Walking into Starbucks, sophomore Josh Hogue takes in the warm, bittersweet aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and immediately closes his nose. The plethora of espressos, lattes and Frappuccinos on the menu hold no interest for him — his only interest is getting out of the coffeehouse as quickly as possible.
“I don’t like coffee because I think the smell is appalling,” Hogue said. “My family has always made fun of me because every time we walk into Starbucks I would hold my nose for the duration of the time because I just couldn’t stand the smell.”
Most of Legacy seems to agree with Hogue’s opinion of the beverage; in a survey conducted by The Rider Online, almost 73 percent of respondents said they drink coffee either not that often or never. Sophomore Ben Speigner counts himself as part of the minority.
“Coffee is the best,” Speigner said. “It gives you energy and is pretty tasty.”
Speaking of energy, energy drinks proved overwhelmingly unpopular among students. About 82 percent reported never drinking them, including senior Lesley Cruz.
“I’ve never had energy drinks,” Cruz said. “My mom never allowed me to drink any, so I just never drank any.”
While Cruz falls into the majority when it comes to energy drinks, she dislikes the most popular soda: Dr. Pepper.
“I don’t like Dr. Pepper,” Cruz said. “It’s really sweet, and I don’t like sweet-tasting drinks.”
Speigner represents the opposite end of the spectrum, lauding Dr. Pepper’s unique taste.
“It’s pretty good,” Speigner said. “There’s not really an imitation that tastes just like Dr. Pepper does.”
Senior Meg Bertucci is a fan of soda herself, but she tends to avoid a particular one.
“Pepsi’s weird,” Bertucci said. “Who drinks Pepsi when you could have Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper?”
Apparently most people feel the same, as only 2 percent chose Pepsi as their favorite soft drink. For Hogue, his heart belongs to one special soda. Every day after tennis practice, he and his best friend visit Sonic for a watermelon Sprite.
“It’s like a ritual to us,” Hogue said. “I think it’s a nice reward for all the exercise I’m doing, so I indulge myself.”
If given a choice between soda and water though, Speigner would, along with about 72 percent of Legacy, pick the eternal classic H₂O.
“Water is my favorite,” Speigner said. “It’s plain, and it’s good anytime.”
Bertucci touts the benefits of water in theory but has a harder time putting those beliefs into practice.
“Water basically should be the only drink we drink,” Bertucci said. “It’s the best option, but I drink more soda than water. I’m a contradiction to myself.”
(Featured image used with permission from Wikimedia Commons)
