Tuesday 4 May 2010

Thai Fanta

As you may have gathered from my last post, I really enjoyed dinner at 101 Thai Kitchen. Whilst we drank wine and beer with our meal, we noticed that the Thai couple at the adjacent table were knocking back can after can of Fanta. Not just any old Fanta but 'green' Fanta imported from Thailand. I was intrigued and I just had to buy a can to take home with me. As there were pictures of pineapple, banana and orange on the can, I thought this was a mixed fruit drink but when talking to the waitress, she explained that it was more like cream soda.

Now I reckon this drink could well be illegal ! The high sugar levels and excessive use of artificial colouring must be breaking some kind of law somewhere. It's hard to pinpoint the flavour and I guess bubblegum or cough medicine is the best description I can think of. Of the fruits pictured on the can, I could detect only a hint of banana.

As well as 'green' Fanta, the waitress told me that they also stock 'red' Fanta but had sold out that night. Having mistaken my look of bewilderment for one of disappointment, the waitress reassured me that I could buy both types of Fanta at the nearby Thai Smile supermarket in the morning. I tried to explain that it was OK but it was too late. She so had me down as some kind of weirdo Fanta-spotter.

Mind you, she might have a point as drinks like Thai Fanta do interest me. So if you've spotted any imports of seemingly familiar drinks then do let me know. It doesn't have to be soft drinks, for example I'm wondering where you can get Nigerian Guinness in London.

12 comments:

  1. I'm sure I saw some cans of Sarsi around in one of the Chinese supermarkets somewhere...

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  2. Nigerian Guiness? Strong stuff - i reckon you must be able to get it from Dalston somewhere, you can get almost anything in RIdley Road market.

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  3. Fraser & Neave is a local Singaporean company (now owned by Coca-Cola) that produces fizzy drinks in a range of flavours with names like Outrageous Orange, Groovy Grape and Smashing Strawberry. In Singapore they are sold in plastic bottles but in the West they are more commonly encountered in their canned forms. They are not that easy to find, but I have seen them in various Asian foodstores, especially along Queensway (Bayswater).

    See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F&N_Coca-Cola

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  4. Nigerian Guiness is easily availible any where in London with a Afro Carribean community. I live in Brixton and they sell it in every cornershop.

    My favourite imported soft drink is Ting:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ting_%28soft_drink%29

    Lovely stuff.

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  5. WB/LC/Sam - thanks for sharing the sightings of your favourite imported drinks. However I was actually looking for local variations on global brands like Fanta and Guinness rather than the well loved local drinks you named. That said, useful info nonetheless.

    Gworm - I am now intrigued as to what else you can get in Ridley Rd market......

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  6. I lived in Singapore in the mid 1970's. That green Fanta was like crack to me. I wish I had a wooden case full of glass bottles of that stuff.

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  7. Roderick - in this sweltering heat, I too could do with a can right now.

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  8. Red Fanta is the official drink of the King of Thailand. They use it as religious offerings in his honor.

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  9. Anon - by royal appointment! Next time I go to the Thai supermarket, I must try the Red Fanta. If its good enough for the King then its good enough for me.

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  10. Just got back from Phuket, Thailand. Got some green Fanta thinking it was lemon-lime. My impressions are like yours: sort of cream soda-like with only banana somewhat distinguishable and something else there but couldn't really taste orange or pineapple...yeah kinda bubble-gummy. Not sure what's in it (no hints via Google) but I loved the stuff and quaffed buckets. Don't recall Red Fanta but I saw plenty of red, bloody pierced cheeks and firecracker residue during the Vegetarian Festival. Even the police were lighting firecrackers and throwing them at each other! Smoke was so thick around midnight on the last night you couldn't see to the other side of the street!

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  11. Like the comment above, we were in Phuket for new year and my girlfriend and I have fell in love with the green fanta! I need to get some, I live in Cheshire, anyone know of any shop/Resturants that stock it?

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  12. I'm drinking some green Fanta now my sister brought back from thiland. She had red and green but i could only pick one so i chose the green one because it looked different and it taste exactly how u described it only difference was that it was in a glass bottle

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