Why is Coke so delicious?

I'm looking at the ingredients and there's only 6. That's pretty remarkable. Especially when you consider other drinks out there like Dr. Pepper who advertised that there are like 31 different tastes in one can - seriously, that ad campaign made me want to hurl.

I was a walking Coke commercial today though. It's really hot out, so I ran across the street from the office and bought a Coke in a bottle and popped it open on the street corner and drank it as I walked in front of the cars stopped for me in the crosswalk. Seriously, I'll bet at least one of them pulled in somewhere and bought a red can of delight.

Is it the old-school Americana idea of Coca-Cola that always makes it so yummy? It always reminds me of the 4th of July because my boyfriend when I was 20 always bought it in a glass bottle for that holiday. Also, I remember being a kid and going to work with my dad, getting a quarter out of the piggy bank off his desk, running across the dusty parking lot to the small soda vending machine, slipping the quarter in the slot, pushing the button for Coke and smiling HUGE as the glass bottle hit the bottom pocket. The machine had a little bottle opener on it's side, so I could always have my first sip as I walked back to the block plant.

Whatever the reason, Coca-Cola will always have a soft spot in my heart. It's high school football games, the gas station around the block from my parents' house, road trip stops, camping at the coast, swimming at the Illinois River, working the Lion's food booth with my fellow cheerleaders at the county fair, driving in Kelley's cream puff listening to Madonna and a hundred other memories. Good stuff.