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Alison Stewart: This is All Of It. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC Studios in SoHo. Thanks for sharing part of your day with me. My second to last day in the host seat for the summer. As you may have heard, I'm heading out on medical leave to donate a kidney. I got one. I'm just giving it away. On tomorrow's show, I'll be taking your calls about what I should read, listen to, and watch while I'm recovering because I'm going to have to sit on my bum for a while. If you have a sick book or a series you want to recommend, call in tomorrow at 1:30 PM. I'll be taking your calls. That's in the future. Let's get this hour started with some hot takes about a cold beverage, seltzer.

[music]

Alison Stewart: Here's the new segment concept we're taking out for a spin, Small Stakes, Big Opinions, and we're talking about bubbles, specifically seltzer bubbles. Our effervescent friend of the show, comedian and writer, Josh Gondelman, recently wrote an article for Slate titled One Seltzer to Rule Them All, in which he argued for the supremacy of his hometown favorite, Polar Beverages.

As soon as we saw the article, it prompted a debate within the All Of It team and a battle over best bubbles, and we thought if we had that reaction, our listeners probably would have their own thoughts and feelings too. Joining us to talk seltzer is Josh Gondelman, who is taking a break from walking the picket lines, a member of both SAG and WGA. Josh, welcome.

Josh Gondelman: Thank you so much for having me. I can't wait to argue on the radio today.

Alison Stewart: Small Stakes, Big Opinions. Just keep that in mind. Listeners, we want you to weigh in. Are you a seltzer drinker? What's your favorite type of seltzer? What's your go-to flavor? Do you agree with Josh that Polar is on top or do you have a pick of your own? Phone lines are wide open. 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC. You can call up and hear your voice on air or you can text us at that number as well, or you can go to our social media @AllOfItWNYC and tell us your favorite seltzer. A lot of people have already weighed in on this. It's it's amazing. People do have strong opinions. How did you come to write an article for Slate about seltzer?

Josh Gondelman: Slate, they were doing a package about best beverages, and they knew that I was a valid on-the-record Polar seltzer partisan and fan. They reached out to me to see if I would write the defense of Polar seltzer. Bolstered by the number one ranking for their plain seltzer recently from America's test kitchen, I felt like I had both the facts and the feelings on my side, and I was ready to go to the mat.

Alison Stewart: When and how do you develop strong feelings about seltzer?

Josh Gondelman: As you mentioned, I am a television writer currently on strike, but in a TV writer's room, there is a lot of seltzer. I had to convert fully from any full sugar soda so that I just wasn't pounding chemicals all day and night. When I'm on a job, I drink so many seltzers a day that the number is embarrassing. I've sampled a lot of different kinds, and when I work from home, I keep a little stash at home to enjoy when I work. I have a pretty far-ranging experience. I can't presume to say I've tried every seltzer. People coming at me saying, "You've never tried Bubbles Delight from Albuquerque?" Maybe I haven't. I haven't gone quite that far. I do feel like I have a fair amount of experience in the field.

Alison Stewart: A couple of days ago, just so we are doing a full disclosure here, you tweeted a photo of a big haul of boxes of seltzers that Polar had sent you following the article. How do we know you're not in the pocket of Big Polar?

Josh Gondelman: You think I'm being influenced by Big Polar?

Alison Stewart: Just asking. I'm a journalist at heart.

Josh Gondelman: First of all, the articles are in well in advance. I did offer to pay Polar because what they sent me was a package of their seasonal flavors for summer and the limeade, lemonade, seltzer flavors for the summer, which they don't distribute. At least I haven't seen them distribute in my neighborhood in Brooklyn. I did offer to pay for them. They declined. I am not a hard journalist. I am but a humble comedy writer. I felt like it would not taint my standing as such to accept the gift. They also sent, full disclosure, two keychains, two erasers, and a T-shirt that is far too small. That is the complete stash that I have in addition to about 142 cans of seasonal Polar beverages.

Alison Stewart: Let's take some calls.

Josh Gondelman: Can't wait.

Alison Stewart: Go to line 1. Nick is calling from Sunnyside. Hi, Nick.

Nick: Hey, how are you?

