"My Childhood Tastes Like Sanbitter!"

Getting ready for some yummy Indian brunch this morning, I pretty much collapsed when I got out of bed. My muscles felt extremely sore from the trekking yesterday: I definitely need to start working out.

This whole week in Italy was very peaceful and soothing, especially during the field trip to Montalcino, where we were surrounded by trees, mountains, and more mountains. While exploring the streets and tasting free honey samples, I noticed most food stores sold a certain red bottled liquid that I recognize from the star gazing trip. This drink (Sanbitter) made everyone think I never really had a childhood... I still recall how Trevor gave me a sympathetic hug and said "It's okay" when I enjoyed my small bottle of Sanbitter during dinner...

Most of us find this drink "extremely bitter" or merely described it as "Yuck". I searched Sanbitter up on amazon and discovered most American buyers hated it, leaving reviews like "It tastes sickeningly sweet at first and has an absolutely horrible, disgustingly bitter aftertaste". Unlike coke, this drink has glucose-fructose syrup instead of high-fructose corn syrup and more acidulants contributing to its sharp taste. Americans are adjusted to sweet and high sugar content drinks like coke which makes Sanbitter less appealing. In my case, I drink low sugar or sugarless tea in Japan and China as a substitute for water, therefore I find Sanbitter rather sweet and its bitter flavor a plus since I enjoy the bitter taste in most teas I've had back home.

You will be more surprised by the sugar content of Vitamin water or Arizona Tea...

I find it interesting that this bitter taste that disgusted many of us actually helps Italians with their diet. Sanbitter is marketed as "apertif" sodas, which means it is a drink that stimulates the appetite before a meal. Besides that, it also aids digestion with the help of its citric acid ingredient.

Citric Acid Structure

This weak organic acid not only adds a sour taste to foods and drinks, but also helps the digestive system by restoring, stimulating, and maintaining healthier digestion as discovered by Purdue University. From our 2 week experience in Italy, we already know that Italians have very, very long meals lasting 2-3 hours. Therefore digestion is important to people here, which is why they have long walks after meals, pre/post-dinner drinks and bitter flavors to help their bodies digest all the food they are eating. Bitter flavors will aid digestion by stimulating the Vagus nerve, which is part of the parasympathetic nervous system. This pathway of the autonomous nervous system promotes digestion and nutrient uptake through signaling the vagus nerve, which connects our brain to everything from the tongue, lungs, heart, stomach and intestines to different glands that produce enzymes and hormones that influence digestion and metabolism.

Now we know Sanbitter will help us digest all the Italian food we've been stuffing ourselves with! If anyone wants a taste of this cute red-bottled drink, I have plenty in my room! =)

Images from Google and information from Wikipedia & Breatheology