1 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:10,399 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Saber production of iHeart Radio. I'm 2 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 1: Annie Reese and I'm Lauren Vocal Bam and today we 3 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: have an episode for you about Moxie the soda. Yes, 4 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 1: this was a fun one. Yeah, I love ah, I 5 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: love a soda episode. They're they're always, they're always pretty cool. Yeah. Yeah, 6 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: And I didn't know much about this one. I have 7 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: never had it. No. I had a friend who used 8 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: to call me Maxi because I had a lot of 9 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: oxy kid um, and I didn't he told me it 10 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: was a soda. He'd been calling me that for a 11 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:45,240 Speaker 1: while and he didn't tell me it was a soda 12 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: until or something. Okay, So that's when I found out 13 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: that this was an actual product and not just a 14 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: word that we Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I definitely knew 15 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: the word along time before I knew that it was 16 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: based on right this brand. Um, but I have tried Moxie. Um. 17 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: My family who lives in New Hampshire. The last time 18 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,759 Speaker 1: I was there hanging out with them for my cousin's wedding, 19 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: they were like, you've never had Moxie. Like this needs 20 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: to be corrected. Um, it's good. I like it. Oh, 21 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: I can't wait to hear your description. I hear it's 22 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: very polarizing. I honestly don't understand why. I mean, okay, 23 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: like that's that's that's me saying this. Um me who like, like, 24 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 1: bitter is my favorite flavor and um and I love 25 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: like in amorrow and stuff like that, and it's very 26 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: much within those bounds. Um. So Like to me, I'm like, oh, 27 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:51,240 Speaker 1: it's a soda, like if other people are used to 28 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: like I don't know, like a cream soda or like 29 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: like I feel like this is a hit piece and 30 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: I'm just waiting like like anything, I don't know, like 31 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: like if you're if you're just not used to bitter flavors, um, 32 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: or if you're used to sweet things and your palette 33 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:13,399 Speaker 1: runs more towards sweet, then then then I can see 34 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: it being not your not your bag. Um. But like 35 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 1: the amount of polarization doesn't make any sense to me. 36 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: I'm like, it's just bitter, man, Okay, Okay, tell me 37 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:32,799 Speaker 1: this honestly, Okay, how close is it to Dr Pepper? Um? 38 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: I don't. I don't remember, clearly, Um, I wasn't. I 39 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: don't think I was thinking about Dr Pepper when I 40 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 1: was drinking it. But this was also how many years 41 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: ago was that Elizabeth? Let me know. Um, that's my 42 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: biggest concern. I don't. I don't think it was very 43 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: much like Dr I mean it reminded me more of 44 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: like of like a like a China or like um, 45 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: like a show's bitters or something like that. Okay, I 46 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: mean that makes more sense my my recollection of Dr 47 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: Pepper chloying, I would say, I mean it's still a soda, 48 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: like it still has sugar in it. But but I 49 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: but I don't think it's as sweet as Duck. I don't. 50 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 1: I don't find Dr Pepper extremely bitter personally. But I 51 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: have seen that comparison as something i'd like. I've read 52 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: that online, But that's not I don't think that. That's 53 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: the first thing that my brain popped to. Okay, that 54 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: was my biggest pop up, and I was like, oh no, no, no, 55 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: this bitter. I like bitter. Yeah, okay, mm hmmm. I 56 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: feel like we've got a lot of sodas and similar 57 00:03:55,360 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 1: drinks on the list to try. Yeah, I'm and I 58 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 1: think I also still have to not one, but two 59 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:08,839 Speaker 1: flavors of Doctor Enough somewhere Dr Enough. Yeah. I don't 60 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: know what that is is that are weird like blue 61 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: cheese flavored stuff that we bought at one time. No, 62 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: it's just it's just a regular regional soda pop. Okay, 63 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: I think it's um. I think it's a Southeastern like. 64 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 1: I think that our superproducer Dylan has a fond memories 65 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 1: of it. Oh. Okay, that's good to know. That's good 66 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: to know. That could be a Dungeons and Dragon Street 67 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:40,559 Speaker 1: then there you go. There you go. Yes, I don't 68 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: generally drink soda anymore, but I could make some exceptions. Yeah. Yeah. 69 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:48,839 Speaker 1: Um and speaking of you can see our past episode 70 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: we did on soda for more context and information around 71 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: all of this. Yeah, and uh, possibly our Amori episode. 72 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 1: Um maybe and uh cocktail bitters. Yeah, fascinating, fascinating. Um. Well, 73 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: I guess that brings us to your question. Sure, Moxie 74 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: what is it? Well? Uh, Moxie is a brand of 75 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,279 Speaker 1: soft drink or soda pop. Yes. Um, that's like a 76 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 1: like a cola or maybe like a root beer or 77 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: um uh any anything else like along those flavor profiles, 78 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: but with a punch of bitterness. Um. It's like a 79 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 1: little bit like woody and herbal. Um kind of spiced 80 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:40,159 Speaker 1: and write bitter sweet um sort of medicinal uh and 81 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: or minty and or like refreshing. Um. It's it's like 82 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 1: in Amorrow soda, but from the American northeast, like from 83 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: New England. Yes, yes, I didn't realize it was so localized. 