落とし穴９９堀：好み (Part2)
"Well, everything is an experience. Since they're selling it as a product, it’s not like it’s something completely undrinkable. This is the crystallization of the efforts of those trying to sell their wares. Since they went through the trouble of preparing it, why don't we give it a try? Besides, if it tastes bad, we don't have to force ourselves to finish it, right? What do you say, Yuki?"
"Well, if it’s so bad that it makes me gag, that’s a health hazard. I won't go that far. Taiki, you don't think it'll be that bad, do you?"
"I mean, I don't think it'll be *that* terrible, but..."
"Alright. Then let's steel ourselves and give it a shot. I've got paper cups ready, so let's start with the Adzuki Bean Sour!"
I opened the most harmless-looking one first, poured it into three cups, and handed them out.
"Hmm. It smells like adzuki beans, alright."
"But it's carbonated. Wouldn't a regular sweet red bean soup have been fine...?"
"Don't say that. They probably wanted to explore this direction. Alright, let's drink."
With that, the three of us took a sip of the Adzuki Bean Sour and let it slide down our throats.
"..."
A moment of silence.
"Actually, it tastes more like adzuki beans than I thought."
"You're right. It really is just adzuki beans. But, is the carbonation necessary?"
"Yeah, it feels like it would be fine without the fizz. How should I put it? It's not quite a sports drink, but maybe a 'Japanese-style juice'?"
"Japanese-style juice. I see. That’s a perfect way to put it. It’s not as bad as I expected. Maybe because we’re used to the idea of drinking red bean soup, we didn't have a negative reaction?"
Taizo-san’s analysis made Taiki and me nod in agreement. Since we've had the "oshiruko" style of drinking dissolved beans for a long time, this just felt like a more watery version of that.
The tasting session continued in that vein. Watermelon is a common summer fruit, so we didn't have any particular aversion to it; it was perfectly drinkable. There's ice cream and such, so it wasn't a problem. We all agreed that since watermelon is already juicy when you eat it as is, the juice didn't taste much different. The only issue was the slight cognitive dissonance of having the flavor of watermelon without the sensation of biting into it. I suppose it’s just the ingrained idea that watermelon isn't something you drink.
As for the Shiso (perilla) juice, well, people either love or hate shiso, so Taiki was a hard pass. I managed to drink it. I mean, shiso juice is a common health drink, after all. Still, personally, I prefer eating the leaves. It felt really strange. Taizo-san also agreed that the leaves were better. However, we were able to drink it without much trouble. We didn't even grimace, just drank it with surprise at the flavor—a sign of the times, I suppose. Food has been scarce, so we’ve learned to eat whatever we can.
And then, the final one: Cucumber Sour.
Why this choice? I felt like strangling the product developer. Couldn't they have just made a regular vegetable juice? Maybe they chose it because cucumbers are nearly 90% water and the rest is mostly fiber, making it a fantastic diet food, but still...
"This is a no."
The three of us were in complete agreement. It wasn't that we *couldn't* drink it. The moment it hit our mouths, there was the popping sensation of the carbonation, followed by the spreading scent and taste of cucumber. Regardless of the beginning, there was nothing moving about the finish. I suppose if people can drink tomato juice with carbonation, this might be acceptable to some, but for us, it was a hard pass. It was a case of, "Just eat the cucumber, man." It was one of those things that humanity just isn't ready for yet.
As I was steeling myself to drink the rest of the Cucumber Sour, the room door suddenly opened.
"I smelled cucumber."
John was standing there.
"Oh, Boss. That is..."
"Ah, yeah. It's a Cucumber Sour sold in Japan."
"Whoa!! Japanese cucumber drink!! That's amazing!! Can I try it!?"
"Eh? I don't mind, but what about you two?"
"I don't mind either. Go ahead, John."
"Same here. You can have it, John."
"You heard them, right!? I'm not giving it back!!"
John hugged the half-empty Cucumber Sour, making it clear he wasn't sharing. Nobody was going to take that bizarre drink anyway.
"Then, excuse me... Whoa!! This is delicious!! It’s more refined than the ones we have in Weed!? As expected of JAPON!!"
You sound like a foreigner visiting Japan for the first time.
"Wait, hold on. You said you have it in Weed?"
"Eh? You didn't know? Super Ratz has been selling their own homemade bottled drinks."
"Ah, I heard about lemon and peach. They're trying to lower costs by reusing plastic bottles, right?"
"That's the one. Cucumber Sour is one of them, and it's super popular with the ladies!! I love it too!! Oh, sorry. I have to go, Sakura-chan and the others are calling for me. Excuse me!"
Oh, I see. Since he often comes over to play with the kids, that's fine, but...
"Well, different countries, different cultures."
"I suppose that's how it is?"
"More importantly, what's up with John's sensory abilities? What do you mean, 'the scent of cucumber'?"
It was a summer episode that left me feeling like John is slowly but surely walking the path to becoming a Kappa.
Yes.
What kind of drinks did you all have this summer?
Did you try any limited-edition drinks at a famous coffee chain?
And I'm sure there were some drinks in the past that you thought were terrible.
Why not try a weird drink for the sake of a summer memory?
I have no idea if they actually exist, though.