Comments on: Ham Soda Anyone? http://jcarrot.org/ham-soda-anyone/ Jews, Food, and Contemporary Issues Sat, 05 Jul 2008 03:17:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Rabbi Shmuel http://jcarrot.org/ham-soda-anyone/#comment-3401 Rabbi Shmuel Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:32:16 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/ham-soda-anyone/#comment-3401 When I saw “ham soda” I just silently rolled my eyes, looked up to the heavens and asked “why?” As I see it it’s merely food as theater. (OK so we get the joke and we'll buy a bottle for our frum friends or put it away and hope it will be worth as much as a can of Billy Beer one day) What about the oxymoronic “organic soda”? Now there’s a product I have problems with. Will it stop the obesity problem or the environmental impact of the packaging and shipping just because Pedro got a fair wage for the sugar? Gimme a break! That’s greenwashing at its finest. Ironically, one of the Torah’s teachings about pork is that the pig lays on its side with its cloven hooves out for all to see as if to exclaim “look at me – I’m kosher”. That’s organic soda for ya! When I saw “ham soda” I just silently rolled my eyes, looked up to the heavens and asked “why?” As I see it it’s merely food as theater. (OK so we get the joke and we’ll buy a bottle for our frum friends or put it away and hope it will be worth as much as a can of Billy Beer one day) What about the oxymoronic “organic soda”? Now there’s a product I have problems with. Will it stop the obesity problem or the environmental impact of the packaging and shipping just because Pedro got a fair wage for the sugar? Gimme a break! That’s greenwashing at its finest.

Ironically, one of the Torah’s teachings about pork is that the pig lays on its side with its cloven hooves out for all to see as if to exclaim “look at me – I’m kosher”. That’s organic soda for ya!

]]> By: Jeffrey Yoskowitz http://jcarrot.org/ham-soda-anyone/#comment-3391 Jeffrey Yoskowitz Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:27:49 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/ham-soda-anyone/#comment-3391 Gersh, thanks for calling me on the cynicism. I actually posted this because at first I found it to be so humorous, and by bringing attention to it I was also trying to point out its humor. As I was posting, however, this cynical tone just came out. I've found that so many humorous things like ham soda are put up on this site and just laughed at without being criticized properly for what they represent and felt the need to take on that role. While it may not be the top-ten food problems in this country, beverages that wholly consist of chemicals, sugar and water are a major problem in the world today and many of our top-ten are traced back to these beverages. There's also a heady symbolic component about ham-flavored soda and hanukkah flavoring about which I'm already writing for the next post. Gersh, thanks for calling me on the cynicism. I actually posted this because at first I found it to be so humorous, and by bringing attention to it I was also trying to point out its humor. As I was posting, however, this cynical tone just came out. I’ve found that so many humorous things like ham soda are put up on this site and just laughed at without being criticized properly for what they represent and felt the need to take on that role.

While it may not be the top-ten food problems in this country, beverages that wholly consist of chemicals, sugar and water are a major problem in the world today and many of our top-ten are traced back to these beverages. There’s also a heady symbolic component about ham-flavored soda and hanukkah flavoring about which I’m already writing for the next post.

]]> By: Gersh http://jcarrot.org/ham-soda-anyone/#comment-3389 Gersh Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:43:20 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/ham-soda-anyone/#comment-3389 Wow, Jeff, you're really bitter and humorless. How about just taking a minute to chill out and laugh at ham soda? Ham soda doesn't "characterize how sick we as a country are". Ham soda isn't even in the list of the top ten food-related problems in America. Wow, Jeff, you’re really bitter and humorless. How about just taking a minute to chill out and laugh at ham soda? Ham soda doesn’t “characterize how sick we as a country are”. Ham soda isn’t even in the list of the top ten food-related problems in America.

]]> By: Eric http://jcarrot.org/ham-soda-anyone/#comment-3385 Eric Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:40:56 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/ham-soda-anyone/#comment-3385 I admit it, I bought both Jones holiday packs last year. What a disappointment! The dessert pack sodas were all sickly sweet, and the Thanksgiving dinner ones? Truly awful. It would have been at least interesting if they hadn't pulled any punches and actually made the sodas taste like the items on the bottles (gravy, string beans, etc). But instead, they just tasted like someone had dropped their mashed potatoes into a bottle of Sprite. Yech! So, don't expect any miracle from the Ham soda. (Never thought I'd be writing that sentence in relation to Chanukkah...) I admit it, I bought both Jones holiday packs last year. What a disappointment! The dessert pack sodas were all sickly sweet, and the Thanksgiving dinner ones? Truly awful. It would have been at least interesting if they hadn’t pulled any punches and actually made the sodas taste like the items on the bottles (gravy, string beans, etc). But instead, they just tasted like someone had dropped their mashed potatoes into a bottle of Sprite. Yech!

So, don’t expect any miracle from the Ham soda. (Never thought I’d be writing that sentence in relation to Chanukkah…)

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