84 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: Quite local. Yes, one of those very very local products. UM. 85 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: And yeah, it is super interesting to me that although 86 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: right due to this locality, lot lots of Americans probably 87 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 1: don't even know that this soda exists. Um, but the 88 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:12,280 Speaker 1: brand name has entered the English lexicon. UM to have moxie, 89 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: right means to have like a like like pluck, like 90 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,920 Speaker 1: like energy, courage capacity um nerve and verve, as Miriam 91 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: Websters puts it, huh nerve and verve, I like that. Yeah. Yeah. 92 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 1: The packaging UM is bold orange with royal blue and 93 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: silver and or white details UM like like I think 94 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:38,680 Speaker 1: marketing power colors, like like tied you know. Yeah, yeah, 95 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 1: there's there's a lot of like there's a lot of 96 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 1: concept of marketing concept around this brand of it being 97 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:48,080 Speaker 1: or right, this this this very powerful but in a 98 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: clever way kind of kind of thing. I don't know. 99 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 1: It feels very like BioShock or fallout to me that 100 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 1: kind of play. Oh yeah, absolutely, drink slogans. It's going 101 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 1: to like pep you up and keep you getting native manner. 102 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 1: Glory and Scott told NPR this February. Part of it 103 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 1: is we're not wimpy. This is our drink. This drink 104 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 1: is not wimpy. Dang I love it. Mm hmm too. 105 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: One of the main flavorings in Moxie is gentiin route, which, 106 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: right we've talked about a bit in our Sazareck and 107 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: Amorrow and Cocktail Bitters episodes, because it is a common 108 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: ingredient in bitters and various amari um. It's a part 109 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: of the bitter profile and stuff like an Agnostora and 110 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: pishos bitters and in apper all. So if you've had 111 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:47,200 Speaker 1: any of those, then yeah, that kind of like bitter 112 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: herbal note in there is part of what you're going 113 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 1: to experience if you're drinking Moxie. Mm hmm. Okay uh. 114 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: These days the only Moxie products are regular and diet 115 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: fors of the soda, but in the past there have 116 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: been other soda flavors from the brand, Cherry Cola Cream Soda, 117 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: Orange cream, blue cream, ginger ale and energy drink um. 118 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: There was a Moxy bubblegum, Moxy candy, a Moxie tropical 119 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: fruit granola. I don't think it was flavored like Moxie. 120 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: I think it was just under the Moxie brand, like 121 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: during the granola craze as like a health food. It 122 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:28,560 Speaker 1: was like, this is a health food. This other thing 123 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 1: is a health food. Why not? Okay, that was a 124 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: little on edge. I guess I feel a little bit 125 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: better about that. What do I know? I don't even 126 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 1: know what this tastes like. I have a I have 127 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: a idea now, but okay, okay, interesting, although I mean 128 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: I will say that the people will put moxie in 129 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:51,839 Speaker 1: uh in a number of things. I mean, I mean, 130 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: perhaps obviously it is a drunk straight but you can 131 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: also use it as a cocktail mixer, or as a 132 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: flavoring in sweet or savory dishes, ice creams, chocolate cake sauces, 133 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: for stuff like wings or ribs or baked beans. Okay, yeah, alright, yeah, 134 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: the same way that coke is exactly. Yeah, alright, Well 135 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: what about the nutrition, UH, soda is a treat um, 136 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 1: it's you know, it's probably just sugar and water. That's nice. Um, yeah, 137 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:29,960 Speaker 1: that's nice. Yeah. We're big fans of treats around here, 138 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:35,000 Speaker 1: we are. Goodness. Mm hmmm, Well we do have some 139 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 1: numbers for you, we do, all right. So the year 140 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:42,600 Speaker 1: before Moxie was acquired by Coca Cola, which we're going 141 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,200 Speaker 1: to come back to in the history section, Maxi sold 142 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: about two d thod cases of their product. And the 143 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 1: fandom for this stuff, like, yes, I just called it 144 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 1: a fandom, and that is an appropriate term, like that 145 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 1: is that is what it is. It's it's large, um 146 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:02,960 Speaker 1: and kind of in ten um. There have been at 147 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: least six books published about Moxie and its history. Yes, 148 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: and there is an annual Moxie Festival in Lisbon, Maine 149 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:17,319 Speaker 1: that attracts about thirty thousand people a year. And when 150 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 1: you go to the website, the first image you see 151 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 1: is of a Moxie Darth Vader, which I loved Darth 152 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 1: Vader and the Moxie colors. Oh yeah, all right. There's 153 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:34,079 