Good to the Last Drop.
If you have ever been overseas for a while, you will know what I’m talking about when I say this: nothing compares to a taste of home.
You name it, no matter what it is, Mountain Dew, Monster Drink, a good steak, tea, a Wendy’s Frosty, strawberries, apples, turkey at Thanksgiving, mom’s pea soup; you miss it terribly. In fact, it’s not till you’ve been overseas for a few months that you even realize just how much you missed it. Then your home country becomes the land of your family, and that food you crave.
The first time I realized that desire was in Mali. I think I had been there about 4 or 5 months when I walked into my boss’s house to see him walking across the living room with it. I knew it from 15 feet away without even smelling or tasting it. It was Mountain Dew. I grew up loving that stuff. My first memory of it was at a baseball game when I was probably around 5 years old. I saw some people buying pop that wasn’t brown or clear. Until that point, I thought all pop was brown or clear. But this, this was something new. I’m not sure when I first tasted it, but when I did, I was hooked.
And there it was, sitting in a cup in my boss’s hand.”Where did you get Mountain Dew?” I cried. He got this huge sheepish grin on his face and left the room. He was a quiet sort of fellow. His wife tried as tactfully as she could to explain that her husband loved Mountain Dew and had a stash that he replenished occasionally through various devious means. I learned the means and a few months later had my own stash.
Logan grabbed two shares to take one to a friend.
Now here in Indonesia, Mountain Dew is simply not on the shelf. It cannot be had on the island of Java for any price. I have no idea why store owners here in Salatiga don’t get a clue and order the stuff from Malaysia where it is available. They wouldn’t be able to keep the stuff stocked thanks to the avid Mountain Dew fan club here.
However, last week, a friend of mine returned from the US with a whole liter and a half of Mountain Dew just for me. Since pop goes flat quickly once it is open, I knew I would have about a 12 hour window to drink the whole thing. I just didn’t see the point in drinking a whole liter and a half by myself when there were so many other folks who didn’t have any.
Jared stopped in to grab some for his wife. Ricky's scooter is in the background. He got a taste too.
I suppose I certainly could have tried. But, I probably would have ended a very high strung day with a huge headache and sugar sore teeth.
So, I decided to have a Mountain Dew party day. I got in touch with several buddies of mine who like Mountain Dew and told them to come on over. Through the morning I got four takers who didn’t mind coming over and bringing their own bottle to carry away some golden sugary goodness. In the end, I think I had more fun making other people’s day.
I suppose it’s true, it’s better to give than to receive. Though I suppose I did receive too.
Seven Degrees South 