GASTRONORMOUS

No, this title doesn’t refer to a New Realist still life painting, it refers to a kooky Japanese soda. With a marble in it.

This clear soda is called Ramuné, and is “fruit flavored,” if you believe the menu of the Japanese restaurant from which I ordered it (and if you believe wikipedia, it is supposed to be lemon-lime flavored and “ramuné” is actually a sort of transliteration of the word “lemonade”. A-dor-A-ble!). It actually has more of a vague bubble-gummy flavor, similar to champagne cola, which will be familiar to you if you frequent Latin markets.

As new-fangled and, shall we say, futuristic, as the soda looks, it actually has been around at least since just before World War II when its popularity with Japanese navymen increased its trendiness among the general population in Japan.

Why it has never been all the rage here in America, I have no idea. Maybe it is too complicated a refreshment (the instructions to consume the beverage involve six steps), or maybe it is too dangerous (have you ever seen a soda bottle with a caution symbol and four bulleted points of possible danger underneath?).

Despite the peril involved in opening it (the marble acts as a seal at the top of the bottle and you must push it down with some force to dislodge it), it was actually a rather enjoyable beverage, not just in flavor, but in the employment of all these senses; it is unexpectedly amusing to see and hear the marble roll noisily around in the bottle and to engage in the challenge of trying to drink the soda without the marble stopping up the bottle.

I wouldn’t say this is a soda I would turn to regularly for thirst abatement, but it is a fun novelty drink. In fact, my co-workers at lunch were covetous of it. I suspect next time we order from this restaurant, there will be Ramunés all ’round.

Instructions for Ramuné:

1. Serve Ramuné drink chilled.
2. Remove the plastic film from the top.
3. Pop out the center from the cap, which will be used to open the bottle.
4. Place the opener at the top of the bottle and press down firmly.
5. Drink with the indented neck side facing down to trap the marble. [Gast. note: this doesn't necessarily ensure marble-free drinking!]
6. Enjoy the drink. [I love that they put this in the instructions. You must enjoy it!]

Cautions for Ramuné:

• Ask an adult to open the bottle for you. [There is indeed an element of danger in this.]
• Do not try to remove the marble from the bottle to avoid an injury. [But can you try to remove it for some other reason?]
• Do not place the cap, opener or marble in your mouth.
• Do not store this product in the freezer or expose to high temperatures.