Tidbits: An even 100 is odd

By AL SICHERMAN, Star Tribune

Last update: November 11, 2009 - 5:53 PM

An even 100 is odd

Try as he might, Mr. Tidbit can't imagine what need is addressed by Coca-Cola's new 50-ounce bottles, sold in twin-packs under the banner "Enough For Your Meal." Unless, on your typical Coke-products occasion, you and your loved ones want to drink 100 ounces exactly, with nothing left over, and not be stuck with the extra 35 ounces that two traditional 2-liter bottles would provide.

It goes without saying that Coke products in this new size cost more per ounce than they do in 2-liter bottles, but (as always), Mr. Tidbit will say it. At one discount supermarket, the display of the twin-packs is in the meat-and-deli area, not in the beverage aisle, making price comparison rather difficult. Allow Mr. Tidbit to provide assistance:

Pop prices bounce around, but on the day Mr. Tidbit shopped, the 2-liter bottles of Coke products at that store were $1.39 (2.06 cents an ounce). The new 100-ounce packs were $2.99 (2.99 cents an ounce).

So for the dubious advantage of buying an even 100 ounces, you would pay a whopping 45 percent more per ounce.

How dumb do they think we are?

Sweet!

Only three weeks ago Mr. Tidbit turned up his substantial nose at the just-introduced Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ritz crackers, saying that the combination of savory and sweet, as far as he was concerned, turned out to be neither.

Now there's another new Ritz cracker (it has been three weeks, after all), and this one, Fudge Covered Ritz, also is both savory and sweet, but this time Mr. Tidbit will eat his words (and several Fudge Covered Ritz crackers) and attest that he finds this combination pretty good. (You might not suspect it, but many folks find that chocolate and salt go together nicely.) Mr. Tidbit's fond hope: a dark chocolate version.

Like the seasonal Fudge-Covered Oreos, the 7.5-ounce box of Fudge Covered Ritz is a bit pricey ($3.55 for about 25 crackers), and it, too, is a "limited edition."

AL SICHERMAN