When I was a small child living in Augusta there was a little grocery store just a few blocks from where we lived, called Carpenter's, which had likely been in business for many years. Carpenters had normal-sized buggies for grownups, and child-sized buggies for kids -- which was unusual for the 1960's.
I liked to go to Carpenters with Mama because she would buy me a box of animal crackers and a "co cola" -- a little one, in a green bottle. It cost a dime. I would walk around the store pushing my little buggy, drinking my co cola, feeling like a grownup lady. [below, the Herd Avenue house, where I lived until age 5]
For my entire childhood, the beverages we were allowed to have were milk [always had to drink a full glass with dinner], fruit juice, tea, and water. To be allowed to drink a coke was a rare treat.
I was reminded of how much Coke has been a part of my life when I read Under the Pines, on the Bitter Southerner website.
My aunt Hazel lived in Acworth, Georgia all her life, and for most of her adult life she worked at stores, first a little general store she and her husband owned, then later at a drugstore in downtown Acworth. Mom told me not long ago that whenever Hazel heard there had been a death, she would send over a case of Cokes to the house. Since Acworth was small and the drugstore was the hub of all activity, she always heard these things very quickly. Her reasoning was that lots of folks would send food, but an icy cold Coke was always a welcome refreshment.
Hazel and her husband Gan as newlyweds
When I grew up, I heard family stories about Coke.
My grandfather Bob Hasty played baseball in the major leagues for 5 years, for the Philadelphia Athletics. One of his buddies was fellow GeorgianTy Cobb. Sometime in the early 1920's Cobb told my grandfather about an investment opportunity. There was a small soda pop company in Atlanta called Coca Cola, and Ty thought it was a great idea to invest in the company and buy its stock. Cobb was an astute businessman and amassed a good bit of wealth in his life. My grandfather preferred drinking iced tea and didn't think people would want to drink Coke, so he invested his money in a farm, instead.
A few years later, Papa lost the farm during the Depression.
He and Cobb remained friends, and Papa was one of the pallbearers at Cobb's funeral. [FYI -- Cobb was not the horrible person news accounts often portray him to be.]
Shortly after Mother moved over here in 2005 to live with me, we were driving past Callanwolde, and Mother remarked that her mother used to go to tea over there with Mrs. Candler. They were both alumni of Bessie Tift College.
A family story on Dad's side tells about one of his cousins who gave her baby daughter Cokes during a long trip -- a fact which scandalized the family. The daughter is now almost 80..
My very first paralegal job was at a firm that had been around for almost 100 years, and in the breakroom was an old Coke machine that dispensed small Cokes, just like the ones bought at Carpenters. You had to turn in the bottles for the bottler. I mostly drank coffee and tea but on a hot day, an icy cold Coke hit the spot.
For years, I drank Diet Cokes, thinking they were wonderful. I don't drink Coke products any more, because sodas give me indigestion. Now I only drink water.
Here in the South, Coke is part of our history. I've enjoyed visiting the Coca Cola museum in downtown Atlanta. I hope the company continues to thrive, and employ lots of local folks.
Of course, sometimes I wonder how different life would have been if Papa had bought some of that Coca Cola stock...
