The Dope on Coke
When Coca-Cola was first produced, extract of
coca leaves and
kola nuts were common medicinal substances. When the negative effects of cocaine first became clear, Coca-Cola (then a tiny company) quickly worked out a way to remove all but the merest trace of the stuff. How much did they remove?
By Heath's calculation, the amount of ecgonine [an alkaloid in the coca leaf that could be synthesized to create cocaine] was infinitesimal: no more than one part in 50 million. In an entire year's supply of 25-odd million gallons of Coca-Cola syrup, Heath figured, there might be six-hundredths of an ounce of cocaine. (from snopes.com)
Later the technology improved so that they could erradicate every bit of it.
And around here, unless you're in certain subcultures, "Coke" automatically means "Coca-Cola", properly pronounced "Co-Cola". I live in Atlanta, for goodness sake! This is the
home of the Coca-Cola Company! You can't
go to a non-profit or fundraising event of any magnitude that they don't sponsor, including the children's charities!
Arkanjel said:
In the south there is nothing other than Coke. There are Pepsi drinkers, but we dont talk about those people.
Oh, we talk about them, but only in hushed tones, and
never in mixed company.
Y'all. (Had to throw that in. I use the term all the time.)