Alison Stewart: Doing okay. Tell us more about your seltzer experience.

Nick: I guess I drink a ton of Polar. Polar is not my favorite. I will say it is the cheapest, but as an out-of-work stagehand, the strikes hit everybody left and right. It's a little-known fact on film sets in New York that you have three coolers at craft service, a water, a soda, and a full cooler of seltzer, usually filled with Polar because I imagine they have to stretch the craft service budget. As a native New Yorker, Vintage that I've been drinking since I was a kid, it's always there. It's in every shop right in Queens. I'm probably going to get a couple of cases today.

Alison Stewart: All right, Nick, thanks for weighing in. This one is a text says, "A little niche, but Wegmans private-label seltzer is AMAZING. Pomegranate Cherry all day." What do you look for in a seltzer, Josh?

Josh Gondelman: I like a bite from the bubble. I want it to feel like I'm fighting with it a little bit. I want it to feel like someone is spraying a hose in my mouth even when the water isn't moving. Does that make sense? I like a flavor that doesn't feel too artificial. I think that's a big one. This isn't about naming and shaming, but there are some brands where I feel like they take big swings with the flavor and they taste-- It's like grape lollipop level grape, does that make sense, where it's like, "Oh, that's not grape. It's just something we call grape."

Alison Stewart: Oh, it tastes purple.

Josh Gondelman: Yes, it tastes purple. That's right. If it's clear and tastes purple, that's a cognitive disconnect that I'm not willing to abide except for in case of emergencies. Then this goes without saying, and this isn't a specific thing. I know you see this with beer advertisements all the time in windows, but I do like it very, very cold. I think that makes a difference.

Alison Stewart: Very, very cold. Warm seltzer, yes, oh.

Josh Gondelman: I know, right? It feels like drinking a battery.

Alison Stewart: Yes, that's punishment. Go drink some warm seltzer and think about what you did.

Josh Gondelman: Drink some warm seltzer and think about what you've done.

Alison Stewart: How do you like your bubbles? Do you like them strong, soft, coarse?

Josh Gondelman: Strong. I like a strong bubble. If I didn't want a strong bubble, I would drink a Gatorade. That's my feeling. I like the bubbles to have a little force behind them.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Bill from Crown Heights. Hi, Bill. Thanks for calling All Of It.

Bill: Hi. Thanks for taking my call. I'm 56, and I grew up in New Jersey. My mother used to have ordered in by the case, the seltzers in the old big heavy glass bottles with the sprayers, which also meant egg creams for me as a kid. Nothing in a can or a bottle is ever going to live up to that. If I remember correctly, there was a story on WNYC five or six years ago. I think it's the seltzer Boylan or something like that. One last company in New York that still makes it, but they don't even make the bottles anymore if I remember correctly. They can only keep reusing the old ones.

Josh Gondelman: Yes, I think that's true.

Alison Stewart: Yes, they were on this very show. We've long been into seltzer, Josh.

Josh Gondelman: Oh, yes. I don't presume to be a pioneer, just an enthusiast.

Alison Stewart: There's something I want to follow up with Bill in terms of the nostalgia around seltzer. Do you have nostalgia around your choice?

Josh Gondelman: Do I?

Alison Stewart: Yes.

Josh Gondelman: Oh, yes, certainly. I think a hometown seltzer. This is how much it takes. I'm from Eastern Massachusetts, and to claim Worcester as a hometown seltzer, if anyone who's been through Massachusetts understands that, that is a huge show of devotion to a seltzer to claim Worcester even when you're from 60 miles away. There is a hometown fondness for it, for sure. It's what my parents always have when I go to visit. Yes, there is a nostalgia to it. I do also appreciate, as Bill said, that artisan bottle-to-bottle, spout-to-table service.

Alison Stewart: So funny that you mentioned Worcester. Do you remember was it WAAF, the radio station up there, Worcester, Boston?

Josh Gondelman: Yes. [crosstalk]

Alison Stewart: They used to try to make it one town.

[crosstalk]

Alison Stewart: They used to try to stretch.

Josh Gondelman: Rest in peace to the heavy metal, hard rock radio station of my youth.

