*Sniff*

Now that we are living overseas, I have come to really appreciate certain aspects of American life. Our wretched foreign policy aside, and recognizing that our country is not at all perfect, I have nevertheless come to appreciate qualities such as efficiency, punctuality, toilet paper, consistent electricity, food variety, and a whole host of other things that we really use without a second thought.

But not Diet Coke. I love Diet Coke and I relished and appreciated every large one I got from Burger King or McDonald's. It wasn't just any Diet Coke, you see. I was especially fond of fountain Diet Coke. Or cans. Not bottles. It came with lots of ice. And free refills.

This is Coke Light (not "lite"). It's not the same as Diet Coke. It's actually Coke, but a "light" version, so it tastes more like regular Coke. Far be it from me to complain, though--I'll take what I can get. They've recently started bottling it here in Tanzania (about 75 cents for a 300ml bottle which is less than a can) so it has become much easier to find and I can get 24 packs at one of the stores (for about $15 so I ration myself carefully).

Look carefully, however. Canned sodas come from Dubai so the labels are in Arabic. I can only assume this says "Coke Light" but to me it looks like "Yes." But said with sneaky hiss, as in "Yssssssssssssssss, it's riduculous to pay that much for me but you know you want it, so buy me, drink me, fall under my spell" kind of way.

Accident? Or a nefarious subliminal plot hatched by Coca-Cola to keep me as their customer? Either way, it's working. I'm succumbing.