Listen to the Rain!

I can remember the exact moment when I crossed the barrier and decided I liked sparkling water. Scott and I (and Way and Kevin) had just got back to our hotel room in Cinque Terre, Italy after having hiked along the cliffs all day. It was hot and sunny out and the only drink provided in the little cube fridge was sparkling water. Since we were dying of thirst and the bottle was oh-so-cold, we twisted the cap open, heard the little fizzzzzz and gulped down. What a revelation! The clear cool liquid, ice cold, was perfection in our bellies - it wasn't sugary sweet like coke/sprite but was a treat like soda is to a little kid AND it hit the spot like only water can.

So now, I'm a convert. I had previously thought it had this weird taste and was drunk by very adult people who were trying to make a point about their wealth when they ordered this at restaurants. I mean, if I want water, tap water is free and tasty. If I want something bubbly, I'd rather pay for something with flavor like a Coke! But now, when Scott wants to buy soda at the market, I try to steer him towards getting sparkling (flavored if need be) water instead.

I don't know if other people have always liked sparkling water and I've just moved into that stage in my life (much like listening to NPR!), but I have noticed that people at work go bonkers over Talking Rain, a Washington-based soda company that produces sparkling water. We have free drinks at work and the fridge is always stocked with Coke/Pepsi, Root Beer, Apple Juice etc. I never have to fight for one of these drinks, with one exception: When there's Talking Rain on the shelves, there's practically a stampede to get to them. I normally get in around 8am and there's probably 2 dozen cans of Talking Rain in there. By the time I head back to the kitchen an hour or two later to get a refill on tea, they're almost always all gone. I've seen people horde them and even hide them behind other things in the (very cluttered) fridges! It's sort of amusing. I've learned my lesson when come lunch time, there are no more Talking Rains so in the mornings, so I've even gotten to grabbing one and sticking it in my lunch bag!