C3 - Sunday, August 19, 1984 - North Shore News COUNTRY APPLE CIDER Eleanor polls a new product *VE BEEN taking this poll, see? Asking people for their reactions, exhorting them to be nakedly frank, promising tight-lipped secrecy. And because it was the smallest poll in history — about the size of the average walking-stick, in fact — you don’t have to wait for the results. I’ve got them right here, bristling with demographic percentages, overall] in- ferences, responses favorable and unfavorable. “It was based on how people liked a new drink, but boiled down to the persuasion exer- cised by image as opposed to substance. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? My poll was motivated by receipt of half-a-dozen cans of a new brand of apple cider, called ‘‘Country Roads.’’ I didn’t want to decide for you, knowing my cider palate to be out of prac- tise. You see, I remember cider. It came out of the bar- rel full that Uncle Henry made from the culls in his Kelowna orchard. As Uncle Henry was also in the ice business, his cider was always well-chilled, besides being a beautiful amber color with an aroma and a flavor that filled the nose and throat with pleasure and anticipation. It was one of those unforget- table bench-marks of one’s youth. Now this new cider is call- ed ‘‘Country Roads,’’ which is a very good name for a Deluxe Treat Mix Incl sunflower seeds, pump- kin seeds, almonds, peanuts. raisins, Cashews. papaya Buttermilk or Reg Pancake Mix Toasted Coconut Marshmallows Extra Pop Popping Com | ‘Hours: Mon.-Wed,, Sat. 9-6; Thur.-Fri, 99:00, Sun.10-6 l down-home drink, conjuring flashes of sunlight on the hay-stacks, the smell of fields in clover, the satiny feel in your hand of a rosy, tree. ripened apple. And _ the packaging of my generous sample was equally inspired: the six cans came wrapped in a colorful B.C. road map! My curiosity was piqued. The brochure that came with the package stirred all those homey memories; it described the cider as ‘‘the most.exciting taste in years,’’ made ‘‘just the way our fore- fathers used to brew it — with farm-fresh apples.’’ ‘‘It is light, crisp and satisfying.”’ All this tasty prose came accompanied by an amusing take-off on the famous Grant Wood painting he called "American Gothic.’’ The dour farmer and his long- suffering wife were pictured jumping over the traces in most frivolous fashion, wav ing their ‘‘Country Roads’’ Opinion — I chanced to cross-poll with another tester — endorsed the lightness of the cider, but said that it was light because it was empty. So much for polls. All we can take from this one is that the kitchen ranger by Eleanor Godley cans aloft. Well, a poll has (a) to be honest, (b) to be broad. | am proud to report that mine embraced two senior citizens of impeccable credence; two hard-working, upwardly mobile middle-aged friends, male and female; and a cou- ple of young people scarcely dry behind the ears. The results: 50% of the seniors (that’s one out of two!) said, ‘*l wouldn’t pay good money for that stuff,’’ the other 50% said, ‘‘It’s certainly bubbly, but where are the ap- ples?’’ 100% of the middle- aged said, ‘‘It would be bet- ter for you than beer.’’ 100% of the youth slice gave it the ultimate put-down, ‘‘It was all right, I guess.’’ A seventh Rolled or Quick Oats Bran Flakes package Prices in eftect ‘til Aug 26 ~ LOW LOW PRICES Sprite, Diet Pepsi Diet Coke, deposit 1400 MARINE DR. N. VANCOUVER PH, 988-5887 oo FREE AMPLE PARKING IN REAR © eos | the elderly have long memories, that young people today lack experience, and that the middle-aged of this country are more aware of the insidious effects of strong drink than either our youth or our aged. Maybe I should just have gone out on to Lonsdale and offered passers-by a swig in exchange for a judgment? You can see I am a very HARGE VISA Po eeueiiaaa cooking centres amateur conclusion-jumper. How does Mr. Gallup do it? Does he ever wonder if some responders lie outright, just to see’ what happens? One positive result from all this exhaustive research and agonized evaluation was that I learned how to chill a glass. It has always seemed to me sufficient to put beer mugs and goblets into the freezer for a while. Wheelchairs 842 West 15th Street North Vancouver, B.C. Phone: 988-5566 (24 hrs) THA “es fon However, the ‘‘Country Roads’’ brochure, which urges that its cider be enjoyed under prime conditions, sug- gests that while the cans or bottles chill, that drinking glasses be rinsed under the eold tap first, then chilled. Canada’s Largest Microwave Specialists Over 25 locations to serve you PARK ROYAL SHOPPING CENTRE 839 PARK ROYAL NORTH Phone 926-5691 WEST VANCOUVER a a a a a eS UD