The nicest thing about experiencing American culture as an outsider at an early age is that it made me fall in love for anything that looked pretty in my eyes - forever. Any object, any toy, any juice box, a TV commercial, anything.
By Or Barnea
I distinctly remember the morning we landed in Orlando Florida, on a plane from JFK. After going through passport control and picking up luggage, right in front the exit door – there stood a see-through soda vending machine, and inside something I have never seen before.
Crystal Pepsi was brought on shelves in the US and Canada from 1992 to 1994, with brief re-releases throughout the mid-2010’s. It was also briefly sold in the UK and Australia. In the early 1990’s, America and Western Pop culture in general was going through a “Clear Craze”. Nintendo released a clear “Game Boy”, showing game-boy addicts (myself included) the electric insides of the console. There was also a Bell Atlantic clear acrylic see-through phone that became an instant hit (Also in Israel, and was given as a gift with every subsection to “Maariv Lanoar” – one of the local versions for the US’s “Teen” magazine).
I was blown away seeing that plastic bottle of Crystal Pepsi at the airport. “What the hell was that”, I thought. My tiny mind was trying to balance the endorphins released while seeing that the latest American marketing trend found its way into my favorite drink (because it was Back to Future’s Marty McCfly favorite drink as well, And older Tom Hanks in “Big” had a Pepsi vending machine in his New-York studio apartment. I was a complete fool for product placement while watching Movies growing up. I still am. Nice job, Pepsi).
I reached out for my sister and asked her if she sees what I’m seeing, and made my dad buy me the bottle. I took the first sip walking slowly towards the exit. The revealing sun hurt my eyes and I tipped my New York Mets Blue and Orange Baseball cap.
The feeling on my tongue and lips was tingly, It sparkled much more than regular Pepsi and even maybe made me feel a little uncomfortable. Yet that sweet-sweet liquidi tasteful rush was beautiful. It felt and tasted – like America.