Tag Archives: Dr. Pepper

Dr. Pepper & Peanuts

Posted on by
Reply

Dr. Pepper & Peanuts

By N. Bright

My grandfather, Pappy, used to take me to the Grain Coop in Lockney, Texas where he’d buy me a “sodi pop” and a handful of peanuts. You had to take a couple of sips before your peanuts would all fit in the thin necked bottle. I always studied the artwork on the bottle and asked him why couldn’t we have one at 10, 2 and 4 everyday?

The memories of our childhood, the sounds, the experiences and the tastes all influence our stories and add flavor to our writing. These are the details that give your stories voice.

If it has to do with history, I always have to know how and why. Which brings me to the point of this blog: how long has Dr. Pepper been around?

The unique flavor of Dr. Pepper was created and sold beginning in 1885 in Waco, Texas. Dr. Pepper is the oldest manufacturer of soft drink concentrates and syrups in the U.S. It originated at Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store by Charles Alderton, a young pharmacist who worked there.

Alderton liked the syrup flavor smells and in his spare time served carbonated drinks at the soda fountain. Keeping a journal, he began experimenting with numerous mixtures until he found the one he liked. Long story short, the store owner loved it, the fountain customers loved it, and its popularity soon spread. Robert S. Lazenby, a young beverage chemist, also tasted the new drink and along with Morrison, formed a new firm, the Artesian Mfg. & Bottling Company, which later became Dr Pepper Company. They introduced Dr Pepper to almost 20 million people attending the 1904 World’s Fair Exposition in St. Louis. At the same Fair, hamburgers and frankfurters were first served on buns, and the ice cream cone was first served.

So now I’m wondering in my fictitious town of Justice, Texas, 1887, if my main character’s grandfather might have bought her a Dr. Pepper? The challenge comes in digging deep for answers, and taking our experiences and applying them to another time and place. That’s the magic of writing.

Did you Know that a total of 23 fruit flavors give Dr Pepper its unique taste?

Say What?

Posted on by
Reply

Outtakes 55 
Say What?

I’m an Air Force brat. My father served 26 years in the Army Air Corps and the Air Force. We did some traveling; mostly south to north and back again. Dad was assigned to a three-year stint in St. John’s, Newfoundland, an island province of Canada, but that’s a separate story. You see the military views things a little differently than civilians. Someone might ask about your hometown, but the service views you as Air Force regardless of age, sex, or state of origin. Imagine how difficult is for Southern-Air Force to be stationed in Northern Air Force.

As Southern Air Force (Texas-born, Louisiana cultured), I was raised to say ‘Ya’ll come’, ‘Thank you kindly, sir.’ ‘ Mom’s cooking up a mess of turnip greens and ham,’ ‘the skillet’s hot and ready to fry up some chicken’, or ‘I sure do love corn bread and sweet milk’. Unfortunately, the good citizens of Bangor, Maine, considered my terminology quite colorful. Of course, I had the same issues with Maine-speak, especially if the speaker was from down-east Maine. My teacher told me I needed red shots for gym. Cas were paked in the paking lot. Shooting stas could be seen in winter. We went to Ba Haba on Saturday. Quick translation: Red shots are red shorts. Cars were parked in the parking lot. Shooting stars can be seen in winter. And we went to Bar Harbor on Saturday. No wonder I nearly failed spelling! It seems strange that a country whose primary language is English is full of dialects and colloquialisms. Then again, the regional differences in our language are a gold mine for writers.

Can you imagine Scarlet O’Hara without her sweet southern belle smile and “Oh, Rhett, I do love you.”  Or “I want everyone to be pea green with envy.” I also enjoyed the Closer’s Brenda Lee Johnson’s syrup-sweet “I’m doing just fine, thank you, but you on the other hand are under arrest.” What about President Kennedy’s cultured Boston accent? Californians have their special vocabulary. Sarah Palin speaks with a wonderful homey twang. Sprinkling these regional dialects and phrases in our stories adds color and enhances the setting. It brings realism to the work.  Just don’t over-do it. There is a balance that should be maintained.

I say all this as I work on my contemporary cowboy story.  In Texas, a filly could be a young female horse or a young lady. Is wushin’ my dirty clothes appropriate? I know we must greeze the axle on the hay-hauler. But if I order a soda, will I get a Dr. Pepper or a Big Red? Will the sky fall if I plan a bar-b-q on Friday night during high school football season? Such an action is sacrilegious and a hanging offense if a town’s team is in the state play-offs. Is referring to the protagonist’s girlfriend as ‘ugly as a mud fence’ too much an insult? When in doubt, I’ll consult Lou Hudson’s SPEAK TEXAN IN 30 MINUTES OR LES. I just have to be sure my good friends up North know that Texans no longer tie their horses to the hitchin’ post in front of the livery stable. We now drive trucks and park them in the parking lot.

Cait Collins

Dr. Pepper and Peanuts

Posted on by
Reply

Dr. Pepper & Peanuts

By Natalie Bright

My kids ask for Dr. Pepper’s during the summer, and I remember craving them just as bad when I was a kid. My grandfather, Pappy, used to take me to the Coop in Lockney, Texas where he’d buy me a “sodi pop” and a handful of peanuts. You had to take a couple of sips before your peanuts would all fit in the thin necked bottle. I always studied the artwork on the bottle and asked him why couldn’t we have one at 10, 2 and 4 everyday?

The memories of our childhood, the tastes, the experiences all influence our stories and add color to our writing. If it has to do with history, I always have to know how and why. Which brings me to the point of this blog: how long has Dr. Pepper been around?

The unique flavor of Dr. Pepper was created and sold beginning in 1885 in Waco, Texas. Dr. Pepper is the oldest manufacturer of soft drink concentrates and syrups in the U.S. It originated at Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store by Charles Alderton, a young pharmacist who worked there.

Alderton liked the syrup flavor smells and in his spare time served carbonated drinks at the soda fountain. Keeping a journal, he began experimenting with numerous mixtures until he found the one he liked. Long story short, the store owner loved it, the fountain customers loved it, and its popularity soon spread.

Robert S. Lazenby, a young beverage chemist, also tasted the new drink and along with Morrison, formed a new firm, the Artesian Mfg. & Bottling Company, which later became Dr Pepper Company. They introduced Dr Pepper to almost 20 million people attending the 1904 World’s Fair Exposition in St. Louis. At the same Fair, hamburgers and frankfurters were first served on buns, and the ice cream cone was first served.

So now I’m wondering in my fictitious town of Justice, Texas, 1887, if my main character’s grandfather might buy her a Dr. Pepper? The challenge comes in taking our experiences and applying them to another time and place. That’s the magic of writing.

Did you Know, 23 fruit flavors give Dr Pepper its unique taste?

www.nataliebright.com