I had a friend years ago who was from Iowa (this is not his discerning characteristic, but it’s important for this story). About ten years ago we travelled to Poland together to visit some of the people he had met while teaching there. While we were waiting to board the plane, he asked if I was thirsty. I said yes, and he reached into his carry on and pulled out a bubble-wrapped Dr. Pepper. I peeked into his bag and there were twenty-three more. He had packed a case of Dr. Pepper, a case people! He explained that he loved Dr. Pepper, and that one couldn’t buy Dr. Pepper in Poland. This was reasonable, I thought, but a connection lodged itself into my brain: Iowans love Dr. Pepper.
For the next ten years, I have been carrying out a brief poll on Tall Corn Staters, and maybe, dear reader, you can help. First, find an Iowan. Second, ask what their favorite soda is. They will respond in three ways (ordered from most common to least) 1.Dr. Pepper 2.I don’t drink soda 3.Coke. Answer one is proof of the theory, answer two can be fixed by a quick follow up ‘If you had to drink a soda (I’m from the part of the country where we call it soda), which would it be?’ They will say Dr. Pepper. The third answer disproves the theory, but can be explained with certain qualifications.
The Iowan who claims they do not like Dr. Pepper can fall into one of two groups: A. They’re not really from Iowa, or B. They’ve been out of Iowa too long to remember they they like Dr. Pepper. I had a brief chat with Chef Mike Phillips of The Craftsman, who does not drink soda and prefers Coca-Cola (a sure sign of a false Iowan). He admits to not having lived in Iowa for a number of years (A-HA!), but stated, “All Iowans love Dr. Pepper.” There’s the proof.
But why? Is it the special blend of 23 flavors? Do Iowans hate colas and lemon-lime beverages? I tried to find out if there’s some regional attachment to the soda, but to no avail. There’s no mention of this on Iowa’s wikipedia page (at least not yet), and other than a bottling plant in Des Moines, there’s no major Dr. Pepper related industry in the Hawkeye State. I went straight to the source and asked the Dr. himself. He must have passed my e-mail onto the corporate auto-response machine, because I got a crappy generic response (thank you for your interest in Dr. Pepper, etc).
As a native Wisconsinite, I can appriciate Iowans love of Dr. Pepper. It’s a fine soda (I’m a Black Bear black cherry man, myself), but throughout my study, I cannot find a definative reason as to why our neighbors to the south love The Pepper. I’m open to ideas on why this is the case, I would like to see an end to the sleepless nights that this has caused me.
Update: I’ve been informed (by an Iowan) that only Iowans south of Highway 20, or southern Iowans love Dr. Pepper. Can anyone back this up?