Speaker 1: a recipe contest, chugging contest, a chicken chucking contest with 154 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 1: a rubber chicken, yes, a parade, a hamster wheel, snow 155 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:45,719 Speaker 1: cone machine, a bass fishing contest, and more, yeah. Yeah, 156 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 1: it's the second weekend in July. UM it's back in 157 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:54,880 Speaker 1: two If anyone has been, please let us know, please. UM. 158 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:59,280 Speaker 1: This festival is run by an organization called the Moxie 159 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 1: Congress UM and allow me to quote from their website. Um. 160 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: The New England Moxi Congress is a loosely knit band 161 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: of Moxie Zealots and fellow travelers who collect Moxie related memorabilia, 162 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 1: promote the drinks, availability, get together for parades and clam bakes, 163 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 1: and some who actually drink the stuff. The annual business 164 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: meeting may be held on a car at the end 165 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 1: of the line at the Seashore Trolley Museum, but then 166 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: again it may not. I love it. I love it. 167 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:30,360 Speaker 1: I forgot about the clam bakes. I think that's part 168 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 1: of it, the whole thing to you. Oh yeah, it's Maine, 169 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:40,120 Speaker 1: You've got to have some clam bakes. Um. The mox 170 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:44,600 Speaker 1: Congress also ran a museum in Lisbon or perhaps Lisbon Falls, Maine, 171 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: for at least a couple of decades UM, though it 172 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: apparently closed down in and its memorabilia was sold off. 173 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 1: But there is a Moxie wing at the Matthews Museum 174 00:11:54,679 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 1: of main Heritage in Union, Maine, which is where the 175 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 1: creator of Moxie is from. And this includes, but it's 176 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: certainly not limited to a wooden moxie stand like like 177 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 1: the banana stand. Yeah. Um, it's it's shaped like a 178 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 1: bottle of moxie. It's thirty three ft tall, that's like 179 00:12:12,679 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 1: eleven meters about two stories tall. Um. It contains a 180 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:19,280 Speaker 1: small bar with seats in the bottom and then a 181 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 1: ladder that you can climb to peer out a window 182 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: at the top, and and once had like an outdoor 183 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: slide to go down upon exit. Yeah I love it, Okay, 184 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:36,440 Speaker 1: yeah yeah um. And the brand has definitely let it 185 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:41,439 Speaker 1: slide that their name became a common term. Um. So 186 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:47,160 Speaker 1: therefore you can find all kinds of of businesses and 187 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: entertainment ventures um that have Moxie in the name or 188 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:56,679 Speaker 1: that are simply named Moxie UM, from like swimwear to 189 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:00,720 Speaker 1: whitewater rafting tours to a non f should't bok about 190 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:03,920 Speaker 1: sailing um, to a fiction film that just came out 191 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 1: recently I think, to like pest control two dolls, to 192 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 1: a bar, to catering to a cafe, to a sparkling 193 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:20,000 Speaker 1: sharas to a record label, to cosmetics to an adult performer. Wow. Yeah, yeah, 194 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:26,840 Speaker 1: that's quite the gamut arrange. Yes. Um, and as we mentioned, 195 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:31,520 Speaker 1: this drink is pretty polarizing. It has its detractors, but 196 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:35,439 Speaker 1: it also has many famous fans, including President Calvin Coolidge 197 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,080 Speaker 1: and author Eb White, who once wrote of it, Moxie 198 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 1: contains gentent route, which is the path to the good life. 199 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:50,640 Speaker 1: Right White, I agree with you. Heck yeah, I'm willing 200 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 1: to be open minded. Oh gosh, we have so much 201 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:59,480 Speaker 1: fun history to go over. We do. But first we've 202 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:01,280 Speaker 1: got a quick brake for a word from our sponsors, 203 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: and we're back. Thank you, sponsored, Yes, thank you, and 204 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 1: again see our soda episode. Yeah, it's a very long history, 205 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: but in brief, very basically so bubbly mineral water from 206 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:28,640 Speaker 1: springs with naturally occurring carbon dioxide was a popular drink 207 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: slash bath thing for millennia before humans figured out how 208 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:37,200 Speaker 1: to produce it ourselves. Um. It was especially popular as 209 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:39,920 Speaker 1: a health tonic. And this goes back to at least 210 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:45,000 Speaker 1: four hundred b C long minute. So yeah, we finally 211 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 1: figured out how to create pressurized carbonated drinks in the 212 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:53,400 Speaker 1: seventeen hundreds. Then improvements to glass, let us bottle it. 213 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: And so by the mid eighteen hundreds there was like 214 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:03,480 Speaker 1: a whole dang rage soda fountains in pharmacies. Um, you'd 215 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:06,120 Speaker 1: go like get a prescription filled or ask for a 216 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 1: pick me up, and the pharmacist slash soda jerk could 217 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 1: mix you something up with bubbly water and medicinal stuff 218 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:17,560 Speaker 1: and something to make it taste nicer um, usually sugar. 219 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 1: Around this time, also, especially as the temperance movement was 220 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:25,520 Speaker 1: taking off in the United States, UM, sodas as a 221 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:30,880 Speaker 1: nice alternative to booze, we're gaining ground. By the eighteen seventies, 222 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 1: just about everywhere that was anywhere in the United States 223 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 1: had a soda fountain in town. Um. So the stage 224 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:43,840 Speaker 1: was set for a boom in the branded soda business. Yes, 225 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:50,080 Speaker 1: inter Moxie. Uh so Moxie has quite a long history. 