But Dear Leader says soda pop no good for JD...

Wants me smokem pot instead.

Gerard, God bless you for posting that clip! What a wonderful American Mr Nese is! His enthusiasm almost brought tears to my eyes, in this day and time when so many retailers/vendors could care less about their customers. I'm moved to wonder what a "pop tax" that the clowns are now considering would do to his business. (Guess there's no chance he'll open a branch up here in Rapid City.) This is why I read your site every day: you've almost always got something interesting, or (as in this case) refreshing! Now, I wonder if Mr Nese does mail order?

Back in the day, when pop bottles were reused, a kid could clean up the neighborhood of its abandoned bottles, AND make enough money off the bottle deposits to buy more pop. Along with some penny candy. Or a lot of candy if you were really industrious.

I'm fortunate to live within driving distance of Galco's, and my family does a pilgrimage to the store about twice a year to stock up on favorites. Mr. Nese is wonderful to talk to, and he's always been in the store when we go. To anybody in So Cal, I recommend a visit to the store.

Wait for Hannukah or other Jewish holidays or find a good kosher deli. Coke makes kosher Coca Cola with real sugar. No corn syrup.

Gerard - You continue to surprise me, on a daily basis.

I'm making up my soda order right after this note.

If there is such a pronounced difference in the taste of high fructose corn syrup and cane sugar, why doesn't Pepsi switch back and run Coke out of business? Pop made with high fructose corn syrup was extensively taste tested before the switch was made. It would be counter productive to deliberately hurt the taste of your product. Indeed, recall when Coke was reformulated, public demand caused Coke to reintroduce the original formula as Classic Coke. Fructose is fructose whether it comes from a kernel of corn or from cane sugar,or beet sugar for that matter. Your tongue can't tell the difference.

Amen. I basically quit drinking Coke way back when when they went to fructose. I live for the yellow cap koshers. It's a completely different thing altogether.

Around 8:05 he mentions doing business directly with other businesses his size.

This is a critical idea in a truly free market economy. It struck me as precisely the grass roots free market model that transformed the economy in de Soto's Peru, where it had the happy side-effect of discrediting - and ultimately defeating - the redistributive policies of Shining Path marxism.

This is why I have a voracious appetite for intelligent people discussing what is important to them, even if it doesn't seem immediately important to me. They focus on the important details in their niche, and that is a shortcut I can learn. I don't care if the person is an expert on Bolivian flaming frogs or early Greek lawn care, there will be something in that discussion that I can use now or later.

There is no joy so complete as that of a man doing what he was put on this earth to do.

1:17 - "Thank you very much Pepsi-Cola for reminding me that I own my own shelf space and I can do any thing that I want." That is the sound of a liberated mind. This is how you can do one specific thing that people want better than anyone else does. When we all become as wise as John Nese, we'll find our own paths to nirvana.

Sorry to wander off in a tangent, but, whatever happened to New York Seltzer Water? I used to love that stuff but it just seemed to disappear. Curses.

No mention of Dublin (Texas) Dr. Pepper.

And there are other sugar-based drinks made in the US.

Why fructose? Something about US trade laws, I think, but I don't understand it.

Walmart has a no-sodium seltzer water--dunno how that differs from "New York".

Two words, Larry: Corn subsidies.

Revoke those and HFCS no longer has a cost advantage.

I used to work just a few blocks from Galco's in the late 80's, early 90's. Then they were locally famous for their gigantic subs, among other things. I'm definitely going back up there in the near future. I gotta' try rose, cucumber, Moxie, and banana. And I haven't had a rock n' rye since I was a kid. Yummy.

JWM