WHERE SHALL I FIND MY BELOVED MOUNTAIN DEW??

Listen folks (or folk, as there is probably only one person reading this; probably me) Obama has the momentum and is pulling away. What was looking to be a photo finish will instead likely be an Obama win by a neck or even a length at the wire. So with that imminent reality firmly in place, I can now turn my attention to other important matters such as the widespread proliferation of Coke products among the notch-above-fast-food joints.

It was winter/spring 2007 and I set out for a Baja Fresh close by where I could get the usual: 2 Baja tacos (1 chx 1 stk) and a medium fountain drink cup. That cup, of course, would be occupied by a generous helping of ice and filled with bubbling, light-emerald green nectar from heaven itself: Mountain Dew; or as I affectionately refer to the fountain variety - "fountain" Dew; so much better than out of the can or bottle. Ah yes, I could almost taste the sweet bite of the fizzy green stuff even before stepping through the doors. I walked in and up to the counter, happily ordered "the usual", took my cup and turned to walk toward the soda fountain, and... NOOOOOOOOO!!! Oh no, they didn't!! Oh yes, they did. They had committed the unpardonable sin by switching to Coke products; (actually it is pardonable but only by switching back, which has yet to happen anywhere). I was a lost soul at that moment. My tasty Baja tacos just didn't taste quite the same being washed down by thick, syrupy cola. And ever since, I've reduced my Baja visits to about a third of what they used to be.

Today marked another dark day as I was in the area of a Firehouse Subs eatery. Good subs, jalapeno chips, and - you guessed it - Pepsi products. A "fountain" Dew and a hot turkey sub with melted provolone sounded great for lunch. But a great lunch it would not be. It happened again - the unpardonable (sort of) sin committed at Firehouse. It had only been three weeks or so since my last patronage and the deed was done. So I unhappily washed down my otherwise tasty sub with a mix of Coke Zero and regular spiked with a lemon slice but it was a distant second to Dew. And by distant second I mean the Sham finishing 2nd by 31 lengths to Secretariat in the '73 Belmont kind of distant second. Firehouse is now sadly crossed off the lunchtime go-to list. Who will be next?