226 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 1: Uh and some argue it has a credible claim to 227 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: America's first soda. And there's some caveats when people be 228 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:02,000 Speaker 1: like first bottled soda share. Yeah it's old. Yeah, it's 229 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: up there for sure. Um, it's origin goes back to 230 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 1: the eighteen eighties and one Dr Augustine Thompson Thompson was 231 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 1: a Civil War veteran and a physician from Maine, and 232 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,600 Speaker 1: as a physician, he was interested in developing a tonic 233 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,960 Speaker 1: health drink um and yes, remember, at the time, carbonated 234 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 1: drinks were often believed to have these health benefits and 235 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:26,600 Speaker 1: were frequently sold in pharmacies. So to that end, he 236 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 1: mixed together ingredients like wintergreen, sassafras, and gentin root, which 237 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,400 Speaker 1: is an ingredient that has a long history of being 238 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:38,120 Speaker 1: used medicinally, to create a medical tonic called Moxie, nerve 239 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 1: food that promised to invigorate the drinker with spunk, first 240 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: bottled in eight four, though he first formulated it as 241 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 1: a syrup in eighteen seventy six, but ultimately decided the 242 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: bubbles from the soda really improved it notably at least 243 00:16:57,160 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 1: a corey to most sources I read, he didn't include 244 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 1: alcohol art cocaine in his recipe, which a lot of 245 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: soda drinks did at the time. In fact, according to 246 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 1: one source, soon after Moxie was released, bartenders in the 247 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:12,560 Speaker 1: area started keeping it on hand for customers who were 248 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 1: too drunk for more alcohol. Thompson got a patent for 249 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:20,840 Speaker 1: the drink in when it first launched, it was sold 250 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:23,280 Speaker 1: as a cure all. And while they were several bad 251 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 1: actors in the space who weren't being honest about their 252 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,080 Speaker 1: intentions or their product, when it came to health claims, 253 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:30,960 Speaker 1: Thompson seemed to truly believe in the health benefits of 254 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 1: what he was selling. That's not to say he was correct. Yeah, yeah, 255 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:39,160 Speaker 1: but he wasn't right at least that's what most things 256 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,359 Speaker 1: I read said that he seemed legitimate. He thought it 257 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: would improve health. Um. However, if you look at the 258 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 1: various advertisements, you might scratch your chin a bit because 259 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:54,879 Speaker 1: it was reported that Moxie could fix ailments like quote 260 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:58,840 Speaker 1: loss of manhood and softening of the brain, and that 261 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:02,720 Speaker 1: it had quote cure drunkards by the thousands effectively too, 262 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:07,439 Speaker 1: made more homes happy, cured more nervous, prostrated overworked people, 263 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,359 Speaker 1: prevented more crime and suffering in New England than all 264 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:17,240 Speaker 1: other agencies combined. So okay, that's those are big claims. 265 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: I think it's fair to say there was some exaggeration, 266 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:31,480 Speaker 1: some wilful exaggeration, But but what enthusiasm, what moxie, what moxie? Indeed? 267 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:35,200 Speaker 1: Uh and these health claims weren't dropped until the passing 268 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:37,640 Speaker 1: of the Pure Food and Drug Act of nineteen o six, 269 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:39,800 Speaker 1: and this is also when the nerve food part of 270 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:44,959 Speaker 1: the name was axed to. This is the point of 271 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:48,159 Speaker 1: some contention. But allegedly he invented the drink in Massachusetts 272 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:53,320 Speaker 1: and it was bottled in Boston from Ninette contention being 273 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:58,800 Speaker 1: Maine is like no, Massachusetts is like the hold up. Now. 274 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:03,240 Speaker 1: The building where it was bottled was called Moxie Land 275 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,720 Speaker 1: and people could visit it. It was demolished in the 276 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 1: nineteen fifties, but it sounds like it was quite the 277 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:13,679 Speaker 1: experience when it was running. Alright. So where did the 278 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 1: name come from? Well, there are a couple of theories, 279 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: but the most popular one is that it is derived 280 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:22,760 Speaker 1: from a term meaning dark water from the language of 281 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:26,080 Speaker 1: indigenous people from the area, though nowadays yes, it means 282 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:31,760 Speaker 1: something like bravery or strength, vervea nerve or whatever you said. Um. 283 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 1: Other theories suggest that Thompson got it from similarly named locales, 284 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:43,080 Speaker 1: which of course may have gone back to indigenous languages. Right. Yeah, 285 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:46,120 Speaker 1: there's a there's a Moxie Falls and a Moxie Lake 286 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:51,399 Speaker 1: in Maine, among other offshoot locations and uh yeah. The 287 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:54,680 Speaker 1: theory goes that this is um write a word from 288 00:19:54,680 --> 00:20:00,919 Speaker 1: a local Algonquin dialect. Yes. Uh. The design of the 289 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 1: lettering for the logo that persists today premiered in nineteen 290 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:09,199 Speaker 1: o seven UM, and that is also probably when those 291 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:16,800 Speaker 1: two story tall bottle shaped Maxi stands were constructed. Wow yeah, okay. Uh. 292 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:20,320 