[SPOILERS] Parity Parody

[suboptimal]

So when you say "Work on energy drinks", do you mean that you need to consume energy drinks to function to do your job, or that you are working on the design and manufacturing of said energy drinks?

I'm working on the design and manufacturing of said drinks.  I'm a flavorist - my responsibility on these projects is to develop flavors that make the product taste good.  The flavors also need to cover up or offset the bitterness and off-tastes of the energy "package" (usually caffeine, B vitamins, amino acids and sometimes botanical extracts) and attenuate the off-flavors of any artificial sweeteners present.  That's not always easy because a material one might use to attenuate an artificial sweetener might also cause the bitterness sensation to increase (bad) or cause a change in the perception of the flavor (bad or good, depending on the effect).

[Krill]

So you are doing both?

I see what you mean about the food supplement bit.

Do they allow you a spit bowl?

[suboptimal]

Not sure what you're referring to by "both". If it's the consumption question I don't normally consumer energy drinks (prefer a morning cup of coffee) so this is strictly consumption in the course of my work. If you're referring to design & manufacturing I'm only on the design side....we sell the flavors (and sometimes the energy packages) to the drink company and they handle the manufacturing, either directly or through a co-manufacturer.

I could use a spit bowl/cup but I prefer not to despite the aftereffects. The flavor/taste perception is slightly (but sometimes significantly) different when using a spit bowl vs. swallowing. You can try this with your favorite soft drink. Take a usual swig of the stuff and pay attention to how it tastes. Wait a minute or so and take another swig but spit it out. The perception is a bit different. Sommoliers need to spit because otherwise they'd be completely trashed. In my case I'm gradually building up a tolerance to this crap stuff.

[civac2]

Energy drinks and soft drinks in general are decidedly unhealthy though I suppose you don't consume that much the stuff.

[suboptimal]

I don't use energy drinks because I don't like how they taste. Sugar-sweetened soft drinks, OTOH, I do drink quite regularly, usually with lunch and sometimes dinner (for some reason I don't find plain water appealing...never have). I don't like diet drinks, though, as artificial sweeteners all taste off to me. "Unhealthy" is a matter of how much one consumes rather than whether one consumes something (or doesn't) in most cases.

[civac2]

Indeed, it's a matter of the dose. In the case of soft drinks, one glass/can a day is too much.

[suboptimal]

Do you drink fruit juice?

[civac2]

No. Decent attempt though.

[suboptimal]

Had to ask. A lot of people assume that the two are different from a health perspective when they're actually not that far apart (high fructose corn syrup issues aside for US beverages).

[Kaiser]

Germans drink schorle !!!! (Fruit juice mixed with sparkling water)

I by now only drink Softdrinks/Juice or Schorle and Alcohol in social occasions only and have reverted to tap water for any other occasion with a tea or hot chocolate sprinkled in on cold days. The change was difficult at first (mostly from Juice/Schorle and occasional softdrinks) but by now even juice is often too sweet for me.

As a sideeffect, I cannot stand the smell of red bull and similar energy drinks but I am not sure if this is the artifial smell, the sweeteners or the caffeine in it as I do not drink coffee either (though I like its smell)