Obama Soda and Bubu Lubu
ByJanuary 20th, 2009. A day that will go down in history as the inauguration of America’s first black president.
That’s something that still impresses me, but the first thing I thought of that morning was, “By golly, I need a theme drink to toast the occasion with!” So off I went to the Sev (7-Eleven to the unhip) to find Jones Soda Co.’s “Orange You Glad for Change” Cola, a citrus-spiked cola made just for inauguration day.
Sadly, the Skokie location was out, but they were well stocked with Bubu Lubu, a Mexican candy bar with a spiky-haired ghost as its mascot. The ghost, I have to say, looks a bit loopy on E.
This bar had me at ¡Hola! The description read, “strawberry flavored jelly and marshmallow with chocolate flavored coating”. Despite my unabashed love for honest-to-goodness real chocolate, I’m a sucker for chocolate-flavored things too, like Quik, Charleston Chew, and Tootsie Rolls. Chocolate-covered marshmallow is even better, but when there’s chemically flavored strawberry goo thrown in, oh boy! I figured with a new president officially in charge, I should also buy a lottery ticket for good luck. I had out my wallet, expecting to pay about $35, but the total came to…$1.30? What was this, 1972? I couldn’t remember the last time I was able to buy a full-size candy bar for thirty cents.
I eventually found the soda at another location. It was a little too acidic, as though the Jones people mixed cola with OJ, but it wasn’t bad. It’s better than Lemon Coke. I prefer their Orange & Cream and Root Beer sodas.
I wasted no time getting the wrapper off my Bubu (get your minds out of the gutter). It looked harmless enough—a nice “chocolate” log in a wavy shape, like a well-endowed snake. The jelly inside was bright, neon pink. The marshmallow was so gooey that breaking the bar into chunks was impossible.
How did it taste? I guess you can say I didn’t win the lottery. The bar was somehow devoid of any marshmallow taste and it was so sugary sweet that I felt the grit in my teeth. But kids and the perpetually sleepy would love it.
7-Eleven
4001 Oakton St., Skokie
(847) 679-2580
6200 N. Sayre, Chicago
(773) 775-2063