Alison Stewart: My guest is Josh Gondelman. The article is called One Seltzer to Rule Them All. It was for Slate. Let's talk to Daniel from South Orange, New Jersey. Hi, Daniel.

Daniel: Hi. Thanks for taking my call. I'm going to do another psychotherapy version. My dad was a huge seltzer drinker. Bottles and bottles everywhere, terrible stuff, huge giant, terrible bubbles. It tasted almost salty. The closest we got the soda was to put some juice in it. Now as an adult-- first of all, for me it's SodaStream only because I can control it. No artificial flavors, none of those weird flavor packets. God help me. A hard seltzer, no way. They taste like SweeTARTS. It's just fresh orange juice, lemonade, cranberry juice, a quarter of it, and the rest of it SodaStream seltzer. That's what I drink all day, all night and my daughter has adopted it too.

Alison Stewart: Daniel has a whole rule. Oh, he thought this through.

Josh Gondelman: Three generations of seltzer, I think that's so beautiful.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Amanda calling in for Manhattan. Hi Amanda, thanks for calling All Of It.

Amanda: Hi, Alison. Thank you for taking my call. I'm a huge seltzer drinker. By the way, I agree with everything that your guest has said about the bite of the bubbles. It has to be really, really cold. Everything's on point, but I disagree that I think the best seltzer is Topo Chico and the regular, not the twist of lime. I just like the regular one. I think that's the best-

Josh Gondelman: Huge distinction with Topo Chico. Huge distinction.

Amanda: Yes.

Josh Gondelman: Totally.

Amanda: Yes. It's different. It's different. I have become a huge fan of the brand, Ruby, R-U-B-Y, and their Sparkling Hibiscus, the original flavor. The other flavors are good too, but I love just the original Sparkling Hibiscus seltzer that they've got.

Alison Stewart: That just sounds exotic. Why is Topo Chico a whole different thing?

Josh Gondelman: Topo Chico is great. It's got great carbonation. It holds the carbonation well. Comes in glass bottles often, which is delightful like we were talking about it earlier, but the flavors, I don't think they've quite nailed. They have a twist of lime and they maybe even have a grapefruit too that I think are not bad, but the plain flavor, just the seltzer water plain with bubbles is really good, really strong. The glass bottle, I think gives you a leg up over a plastic bottle or even a can.

Alison Stewart: Someone has a tweet to us. "It ain't seltzer if it doesn't hurt going down."

Josh Gondelman: [laughs] I respect. As a New England Jew, I do appreciate a beverage that causes a little discomfort. It makes me feel like I'm earning it.

Alison Stewart: Let's see. Pellegrino not Polar. I also like Hal's New York seltzer, Schweppes, and Seagram's by the can. I don't who put the Pellegrinos in here. I don't know.

Josh Gondelman: I find them to be not quite the right level of bubble. Similarly, I don't think the flavors are that great with the Pellegrino. It just doesn't do it for me. No offense to the good people of Pellegrino. I'm sure they're trying their best.

Alison Stewart: Canada Dry Lemon Lime is my jam right now. That's from Instagram. "Polar, great flavor diversity and appropriately carbonated LaCroix or LaCroix or whatever is the worst. So flat." You talk about Polish breadth of flavors "blows the competition out of the carbonated water." What is special about Polar's flavored options in your opinion?

Josh Gondelman: I think they do tart and sweet really well. That's something that makes a difference to me. The grapefruit is great. The Black Cherry has a little-- both of those have a little extra buzz on the fizz because of the tartness, and they also do sweet flavors really well. In the summer they do Mango Limeade is pretty much can't be beat if you can find it in New York. That is part of what they sent me and I'm saving that case for last. They're Orange Vanilla, truly. I wrote this.

They taste so flavorful, like a creamsicle almost, that it feels like the Seinfeld episode where they're all eating what they think is non-fat frozen yogurt and it turns out it's regular ice cream just mislabeled or fraudulently labeled. That's how I felt for years about this Orange Vanilla soda. I think they do tart well, sweet well. They don't mess around with stuff that feels too synthetic. I find that in berry flavors or florals, it often gets too synthetic, but Polar makes it feel very natural.

