Why Isnt Dr. Pepper the State Drink of Texas?
Okay, we Texans have a lot of things that we are proud of here in the Lone Star state. We champion our BBQ, Football, Fast Food (I'm looking at you Whataburger) and let's face it, we take great pride in each of these things to the point of bragging about them to anyone ready or not to hear the gospel of why they're great. Get our free mobile app  For those of us who grew up here we know the state tree is the pecan, the state bird is the mockingbird and we even have a state snack, chips and salsa. While no color of salsa is indicated, any and all variations are good in my book. There's just one thing missing in this list of all things Texana:  Michael J. Rivera/TSM  Ice cold Dr Pepper (I'm not missing the period in the abbreviation, it's actually stylized that way). The drink we all know and come to love across the Lone Star first made it's appearance in Waco back in 1885 one year before the fine folks in Georgia gave us Coca Cola. Pharmacist Charles Alderton first came up with the formulation at Morrison's Old Corner Drug store and it was originally known as a "Waco." By the way, If you happen to be in the Heart of Texas, the site where Morrison's was, now aids those looking for parking in downtown Waco, The museum isn't that far away though over on 5th street. Dr Pepper was originally marketed as a way to "aid digestion and restore vim, vigor, and vitality." Clearly the FDA wasn't around at the time to tell us that these are just statements. The slogan went away and gave away to different campaign after campaign and if you happen to find yourself in an older counter cafe, you may still spot a sign reminding you to drink at 10am, 2pm and 4pm. The Good Dr is Everywhere. Quite a bit, There are plenty of Dr Pepper marinade recipes for cooking. There's a Dr Pepper Shake at Whataburger. I lost track of all the variants of the drink. It's one of the few soft drinks that grocery stores will make generic versions of too (Dr. B. Dr. Thunder, Dr. Dynamite, Dr Perky the list goes on) and if you need your fix in candy form you can even get them in jelly bean form:  Michael J. Rivera/TSM  Don't bring up Mr. Pibb.. that's an argument for another day. I love milk and Texas Dairy Council by the way. I like your thinking but outside of Texas the other Waco drink doesn't have the fare the good doctor has. Sweet Tea is a contender too but again I strive for something that's a Texan original. Legislative Action So Far Has Been Lacking  Getty Images  I don't understand why we can't make this happen, The folks on Congress Avenue in Austin and Governor Abbott need to hightail this extremely important matter. I believe that this is truly something that could have bi partisan support. The demand is there. There's at least 120 different petitions at Change.org related to Dr. Pepper including a few that think it's evil... clearly upset Mr. Pibb fans. Write your representative! let 'em know you want this. Let's make this happen!!! CHECK IT OUT: 20 Things Us Texans Have To Explain To Out-Of-Town'ers