Speaker 1: Moxie was popular, although from what I could tell it 293 00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 1: never really took off outside of New England. UM. It 294 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:27,280 Speaker 1: was well received at the nineteen o four Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 295 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 1: which helps spike wider interest in it UM, and at 296 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,359 Speaker 1: its peak in the twenties, it was doing bigger numbers 297 00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: than Coca Cola, which was a soda that had been 298 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: invented around the same time. A lot of them came 299 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:42,280 Speaker 1: out around the same time, a lot of our big ones. 300 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:46,880 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah. And apparently Maxie faced a number of competitors 301 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:50,880 Speaker 1: around that time. I couldn't easily corroborate this, but according 302 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:56,159 Speaker 1: to the online Etymology Dictionary, Maxie one a copyright infringement 303 00:20:56,280 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 1: suit in nineteen seventeen against a competitor that was called 304 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: itself Proxy. Oh I love it Um. There definitely was 305 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:11,800 Speaker 1: another brand called Modocs that they also want to suit against. 306 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, these names are so crazy. From the 307 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:25,040 Speaker 1: ties onwards, Maxie really solidified this brand identity that they 308 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 1: still have today through marketing with things like giveaways and gimmicks, 309 00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:34,560 Speaker 1: the pointing Moxie boy, uh Moxie, horse mobiles and Chucks 310 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:40,080 Speaker 1: with eight foot model bottles that visited over forty thou towns. Um. 311 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:43,240 Speaker 1: These efforts were the brainshout of Thompson's partner and entrepreneur 312 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:46,480 Speaker 1: Frank Morton Archer, who really had a big, big hand 313 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,639 Speaker 1: in all of this. Um. And we have to unpack 314 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:53,520 Speaker 1: this horsemobile bit. We we certainly do, because it is 315 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:56,760 Speaker 1: not what I thought it was. Me me neither. I 316 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: Look up, this is your homework for the episode. Look 317 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:02,600 Speaker 1: up picture um and oh and that reminds me that 318 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 1: we did that great like marketing vehicles episode with Scott. Yeah, yeah, 319 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: m this is a great one. So I do want 320 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:15,880 Speaker 1: to clarify. There were, from what I understand, there were 321 00:22:16,359 --> 00:22:21,359 Speaker 1: horse drawn carriage type things that were moving these bottles, 322 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: these model bottles, and there were horse mobiles. So the 323 00:22:24,359 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 1: horsemobile is separate. Um. But okay, here we go. In 324 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: nineteen sixteen, Archer got the idea for these dummy horses 325 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:36,239 Speaker 1: that were then mounted into the chassis of cars in 326 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:40,640 Speaker 1: such a way the driver could ride on the saddle. Um, 327 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:44,520 Speaker 1: people would follow the Moxie man and his horse around 328 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:50,000 Speaker 1: wherever they went. Uh I just oh my gosh, yes. Uh. 329 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:54,960 Speaker 1: Moxie also had a plethora of slogans and catchphrases like 330 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:58,880 Speaker 1: what this country needs is plumbing of Moxie, and it's 331 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 1: the drink for those who are all particular. But they 332 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:04,679 Speaker 1: really leaned into like kind of that thing you mentioned earlier, 333 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 1: that it's not a whimpy drink, it's you know, it's 334 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:12,879 Speaker 1: for a certain type of person. Yeah. Yeah. However, Moxie 335 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:15,760 Speaker 1: did cut the marketing budget in the face of the 336 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 1: Great Depression, which turned out to be a mistake, or 337 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 1: at least that's what a lot of the kind of 338 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:26,600 Speaker 1: retroactive look back say. Um, they raised their prices, they 339 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:29,520 Speaker 1: used cheaper ingredients, and they lost Archer when he died 340 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: in the nineteen thirties, all of which put the company 341 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: on a downward spiral. It did get a bit of 342 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 1: a boost in the fifties thanks to a radio ad 343 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:41,040 Speaker 1: featuring Red Sox player Ted Williams that everybody mentioned so 344 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 1: must have had must have been a thing. Yeah, And 345 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:47,440 Speaker 1: for a short time the company produced a product called 346 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:53,520 Speaker 1: Ted's root Beer This all right uh. As a result 347 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,440 Speaker 1: of all of that marketing, Yeah, by the year nineteen thirty, 348 00:23:56,520 --> 00:24:00,600 Speaker 1: the word moxie was being used as slang UM for right, 349 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: having this this quality of like a certain pep Yes. Uh. 350 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 1: And the recipe has changed a few times, most notably 351 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:15,040 Speaker 1: when sassafras was banned on the federal level here in 352 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 1: the US in nineteen sixty due to the belief it 353 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:21,159 Speaker 1: was a carcinogen, which we've talked about before, and sugar 354 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:24,719 Speaker 1: was swapped out for high fructose corn syrup. During this decade, 355 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:27,960 Speaker 1: almost half of the company's sales was in diet moxie. 