MAYrathon 2.0 Day 19 - Mc Col?

Not really sure what to expect with this one. This is Mc Col, a South Korean Barley Flavored Carbonated Drink. Huh? While I am a fan of beer, my experience with barley in general has not been good. I had one of those Malta Goya drinks once that seem to be popular in Latino cultures, and I thought it was just awful. Even more recently, I had some stupid marmite and wanted to chop off my tongue. So barley and I don't have the greatest track record, but I'm certainly up to the challenge, especially since this pop is pretty much my last name.

According to this guy, I'm sure to love it!

There's not a ton of info online about this soda, but it's apparently Korea's first barley soda, and is often used as an O'Doul's type non-alcoholic alternative to beer. It's described by some as crisp and refreshing while others refer to it as bitter, sour and...fuzzy? And everything I've read on it points to the fact that people love it...eventually. It's an acquired taste that you have to get used to I guess. The 1.5 liter bottle is massive and includes both Korean and English wording. For reasons unknown, their tagline seems to be - "Spark Up!" I don't know if that's just lost in translation or means something different in Korean, but I don't plan to roll this up in a dubester and smoke it outside the Walgreen's. I want to drink it. Ingredients are simply: water, fructose, sugar, carbon dioxide, citric acid, barley extract and natural lemon lime flavor.

Alright, I'm going to try and go for a swig of this massive bottle without cramping up or spilling it on my computer. The smell is none too pleasing. It's essentially dirt. I can smell a little barley, but it's overall just a dirty, rustic smell. Let's go in for a drink...it's...weird. The front end of the taste is Dr. Pepper while the aftertaste is barley, grains and lemons. It's a little like if someone dropped a dollop of marmite into a bottle of Dr. Pepper. Weird. I guess I don't hate it, but I don't think I'll ever look for it again. You get a passing grade, Mc Col, but just barley...I mean BARELY. AHAHAHAHA. 

MAYrathon 2.0 Day 4 - Marmite

Much like my list of sodas I've always wanted to try (I'll get to cross two more off that list this month), I've always had a mental list of strange foods that I've always hoped to run into one day and shove down my gullet. Not because I think they would be necessarily tasty or gross, but just so I could say, "I've tried that." Items like turtle soup, rocky mountain oysters, chocolate covered ants and many more have continued to evade me for years, but today, at my local grocery store, I've finally found the fabled Marmite.

What is Marmite you say? Well it has quite the history and is one of the most polarizing and acquired taste foods out there. Their slogan is even "love it or hate it." It's huge in its native England, Australia (along with Vegemite) and especially in New Zealand where riots broke out when the country once decided to stop carrying it. So here's a brief history lesson. Marmite was invented by accident in 1902 when German chemist, Justus Liebig realized that brewer's yeast from a local brewery could be picked up off the assembly line, concentrated and eaten. With assistance from Bass Brewing Company, Marmite, packed with many vitamins, became a staple in the English diet, and being packed in the Allies' food rations in both World Wars. Not only good for you, but it apparently is extremely effective in keeping mosquitoes away!

This is not a popular spread in America and most people describe the dark black, savory spread as extremely salty and unbearable. It's typically eaten as a spread on toast or rolls or paired with cheese, but to get the full experience, I'm just going all in with a fork. The smell is very yeasty and salty with a bit of a soy sauce afterburn. I got some on the fork and it's very thick with a molasses texture. Well here goes....................whoa. Salty is an understatement. That may be the saltiest thing I have ever put in my mouth. Even saltier than salt which shouldn't even make sense. I immediately need some water. I don't know how anyone would eat this. Wow! Once the saltieness dies down, I'm left with a thick, malty, viscousy, film in my mouth and throat. It's so freaking strong. I'm glad I can cross this off my list, but I will never again eat Marmite. This may rival ketchup and Heineken as the thing I hate the most...