Grape Flavoring

Why does it exist? Whether it's Jolly Ranchers, popsicles or Kool-Aid, the purple ones are always the ones left and the back of the breezer or the bottom of the bag. There's of course that one kid from summer camp who likes grape flavoring, but there can't be enough of those kids to justify the flavor. I mean, purple's a color worth using, but it doesn't have to be grape; raspberries are never blue, for example, yet there are blue raspberry sno-cones.

I think the first problem with artificial grape flavoring is that it tastes nothing like grape. Admittedly, artificial apple, strawberry, etc. flavors taste nothing like the fruits arbitrarily associated with them, but at least those flavors are good.

Case in point: my suitemate had a crate of Fruit2O waters. "Natural Grape" was of course a lie. It was artifical grape, or else the liquid wouldn't be clear. The premise behind the water is that you dip your tongue in sugar without having to drink soda or gain any weight, since it's calorie free. I sampled her waters, addiction forming. But then we ran out of the flavors that I like.

I started at the crate, scowling at the purple label. Grape. My artifical flavor arch nemesis. I pulled it out, thinking that since the other flavors actually tasted like, to my surprise, the actual fruits mentioned on the label, I might enjoy a grape-flavored anything for the first time. Grape, however, did not disappoint me with its evil taste. Why does grape fail in being replicated when other fruits don't? And why do they keep selling it, despite this deficiency? Yeah, think about it.

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