Coke and peanuts

Some book I was reading recently described "an old southern custom" of dropping peanuts in a bottle of Coke, drinking the Coke and then eating the peanuts out of the bottom. I am originally from the South and I had never heard of such a thing. So I asked the ladies on my Southron Lady Yahoo group if they knew about it. Yes, several of them did. My mother even e-mailed me about it! She said when she was growing up (in southwestern Oklahoma) if they had a dime for lunch they would get a bottle of Coke and a bag of peanuts, and that was a real treat! Five cents for a bottle of Coke and five cents for a bag of peanuts! When we were growing up (in the 1970s) such a treat would have cost more than a dime, which was more than my parents could afford, so I guess that's why I never knew about it. (We didn't get to have pop much at all when I was little.)

So... for Christmas this year I asked for a carton of bottled Coke. I'm sure the cans would work just as well... but I wanted the real old-fashioned experience of dropping the peanuts down the neck of the Coke bottle! The Coca-Cola company always comes out with glass bottles at Christmas time. Don't know if they're available any other time. I finally got to try it last night... and I like it! I was surprised how quickly the peanuts got soggy. The Coke makes them fizz, too, so it's fun to watch. Maybe it's the carbonation that makes them get soggy so fast.

I love soggy (boiled) peanuts! That's another southern thing, I guess. Most people I have mentioned it to have never heard of it, and they don't think they would like them. Once in awhile I'll buy some raw peanuts in the shell and put 'em in a pot of water on the stove and add lots of salt, then let 'em boil for an hour or so. I guess I have weird tastes, but I really do enjoy peanuts that way.