356 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 1: Also during this time, they partnered with Mad magazine for 357 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: a Mad About Moxie campaign that helped sales for a time. 358 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 1: But yes, this was a big Any time they messed 359 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:45,080 Speaker 1: with the formula, people were not happy. Absolutely. Yeah. From 360 00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:49,320 Speaker 1: from what I understand, different UM bottling facilities today um, 361 00:24:49,359 --> 00:24:52,240 Speaker 1: and I believe there are three. That's what I was 362 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:59,639 Speaker 1: reading on the Moxie Congress website. UM have slightly different 363 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:01,719 Speaker 1: formula nations that they use, and one of them has 364 00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 1: gone back to the original cane sugar. Fascinating. Oh I 365 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:09,240 Speaker 1: love this stuff and this is related. So in nineteen 366 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 1: the company, now under new management, bought the New Grape 367 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:17,800 Speaker 1: Company of Atlanta and relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. They reformulated 368 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:20,919 Speaker 1: the recipe, but by all accounts it was a disaster. 369 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:24,639 Speaker 1: So they attempted to return to quote old fashioned to 370 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: max and I think they even like put that on 371 00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:28,639 Speaker 1: the label for a minute, because they've really done some 372 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:33,120 Speaker 1: It was like that New Coke situation, and they were like, Nope, nope, classics. 373 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:38,119 Speaker 1: We promise, we promised folks. Yes, And there were some 374 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 1: more company changeups in there. I got kind of confused 375 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,639 Speaker 1: trying to keep track of all these company things. We're 376 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:46,879 Speaker 1: going to come back to that in a minute. But 377 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:53,119 Speaker 1: in the first annual Moxie Festival was held in Lisbon, Maine. 378 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,040 Speaker 1: This was the effort of a local businessman to the 379 00:25:56,080 --> 00:26:02,520 Speaker 1: area who was determined to save the floundering Moxi soda. 380 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:07,760 Speaker 1: In the film Lost in Yonkers, Richard Dreyfuss's characters says 381 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,040 Speaker 1: the line you know what you got, ja, he got 382 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: Boxy I haven't seen that movie, so I don't know 383 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:16,359 Speaker 1: if that was a good read on it, but I 384 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:19,159 Speaker 1: have no idea either. There you go, well, listeners, you 385 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 1: can let us know. Moxie was named as the official 386 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 1: state drink of Maine in two thousand five. Mm hmmm, 387 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:34,240 Speaker 1: and then, as mentioned in, Coca Cola announced it was 388 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 1: acquiring Moxie. And it's a bit confusing because in two 389 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:41,920 Speaker 1: thousand seven, Moxie was owned by Corner Copia Beverages out 390 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:46,199 Speaker 1: of New Hampshire. As of eleven they started doing some 391 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: of their business under the name the Moxie Beverage Company. 392 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:53,680 Speaker 1: And according to New England Day Quote, Corner Copia is 393 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:57,040 Speaker 1: owned by Coca Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England, 394 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:01,439 Speaker 1: not directly affiliated with the Coca Cola Company, which is 395 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:06,360 Speaker 1: a subsidiary of Curin Brewing Company, whose parent company, Tokyo 396 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:10,320 Speaker 1: based Cured Holdings Company Limited, is part of the Mitsubushi 397 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:12,960 Speaker 1: Business Group. So I had to use that quote because 398 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:14,720 Speaker 1: I was so compused. I was trying to understand this 399 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 1: last night. I was like, wait a minute, isn't this 400 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 1: a car coming I'm suh business Holdings. Yeah, yes, yeah, 401 00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:35,680 Speaker 1: but essentially yes, Coca Cola officially the Coca Cola Company officially, Yes, 402 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:39,879 Speaker 1: the one that is located in Atlanta, and the one 403 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:43,320 Speaker 1: that makes Coca Cola, as opposed to this other one 404 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,960 Speaker 1: which is not and does not Yes, exactly, thank you. 405 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 1: And other than me trying to understand this, there was 406 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:55,240 Speaker 1: a lot of handwringing over this deal. A lot because 407 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:58,760 Speaker 1: people were panicking about the formula. They're going to change 408 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:01,920 Speaker 1: the taste all of the stuff. Uh, you know, it's 409 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 1: a very local drink and the people in that area, 410 00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:06,680 Speaker 1: a lot of people feel very passionate about it, very 411 00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:09,160 Speaker 1: proud of it. I don't want it to change. So 412 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:14,600 Speaker 1: because of all this, at the time, Coca Cola executives 413 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:17,520 Speaker 1: promised to keep the formula and keep it quote local 414 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:23,880 Speaker 1: to New England. Yeah yeah. Um. Listeners again, if you've 415 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:28,000 Speaker 1: got opinions on it, love to hear them, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. 416 00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:30,840 Speaker 1: From from what I vaguely understand, it's they've done a 417 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:37,639 Speaker 1: pretty good job. But but right right, let us know. Um. Okay. Meanwhile, 418 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:44,680 Speaker 1: like divergence for the episode UM in the Mars, Perseverance 419 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:51,000 Speaker 1: Rover launched with a piece of equipment called MOXI, which 420 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:57,760 Speaker 1: stands for the Mars Oxygen Institute Resource Experiment and this 421 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:00,720 Speaker 1: this is a project that aids to a demonstrate the 422 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:05,680 Speaker 1: efficacy of this one technology that might be used to 423 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:12,080 Speaker 1: produce oxygen from the carbon dioxide that pretty much exclusively 424 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,880 Speaker 1: makes up the Martian atmosphere. Um. And this would be 425 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: really cool for future missions in terms of both um 426 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:23,480 Speaker 1: breathing um, you know, humans like having some oxygen in 427 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,800 Speaker 1: the mix there um and also as a as a 428 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:31,640 Speaker 1: combustion fuel. Yeah, because carrying all that combustion fuel with 429 