Jones cane soda and Burn Notice

I bought several cases of Jones pure cane soda in order to try it out and see if it tasted better than the typical American high fructose corn syrup soda, since Jones uses pure cane sugar. I'm trying the strawberry lime soda, and to be honest, it doesn't taste that much different from the Fanta strawberry soda [Coke product]. What's the food starch for? I haven't tried the root beer, and they don't offer cola. (Why is that?) Jones is usually more expensive than Coke or Pepsi products, so it's not clear to me that it's worth the extra expense.

It is the case that I don't feel as sick after drinking it--is that due to the cane sugar? Or something else? (I don't think there is much of a difference in the carbonation level.)

At any rate, I should be transitioning away from frequently drinking soda; the question is whether I should include Jones as a part of the transition or not. The idea of having a gourmet soda for special occasions still sounds a bit ridiculous. I just haven't gotten into beer-drinking yet...

The economics of producing canned or bottled soda (and its reasonableness) is shocking, if one thinks about it...

Related links:
From 2006: Jones Soda will switch to pure cane sugar
2007: Jones Soda Switches to Pure Cane Sugar | Serious Eats

Misc links:


Japanese Fanta Commericals Fantasubbed


YouTube - Fanta Advertisment

Burn Notice
While I am eating dinner, I am watching Burn Notice (wiki), as it is available on Hulu. It is one of xiao Jimmy's favorite shows, and Dr. Laura is a fan as well. The show apparently gets its name from the termination notice given to intelligence operatives (i.e. pink slip) when they are cut loose from their agency. The insider narrative that the main character Michael Westen (played by Jeffrey Donovan) offers during the show is part of its appeal. (He explains the tricks of the trade for operatives--spycraft.) For some reason Gabrielle Anwar looks better on this show than on The Tudors. She also has a slight Irish? accent in the pilot.



Bruce Campbell is also on the show.



The show is a bit old-school; it reminds me of Magnum P.I. and a bunch of syndicated cop/private eye shows (though Burn Notice is probably better than the latter). You don't see shows like that any more on TV, except for CBS. (If they do bring back Hawaii Five-o, it will be interesting to see what they do with it.) Shows on other networks tend to be made for the MTV audience--flashy camera shots and transitions, the use of computer animation, and so on. (And you do get some of that on CBS, too, with the various CSI series.) I admit that I would prefer to watch something like Robbery Homicide Division (because of Michael Mann), but Burn Notice is good fare for a couch potato. Not that I'm recommending TV-watching.

Note: A lot of the episodes @ Hulu expire in 5 days.