My Soda'd Past

One night this week, flipping around the channels, I saw a scene from a soda fountain from the 1950s, and the server picked up a stainless steel holder and then whacked it over the top of these upside down paper cones so that the holder now had one paper cone.

OMG.

I had totally forgotten about those cones, but I remember drinking out of them. Actually they were handy -- the soda fountain could throw away the paper cup and they didn't have to wash the stainless steel holder. Above is the best picture I could find of them. That got me thinking about different soda experiences.

For a while in the late 50s, early 60s, there was a soda machine that opened like a chest. The bottles were lined up in rows with a metal collar around the neck of the bottle. You'd pick your soda from the row, and ease the bottle along to the opening, which, of course, would open only after you paid.

The best thing I can equate this to is when you rent a cart at the airport and you ease one cart out to the end and the collar releases the one cart.

But the best part of this was the soda bottles were soaking in water so you'd be all hot on a summer day, get your cold soda and it would come out dripping in cold water. This is a picture of one of them, and I can still feel that cool water because your hand would get wet as well easing the bottle down the little line to the opening.

Then when looking for pictures, I came across this Hires barrel, which instantly rang a bell with me. I find the brain so amazing (I know: DUH) But my brain has not contemplated that root beer barrel for decades, literally, and then in a microsecond there is recognition.