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 1: us would be heavy if we try to go there 430 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 1: um at any rate. Yes. So, so this Moxie project 431 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:41,800 Speaker 1: has been in development since it was named by the 432 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:45,800 Speaker 1: principal investigator on the project, one Michael Heckt of m 433 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:51,160 Speaker 1: I T who uh yeah is from the area and 434 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 1: was the Grand Marshal of the Moxie Festival parade in Wow. 435 00:29:57,120 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 1: Yeah you know you got your Mars object gram wash 436 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:09,480 Speaker 1: it hard to say. Both pretty cool, both very prestigious. Yeah, 437 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:14,240 Speaker 1: oh my goodness, um okay, and may speaking of this, 438 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 1: may I go out of our way for a pun 439 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:22,800 Speaker 1: always okay? All right, so so so one of the 440 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:26,680 Speaker 1: many challenges facing this project, this technology is that it's 441 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:30,960 Speaker 1: supposed to work by by splitting carbon dioxide molecules, you know, 442 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:35,320 Speaker 1: which which have two oxygens in one carbon. Um adam 443 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:40,840 Speaker 1: splitting those molecules into one molecule of oxygen and one 444 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 1: of carbon monoxide. Yeah. Um, but there's like a Goldilock 445 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:50,440 Speaker 1: zone in running the machine, like too little power and 446 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:53,800 Speaker 1: you don't split the molecule at all. Um, too much 447 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 1: power and you split it all the way down to 448 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 1: two oxygen's and one carbon, and at that point you 449 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:02,560 Speaker 1: would wind up with like heated carbon residue all up 450 00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:07,200 Speaker 1: in the machine. Um. Heated carbon material is sometimes known 451 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 1: as coke. So the joke here isn't one of the 452 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:29,959 Speaker 1: main challenges facing moxie is coke. Oh man, it's like 453 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:35,640 Speaker 1: a new front tier of saf I didn't. I didn't 454 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:39,680 Speaker 1: write that. That's that's hat hat tip to hect Um 455 00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:42,960 Speaker 1: and to Popular Science who was interviewing him um about 456 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:48,520 Speaker 1: all this. So that's I love it. You always managed 457 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:50,880 Speaker 1: to find like a space angle that impresses me, or 458 00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 1: some strange technology thing that I'm never anticipating. Yeah, I 459 00:31:56,520 --> 00:32:00,480 Speaker 1: definitely wasn't. Wasn't anticipating getting to say the sentence. Um, 460 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:07,800 Speaker 1: the Mars perseverance were over, so I wasn't anticipating area, 461 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:13,440 Speaker 1: but I'm very happy that I did. I love it. Okay, 462 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 1: Um back to the actual soda UM. As of winter, uh, 463 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: Moxie had been experiencing some pandemic supply chain issues, but 464 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:31,240 Speaker 1: don't worry. As of like mid February, it looked like 465 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,840 Speaker 1: they were pretty much starting to clear up UM and 466 00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: the Lisbon Moxie Festival. UM has been on hold for 467 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:40,920 Speaker 1: the past couple of years due to the pandemic UM, 468 00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 1: but organizers are hoping to get back into it this year. 469 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:47,800 Speaker 1: So look, I'm good. Yeah. Yeah again listeners, if you 470 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:51,640 Speaker 1: have been you've got to let us know. Yes, yes, 471 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:56,280 Speaker 1: maybe one day we can go. Goodness see super producer 472 00:32:56,360 --> 00:32:58,880 Speaker 1: Andrew from the area, and we're waiting to hear what 473 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,040 Speaker 1: his take on all this is. We haven't heard back yet. Yeah, yeah, 474 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:07,240 Speaker 1: so very excited. Well, yes, that is what we have 475 00:33:07,360 --> 00:33:12,840 Speaker 1: to say about Moxie for now. Yes, but we do 476 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:15,920 Speaker 1: have some listener mail for you and we are going 477 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:17,959 Speaker 1: to go to their right after we get back from 478 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 1: a quick break for a word from our sponsors. And 479 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:31,960 Speaker 1: we're back. Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you, And we're 480 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 1: back with ye, it's hard. Lauren's got an excellent Transatlantic accent, 481 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:52,600 Speaker 1: you all, but it's hard to communicate that in a 482 00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:58,200 Speaker 1: in a right singing song, A listener mail segment segment. Yeah, yeah, 483 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:01,920 Speaker 1: it'd be over too quick. But I thought about it 484 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:08,840 Speaker 1: and then I lost my moxie. I guess it's okay. 485 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:14,800 Speaker 1: Maybe one day. Oh. So many of you have written 486 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 1: in about currents. This is very um so we have 487 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:20,680 Speaker 1: a lot of those to share, but we'll start with 488 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:24,000 Speaker 1: this one. Joe wrote, the episode on currents was so 489 00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:26,719 Speaker 1: surprising and delightful that I had to write in. Like 490 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:30,000 Speaker 1: many Americans, I had no idea what currents were. I 491 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:33,760 Speaker 1: was only introduced to them during grad school. In the UK, squash, 492 00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:36,399 Speaker 1: bottles of concentrated fruit juice that you dilute with water, 493 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 1: became a staple since I don't drink juice often, but 494 00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:42,320 Speaker 1: sometimes you just want a glass of something fruity and sweet. 