Miscellany: On ginger ale...

In today's world, it's very difficult to find a true, old-school "golden" ginger ale, especially in supermarkets. The clear, super-sweet "dry" kind is by far the most common, and it does make a handy mixer for alcoholic drinks. But, let's face it, sometimes you're in the mood for something different.

There's a few notable times in my life where I've run afoul of ginger ale. The first time I really desired it as a kid was when I read the "Baby-sitters Little Sister" series of books (yeah, I know, I'm officially not cool any more, but whatever - I liked them when I was a kid). When Karen got sick, her mother (or was it step-mother?) gave her ginger ale to calm her stomach. Stranger still, I used to drink a can of ginger ale every time I volunteered at the hospital. So ginger ale is now always connected to sickness and upset stomachs in my mind. Oh well.