Coke Bottles

Out here we have glass bottle cokes. We have plastic bottles that we call 'mobiles' (with a long I) but they cost 50 cents. The glass bottles are 25 cents and definitely the more common choice among the locals.

Since there's a little store just outside my door I have converted to drinking the glass bottles. Even though you have to return the bottles, they're still cheaper and the place is just right there so it's really not a hassle. And we buy 5 at a time because it's just easier that way

But today, well today there was a foreign body in my glass bottle coke. Good thing I poured it into a separate glass or else I wouldn't have found it until the end. At first I thought maybe it was a piece of ice, then I thought maybe it was a piece of glass. Then I realized that it was a piece of plastic wrapper, probably just trash that the last person shoved into the bottle before they returned it.

No big deal, right? It was definitely a relief to realize that I didn't have to drink it. I could just pour it out and take my chances on the next bottle and that's exactly what I did.

But then I got to thinking...I wonder what kind of 'cleansing' process they use on these reused glass bottles. I mean up to this point I was perfectly content to ignorantly believe that whatever high pressure process they use to seal the metal lid on top was sufficient enough to wipe out the germs of the person before me. Now I've moved on to thinking about backwash and leftover trash shoved down in there...I'm just not sure I want to go there.

So all that to say kudos to the countries who have moved past the glass bottles and on to plastic only. It might be a little more expensive but I bet it saves on passing along communicable diseases.