Alison Stewart: When you think about flavor profiles, are you in favor of wild experimentation or just going with the recognizable?

Josh Gondelman: That's a great question. I think that the recognizable is nice to have some staples. We get in our regular groceries. We can always find the Black Cherry flavor, which is really good and a staple. Many of these flavors, if you want to adultify them on your own, I find that that works better than drinking a hard seltzer if you harden it yourself, if you know what I mean. I do like the experimentation if they can nail it, but there's no reason to stick with something if it doesn't land. I think they do a great job experimenting and then letting go if something isn't ahead.

Alison Stewart: Josh Gondelman wrote the piece called One Seltzer to Rule Them All for Slate. He's a Polar man. We are taking your calls and what kind of seltzer you like. Jack calling in from Manhattan. Hi Jack.

Jack: Hi. How are you? Thanks for taking my call. I can't go wrong with Trader Joe's. The cost is, I think $0.99, that's up from $0.79, plain grapefruit, lemon and lime.

Alison Stewart: Man is right to the point, price, and flavor.

Josh Gondelman: I think that is so important. I think a value is crucial, and to have those staple flavors that you know work and that you can get location to location and have that reliability is important because you can't-- It's tough to fix your heart on a seltzer that is difficult to obtain where you live. I feel like you're only setting yourself up for devastation, being dashed on the rocks of disappointment.

Alison Stewart: Gabriela is calling in from Washington Heights. Hi, Gabriela.

Gabriela: Hi. I just have to give a shout-out to Walter Backerman, the seltzer man. There's a documentary about him online. He delivers to my apartment. He's third generation. His grandfather delivered in New York on a horse and buggy the original glass bottles with the original glass tube. He delivers them in those old wooden boxes. There's nothing like it. Unfortunately, that tweeter stole my line, but it hurts when it goes down.

Then the other benefit is that after you open it, it's in those bottles. It never goes flat. It's not like when you buy a big bottle at the store and then you open it and then it goes flat. It'll never go flat. You just keep it in the fridge. It's also eco-friendly. Can I point that out? If you guys haven't tried it, you'll never go back, but you'll have to get Walter to deliver it to you personally.

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: I'm curious. I'm so glad that you brought up the bottles and the delivery system of the seltzer because I have noticed that even Polar has-- the cans are different shapes depending on the season and the size, and sometimes they're just the small bottles and then sometimes they're the chubby regular cans and they're white claw shaped cans.

Josh Gondelman: Sure.

Alison Stewart: I'm curious about your choice of delivery. What vessel?

Josh Gondelman: Well, I love a glass bottle, if you can get it. That is something that Topo Chico does so well and that Walter, the seltzer man, does well. First of all, I love the New York tradition, I was talking about this with a friend recently, of knowing a guy, and it's the best. They have knowing a guy everywhere, but knowing a seltzer guy feels very New York. I have an affinity for the grabability of those tall, skinny cans when they have the same volume to them, but I worry that the surface area that my hand grasps might warm them up too fast, but I don't know thermodynamics. This is just pure conjecture on my part.

Alison Stewart: Josh Gondelman wrote a piece called One Seltzer to Rule Them All for Slate. We are talking seltzer this hour. It's our new concept, Small Stakes, Big Opinions. We'll get to more of your big opinions and we'll speak more with Josh after a quick break. This is All Of It.

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Alison Stewart: This is All Of It at WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. My guest this hour is writer, actor, standup comic, and seltzer aficionado, Josh Gondelman. He wrote a piece for Slate called One Seltzer to Rule Them All. We are taking your calls and your texts. I'm just going to roll through a few of these, Josh.

Josh Gondelman: Please.

Alison Stewart: Perrier the champagne of waters. How has no one-- No, I have to do read this properly because it's all in caps. "OH MY GOD, WHY HASN'T ANYONE MENTIONED HAL'S? Clear front runner. Polar Lime Ginger, fantastic surprise. What about Spindrift? All the rage." What about Spindrift, Josh? Does Spindrift count or is it soda light?

