Shiakiku Ramune Drink

Name: Shiakiku Carbonated Ramune Drink Melon Flavor

Purchased From: World Market, Brentwood, MO

Color: Predator Blood Green

Taste: I was jonesing for something sweet when I scoured my fridge and found this lost beauty buried in the back. It's a very odd shaped bottle and when I went to open it, I

noticed there is a whole process involved:

After earning my degree in Ramunology, I popped the little marble down into the bottle, hearing a surprisingly satisfying "clink", then the carbonated fizz. The bottle has a nipple like spout at the top and the marble actually helps to regulate how much soda comes out as it can stop the flow after a couple of sips. This could be both helpful an annoying: helpful in that I don't just down the entire 200ml of HFC and carbonated water immediately and annoying when you want a gulp and can't get it.

I found myself feeling genuinely happy everytime I took a drink and set the bottle down and heard the "clank" of the marble rattling around the fairly thick glass bottle. Too bad this could not be

attributed to the flavor of the concoction itself as I found the bitterness of the carbonated water was stronger than the very subtle flavor of the "melon". I can understand that in a cultural perspective a lot of Japanese food stuffs go for subtlety, forcing you to really process what is on your pallet and appreciate the different hints at flavoring. Fuck that. When I want a soda I want cavities, not subtleties and this just ain't bringing home the bacon in the flavor department. I get a little of that citrus and sweet, but not enough for me to rush out and get another bottle. In fact, the only reason I'd try a different flavor is because this bottle really is cool. According to the

infalable wikipedia, children greatly enjoy the "alien eyes" present in the bottle's profile when the marble is dropped. Looks more like an owl to me. Irregaurdless, the fine people at Shiakiku are on to something with this very fun bottle as they can make a sub par soda and still make me want to try another flavor.

Uniqueness: ****

Taste: **