It's funny how the taste of something can act as a kinda time-machine and wheek ye right back to a time and place long in the past.
I was oot the back cutting the grass the other day and had a sudden urge for a boatil o Red Kola. I nipped over tae the wee shop on the green and got maself a boatil. Back at the hoose I opened the top and took a swig. And there I was back in the past.
The taste o the Red Kola took me right back to my Gran & Grandad's hoose in Craigentiny back in the 70's. Right back to a Saturday night there, when a young bobrob and I sat in front of an old black and white TV as the regular monotone voice of the boy on Grandstand announced the fitba results. Ye couldnae talk durin the results as ma auld Grandad sat there wi his coupon on his knee and checked off the results. Any conversation during this ritual was met with a "Shut yer erse, son" from Grandad and a wee hit oan the back o the heid.
Me bobrob and ma cousins sat on the carpet balancin' plates o homemade chips on oor knees, and glasses ful of Red Kola, waiting for the familiar sound of Dr Who to emerge from the tinny TV speakers. Then it was complete silence broken only by the sound o chips being munched and Red Kola being sooked doon, as we went on another adventure wi Dr Who!
Red Kola is braw! My old Gran always made sure there were boatils o Barrs fizzy juice in her hoose. I hadnae tasted Red Kola in years, but that boatil the other day was great! Times have changed tho. The deposit on the glass boatil is now 30p! Imagine! Back in the day when we drank the stuff at the High Wall you only got aboot 2p oan an empty. But you had to be careful wi boatils you found at the High Wall, cause Curly might have beaten you to it! God knows how he managed to get diarrhea into a boatil or a can but he did! And even the corner shop wouldnae take one back in yon kinda state!
Cheers
Arkos
2 comments:
Aye barry though it is, that stuff will rot ye from the inside.
30p a boatil, didnae realise that. I mind raking aboot buildin' sites for the auld "glass cheques". Some shops would take Globe only, others took Barrs and there was Hendrys too if I mind right.
The recycling would work a treat if awbody did that, imagine the wine and beer boatils that would go back tae Tescos.
I mind when I worked back in the Childrens Units and the bairns there wouldnae dream o' taking a boatil back. We ended up wi' a cupboard fu' o' the things. One roastin' day we were aw oot the back haein a kick aboot when the icey van came roond. So I scooped them aw up and gied them tae the boy. Aw the lads were rippin' the pish oot o' me callin' us "Hector the Collector" and that.
Different story when I returned wi 10 fags, a couple o' boalits o'Rid Cola and a handfu o' ice poles. Suddenly "Hector" wis awbodys pal.
Ah stil like tae impart a wee bit o' the High Wall values on the young yins, even tae this day. It's like passin' oan guid lessons aboot life. Efter aw, we aw turned oot awright.
When it wisnae chips it wiz tomaty soup wi aboot three loafs oh breed. But all tell ye thir is nowt thit tastes like reed cola. Ah reckon thit ma guts ur ruined fae the stuff but ahm no bothered it wiz worth it.
Wheniver ahm back in the toon its the first thing ah buy. Wiz thir no a Sunshine cola tae? Am no sure but if it wiz called that it wiz barry wi a lump oh vanilla icecream in it oot oh this world!
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