In the Mountain West, the ‘Dirty’ Soda Rush Is On
www.nytimes.com
With locations now numbering in the hundreds, regional soda-shop chains are spreading far beyond Utah, where they first found popularity.

"What if we took soda, made it even less healthy, served it in styrofoam cups, and added a massive carbon footprint to the whole thing?"

Also, that picture in the article of the drive-through with like 7 identical looking cars...

    • Oso_Rojo [he/him, they/them]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Mormons are pretty insular and don’t like dealing with the world outside of their community. This leads them to retreat from mainstream culture into their own spaces, like this soda business. It’s basically a replacement for cafés and bars since Mormons don’t drink coffee or alcohol, and are uncomfortable around those who do.

      The best example I can think of is CleanFlicks, which was a business that censored movies for Mormons (they don’t watch R-rated movies). I think there are still iterations of this business that still exist in Utah.

      Other things that I consider childish that are wildly popular in Utah are an obsession with Disney and Harry Potter, children’s games for adults (lots of 20-somethings still play tag and do scavenger hunts and shit as part of church activities), and expecting adults to act like obedient children to parental church authorities.

      I grew up in Utah so I see most of them as kids raising kids, but I’m probably more sensitive to it than most people tbh