drinking it in the UK ever since.

I love Ribena, Personally, I think Tesco are mad to ban it because they think it's an effective weapon against child abuse. I also love most of the other drinks mentioned in this blog too, especially Irn Bru and Tizer! I love your blogs! Keep them coming!

Root Beer took a little getting used to when I moved over here though. I like IBC now though!

This one had me laughing out loud and feeling rather nostalgic all at the same time - loved it!

I was recently attempting to explain root beer to my British husband, but it wasn't easy.  I then went on to wax rhapsodic about root beer floats - yum!  Now, I probably haven't had a root beer float in 15 years, but suddenly I have a terrible craving! 

Becca- go get root beer at a specialty shop - in London a shop called Cyber Candy carries it. Then just buy some Hagen Dazs ice cream. Drop it in there and you're in business!

BTW, I confess I like the idea of Ribena, but not the actual drink. And I cringe when I see parents give it to their toddlers.

Totally different subject, yet on the same wavelength, I remember trying to justify my little Crystal Light/Wylers/Hawaiian Punch packets to Brits while living over there. A few told me they were fine for children, but not for adults. I couldn't understand why it was such a reach for adults who drank Ribena or any type of squash to get  why I liked the convenient to carry with me, premeasured in a nifty little packet, powdered version without all the sugar.

When I was little, they had Za-Rex for kids -- sort of US version of orange squash.  Pretty awful.  Then they came out with Hawaiian Punch, which I always associate with Fritos for some reason. There was also all that chocolate syrup they used to doll up your glass of milk.  "I love Bosco, it's full of DDT ..."

My grandma used to make a ginger ale (Canada Dry) with vanilla ice cream -- same idea as the root beer float/"black cow".  She called that a "horse's neck" but I guess that is something else nowadays 

Was it Flavor-Aid or Kool-Aid?

The drink became linked to the Jonestown mass murder-and-suicide when it was learned that the cyanide poison taken by or forcibly administered to the commune's members was placed in Flavor-Aid. Large barrels filled with the grape variety, laced with the cyanide and a variety of tranquilizer drugs, were found half-consumed amidst the hundreds of bodies. Kool-Aid, rather than Flavor-Aid is usually mentioned in connection with the Massacre, due to its status as a genericized trademark. This factual error has even spawned the figure of speech "to drink the Kool-Aid". Film of Jonestown many months before the Massacre show stocks of both Flavor-Aid and its leading competitor within the commune's storehouses, so it is quite possible that both drinks were used as carriers for the poison.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavor_Aid

Totally different subject, yet on the same wavelength, I remember trying to justify my little Crystal Light/Wylers/Hawaiian Punch packets to Brits while living over there. A few told me they were fine for children, but not for adults. I couldn't understand why it was such a reach for adults who drank Ribena or any type of squash to get  why I liked the convenient to carry with me, premeasured in a nifty little packet, powdered version without all the sugar.

Ahh, but now they make Robinson's Squash'd that does that 



Expat rat, a particular taste/smell of my New England childhood was  We also used to make ice cream floats with that.   
A really regional soda was [url=http://www.polarbev.com/]Polar] Moxie soda.  [/url=http://drinkmoxie.com/]  We also used to make ice cream floats with that.   
A really regional soda was [url=http://www.polarbev.com/]Polar, they have, in my humble opinion,the best ginger ale ever. 

I hate squash ribena don't see the point. Why not go for fresh juices like orange juice , apple juice if u want something sweeter. Squash and ribena taste like crap

Ahh, but now they make Robinson's Squash'd that does that 

So now maybe the locals will see what the crazy American meant by convenience.  I tend to drink a LOT each day, generally water with a flavored additive. When visiting friends, it seemed if we were drinking beer it flowed freely all night, but if it was non-alcoholic we'd be served a 12 oz or so sized glass and everyone would sip forever from it. I found it easier to take my 32 oz sports jug and some of my packets with me. Then I didn't have to figure out how to conserve one glass to last an evening.

People seem to forget that there are no-added-sugar versions of both Ribena and most flavours of squash.

Totally different subject, yet on the same wavelength, I remember trying to justify my little Crystal Light/Wylers/Hawaiian Punch packets to Brits while living over there. A few told me they were fine for children, but not for adults. I couldn't understand why it was such a reach for adults who drank Ribena or any type of squash to get  why I liked the convenient to carry with me, premeasured in a nifty little packet, powdered version without all the sugar.

I think it's just a stretch for adults to drink any soft drink that isn't tea-- or, at a push, coffee.  Particularly cold soft drinks. 

It's pretty much tea, or booze, and anything else is for kids.  And none of it should be more than about 10 degrees cooler than room-temperature.

I just felt like commenting because I loved this post. my husband says root beer tastes like tcp.
My username is connected to the drink, (husband's nickname influence, it's what he calls our little one.  )


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