alexpgp | Out of this world? (Reply)

Have you seen this creature?

* * *Leave it to my overactive (and often underused) imagination, but I felt the above image bore a striking similarity to the (by now) "classical" depiction of space aliens.

This raises the following issues:

1. Do people claiming to be abductees drink a lot Ramune? If they did, it would explain a lot.

2. Is the company that sells Ramune controlled by space aliens? If they are, we're all in a lot of trouble. Or maybe not.

What is Ramune?

What the heck am I talking about?

This:

I found this modest bottle (and others identical to it) at my local Hong Kong Market. It contains a soft drink. Unlike most other bottles with such drinks, this one has a gimmick.

The very top section is removable and contains a little plastic gizmo. Once the top section is removed, the gizmo is used to push in a glass marble that is wedged in the top of the bottle proper, thus sealing it. The constriction about halfway down the bottle's geometry stops the marble from falling completely to the bottom. I've found there is no way to slowly push the marble in, but then again, every bottle I've opened has been cold and not agitated beforehand, so the contents stay inside.

If you try to pour out the contents the wrong way, or too fast, the marble rolls along the inclined surface down to the mouth of the bottle and cuts off the flow. The only way to assure a flow is to slowly pour the contents out while tipping the bottle in such a way that the two dimples above the constriction (the alien's "eyes") catch and hold the marble.

The name of the drink is, apparently, Ramune, and it carries the Shirakiku brand. I have to believe it's a popular drink in Japan, but I'll be flummoxed if I can figure out why. (Maybe kids like watching bubbles form on the marble, or like to have contests to see who can empty a bottle the quickest without the marble closing off the top?)

Or maybe it's just refreshing? I like it, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to drink one. (Then again, there have been times when I could care less about having a Coke or something else).

Some of life's mysteries are good.

Cheers...