495 00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:46,200 Speaker 1: Black current squash became my favorite flavor, but there are 496 00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:49,680 Speaker 1: other flavors of squash as well. My roommates mother even 497 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:53,320 Speaker 1: recommended drinking hot black current squash whenever I was feeling sick. 498 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:56,279 Speaker 1: Doing field work in France meant that I also got 499 00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:59,640 Speaker 1: to know krim de cassisse. My favorite alcoholic drink to 500 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:02,960 Speaker 1: order France is a kyer basically white wine with a 501 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:06,440 Speaker 1: fruit syrup. You can do peach, kere rasmer Kier and 502 00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:09,440 Speaker 1: yes here with cram decassis, which is what I end 503 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:12,160 Speaker 1: up ordering most of the time. One time I asked 504 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:15,319 Speaker 1: my mother to be my field work assistant, meaning she 505 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:18,640 Speaker 1: wandered around museums while I was doing research, and we 506 00:35:18,719 --> 00:35:21,680 Speaker 1: finished off in Paris. My mother is quite the lightweight, 507 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:24,160 Speaker 1: and during our last dinner, I ended up polishing off 508 00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:26,920 Speaker 1: most of the half bottle of wine we ordered, plus 509 00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:30,239 Speaker 1: my care Royal an upgraded here with champagne instead of 510 00:35:30,239 --> 00:35:35,040 Speaker 1: white wine what we were celebrating. This all resulted in 511 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:37,919 Speaker 1: a rather tipsy climb up the Arc de Triomphe after 512 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,920 Speaker 1: dinner to enjoy Paris at night one last time. It 513 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,440 Speaker 1: remains one of my favorite memories. Basically I love that 514 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:46,920 Speaker 1: current flavor now and this episode was a reminder that 515 00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:49,400 Speaker 1: I really need to replenish my pantry and my bar 516 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:52,800 Speaker 1: with a bottle of squash and a bottle of cram decassis. 517 00:35:52,840 --> 00:36:00,239 Speaker 1: Stat Oh wow, that sounds so fun. First, and yeah, 518 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:05,120 Speaker 1: I love the name squash. I how did I not 519 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:07,520 Speaker 1: run into this, and I gotta get my hands and 520 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:11,120 Speaker 1: some of this black current flavor. I really the listeners 521 00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:14,560 Speaker 1: have sold me on it. I think, yeah, yeah, it's 522 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:17,359 Speaker 1: I mean, it's a it's a flavor that's out there. 523 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:21,000 Speaker 1: We can we can do this. Yeah yeah. I have 524 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:24,359 Speaker 1: most often seen it um in like lambic format, as 525 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:28,480 Speaker 1: a cassis lambic right, or as a crem to Cassie's liquor. 526 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:36,279 Speaker 1: But okay, okay, well you've given me some ideas, Joe. Yeah, 527 00:36:36,440 --> 00:36:38,760 Speaker 1: I love all this. That sounds so great. Oh yes, 528 00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:43,840 Speaker 1: Vincenzo wrote about lamb cakes. I'm actively listening to the 529 00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:46,759 Speaker 1: episode as I write this because last Christmas, I gave 530 00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:49,720 Speaker 1: my grandma a lamb cake mold. I did this because 531 00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:52,480 Speaker 1: on our previous Easter zoom call, she brought up the 532 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:54,640 Speaker 1: mold her friend gave to her and then asked for 533 00:36:54,680 --> 00:36:56,440 Speaker 1: it back. And I don't know if she ever got 534 00:36:56,480 --> 00:37:00,040 Speaker 1: over this. This was maybe ten years ago because and 535 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:04,000 Speaker 1: she uh huh, this was maybe ten years ago because 536 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:07,040 Speaker 1: that's when she was using that cake mold. But she 537 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:09,400 Speaker 1: used the mold this Easter for the family and shared 538 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:12,640 Speaker 1: this picture with me picture attached. Um. Growing up, we 539 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:15,200 Speaker 1: would have lamb butter with the red and white banner 540 00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:17,920 Speaker 1: in its back. I should note my family is ethnically 541 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:23,000 Speaker 1: Polish and at least culturally Catholic. Oh my goodness, I 542 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:28,080 Speaker 1: love so many pieces of this. Yes, and attached photo 543 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:31,680 Speaker 1: of the lamb cake is a little terrifying and very 544 00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:35,640 Speaker 1: very sweet looking. Yeah, it's a little small lamb cake. 545 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:39,600 Speaker 1: It's cute but scary, which again is kind of how 546 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:42,200 Speaker 1: I felt about most of the pictures. About most of 547 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:45,719 Speaker 1: these photographs, yes, yes, but very very dear no like 548 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:50,400 Speaker 1: lamp pun intended. Yeah, yes, and I also love the 549 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:54,600 Speaker 1: holding a grudge of the lamp. Yeah. Oh yes, that's 550 00:37:56,440 --> 00:37:58,600 Speaker 1: oh yeah, I would never get over that. If someone like, 551 00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:00,880 Speaker 1: I mean, it wouldn't even have to be a special mold. 552 00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:06,760 Speaker 1: I would be like, where's my spring form? Like ask 553 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:11,759 Speaker 1: for it back. We did get a lot of lamb 554 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:14,799 Speaker 1: cake images, so I'm very excited about to share these 555 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:20,919 Speaker 1: stories with you listeners. It was fantastic. I'm just consistently 556 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:28,080 Speaker 1: delighted by these images. Yes, yes, yes, Well, thanks to 557 00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:30,120 Speaker 1: both of those listeners for writing. If you would like 558 00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:32,319 Speaker 1: to write to us our emails Hello at savor pod 559 00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:35,200 Speaker 1: dot com. We're also on social media. You can find 560 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:38,799 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at saver pod and 561 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:41,240 Speaker 1: we do hope to hear from you. Savor is production 562 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:43,680 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, 563 00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,160 Speaker 1: you can visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 564 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:48,760 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thanks as always 565 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:51,799 Speaker 1: to our superproducers Dylan Fagan and Andrew Howard. Thanks to 566 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:53,560 Speaker 1: you for listening, and we hope that lots more good 567 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:54,680 Speaker 1: things are coming your way.