"Soda Pop"

Ramune Drink
a.k.a. the marble drink

Ramune Defined	Product Packaging	Taste	Aftermath	Manufacturers and Importers
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    The ramune we are have been seeing in the asian groceries in the U.S. (while new to the U.S.) is not a recent phenomenom. It is a few anime that has brought recent interest to this oversweet product. Recently the characters in Rah Xephon seemed to swill the stuff in every other scene, and do I even need to mention the "Knights of Ramune," an entire series the derives it name from the ramune drink?
But, ramune can be found in anime as far back as the late 80's. "My Neighbore Totoro" (Studio Ghibli, 1988) has an early scene where little Mei Kusakabe chases a young totoro under her house. As Mei peers into the dark crawl space, we can see a discarded ramune bottle among the litter.

What does "Ramune" mean
    Ramune (ラムネ) is romaji for soda pop. The word ramune is not a brand and not quite a flavor (though, perhaps, synonomous with a flavor).

The Package
    The story here is really less about the drink and more about the package. The novelty of the ramune drink is the bottle shape and the stopper. This bottling method is called a codd bottle, and is one of the earliest methods of bottling (patented by Hiram Codd in 1872).

    The modern codd bottle includes it's own opener which is secured over the mouth of the bottle. To open the ramune bottle the opener is unwrapped and placed inside the mouth of the bottle (on top of the marble), then with a push down from the palm of the hand the marble is shoved into the bottle. Unfortunately you will then experience a rush of drink coming out of the bottle. Regardless of how carefully we transported the bottle and how cold we kept the drink, some of the contents always got our hands wet. I'd recommend opening the bottle in a sink and having a towel handy. Also, on a hot summer day you will invariably attract yellow jackets.

    The best way to enjoy ramune drink is through a straw, but you can drink directly from the bottle. There are two small indentations on the bottle neck that will hold the marble back as you tip up (to about 50 degrees) the bottle to take a drink. Shirakiku Ramune costs about $1.25 to $1.75 in store for a 6.7 fluid ounce serving and $3.00 or more for a bottle from online stores.


I think this might say, "old style soda pop" (Feel free to send a translation)	Handy Opening Instructions. No nutritional value, who cares?	Sacred inscription to stave off marauding bands of American lawyers

The taste
The brand I found in the store was Shirakiku. It's sweet... Very, very, sweet. For me ramune is basically flavorless like a very sweet carbonated water (maybe you'll notice a hint of a lemon/lime taste). There are other flavors available, generally with a fruity hue.

Aftermath
So you've finished your ramune drink and you are left with a sticky empty bottle, sticky fingers and a yellow jacket bite on you lower lip. Should you just throw the bottle away? The best answer would be, "Yes." But at $1.25 a pop it's hard to part with the souvenir bottle. The bottle can be easily washed, or you can try to retrieve the marble. Getting the marble without making a mess is not easy. While the codd bottle design has been around since the 1870's codd bottles were usually broken by kids who wanted the marble. The ramune bottles from Japan have a plastic stopper retainer ring that was designed to stay in place. Obviously you can break the bottle neck or you can gently heat the plastic retainer until it is soft enough to cut with a knife.

Notes on codd bottles can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/beyond/factsheets/makhist/makhist6_prog7d.shtml

Ramune Brands and Importers

Shirakiku, Nishimoto Trading

Japan Sangaria Beverage

CTC Food International / Daiei Trading Co.

Sources

http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/wwwjdic.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/beyond/factsheets/makhist/makhist6_prog7d.shtml

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More of the same from CTC. (Note: CTC's bottle is very convienient, click here to see why.)


"soda pop"	Sacred inscription to stave off marauding bands of American lawyers	Handy Opening Instructions. No nutritional value, who cares?
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