Free water!

Yesterday K-Rock was handing out "Aquafina plus+ - vitamin enhance water" at the student centre. Someone brought a bunch back to the School of Business, so now I'm sipping on the pomegranate cherry flavour.

It's weird.

Looking at the ingredients list compared with the frequently-refilled regular Aquafina bottle on my desk, the regular water has demineralized treated water, and ozone. (Yum, ozone! Is this why the ozone layer is getting thinner, because we are plucking it from the sky and adding it to our water?) The "enhanced" water features water, SUGAR (quantity not specified), natural pomegranate cherry flavour, citric acid, sodium citrate, modified corn starch (high five!), chocineal, calcium phosphate, gum arabic, caramel colour, silicon dioxice, and sodium benzoate. Now, I'm not knocking these because I drink gallons of Crystal Lite, or more accurately, Sobey's knock-off non-aspartame version of it, but it seems weird that these are in water. The enhanced bottle is more attractive than the regular one, but also holds less water, though it looks like it would hold more ( 473 mL vs. 500 mL).

It tastes fine, I feel fine (should I feel enhanced?), but I'm kind of reluctant to give it a thumbs up because, well, it's vitamin enhanced water. I guess I don't really get it. I'm sure it's better for you than pop (at only 80 calories a bottle versus whatever 473 mL of cola would have) but I don't think I would buy it. But I will gladly accept a free bottle as part of a promotion to encourage me to buy it.

The other flavour was some sort of orange mandarin... something. Didn't appeal to me so much. Though I love the colour orange, artificial flavouring wise, orange is my least favourite.

ALTHOUGH, it must be noted that while I was very tired earlier, I am not as tired now. Enhanced water side effect?! Or perhaps just a water side effect? Curious. Or maybe the banana I ate a half-hour ago. So many possible answers... Gosh, scientists must never run out of topics.

You know, I am arguably a researcher (which may get me to Hawaii next year - high five!... long story. Beer was involved. Story may prove to be fictional in long run) but don't get a cool title like "SCIENTIST". From now on I am a TRAVELOLOGIST - someone who studies travel patterns.

Jen Mac - Travelologist. High FIVE!!!