Josh Gondelman: Shout out to the seltzer adjacent Facebook group that I belong to, or all seltzer Facebook group that I belong to where there is a fierce debate about whether a little juice changes it. I do think it's a different thing once you start putting some juice in there. This is nothing against Spindrift, but it does feel like putting juice in a sparkling water. We're getting into the territory of Barry Bonds's home run record where it counts, but there's an asterisk.

Alison Stewart: [laughs] Let's talk to Elizabeth from Saffron, New York. Hi, Elizabeth, thanks for calling in.

Elizabeth: Hi. Thanks for taking my call. I stopped drinking alcohol about a year and a half ago. Seltzer for me has been the only thing that's my go-to. My favorite flavor is Polar's Mandarin flavor. Just a warning to people that go to look for that flavor. They also make an Orange Vanilla flavor, which is awful. It is the worst-tasting thing ever. This is a great segment. Again, thanks for taking my call.

Alison Stewart: How are you feeling about that, Josh?

Josh Gondelman: I'll tell you what, it hurts. The Orange Vanilla is controversial, I admit. I've argued with friends about it, I stand by it. It is a buyer beware that those two colors is a very different -- it's just the brightness of the orange on the bands of the label. It is something to keep an eye out for. You could get the wrong one if you're shopping in a rush.

Alison Stewart: Linda is calling from Harlem and apparently enjoying a seltzer right now. Hi, Linda.

Linda: Hello. I am actually drinking at the moment my cranberry juice with seltzer. It's vintage and I am the 12-can buyer of seltzer water. It's my drink of choice all the time. It's so easy to drink. Note, I was on a Southwest flight from New York to Houston. I asked for seltzer water, I got club soda. When I said to the flight attendant, after she served everyone, I asked for seltzer water, this is club soda, she says, "Oh, it's the same thing." [gasps] I said nothing was diplomatic.

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: She grabbed her pearls. I think Peter feels the same way in Harlem. Peter, the club soda versus seltzer discussion. You're on the air.

Peter: Hi.

Alison Stewart: Yes, you're on the air.

Peter: First off, club soda has salt in it. Salty water is gross. I've been drinking [unintelligible 00:21:52] since I was 10 in New York in a glass bottle. I switched over to Vintage, but I'm going to try that delivery system. I am sober three years. I make my own ginger ale with freshly grated ginger and lemon juice and a mixture of stevia and sugar syrup. I also make my own mojitos. If you have that frozen 20-ounce bottle, just roll to a party and you got 20 drinks if you just have seltzer. For the flavored seltzers, Poland Spring, Orange and Black Cherry taste just like orange soda and black cherry soda. A lot of other ones just taste like perfume water. I'm sorry, Hal's tastes like perfume water.

Alison Stewart: Strong opinions. As we said, Big Opinions, Small Stakes. This is from a guy named Dave-- somebody named David. It says, "I have had LaCroix." Do you know which one it is?

Josh Gondelman: I've heard LaCroix.

Alison Stewart: I think Lacroix, right?

Josh Gondelman: That's what I think the official is. Yes.

Alison Stewart: I've heard LaCroix described as drinking flat seltzer while someone shouts the names of tropical fruit from another room.

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: For a while that's all you saw. If you went on any meeting, any go see anywhere was LaCroix. Do you have thoughts on the rise and somewhat fall of LaCroix?

Josh Gondelman: They've got a great aesthetic. They look very elegant. It's a nice presentation. It's a can but it does look like you're serving some elevated beverage. I think they were taking some swings with the flavors, some of which hit, but I think some of them fell, pun unavoidable, flat. I think that they flared up. They had a moment. I'll drink a LaCroix in a pinch. I think the Pamplemousse, the grapefruit, is my favorite. Although we don't need to throw a couple of them into French. That's unnecessary. You know what the other one is? There's a cherry lime that is in Spanish. I think it's Cerise Limón. That one is also very good. That's in those tall, skinny cans.

Alison Stewart: Do you have a second favorite seltzer? We know you are a Polar person, but is there something that you're okay if that shows up? Maybe even thrilled?

Josh Gondelman: Look, I'm not Polar only. There's not an exclusivity to it. It's just a favorite. I'll do Waterloo and Bubly. If those are around, either one of those. What I often find is in New York when I'm walking home late from a show doing stand-up, the most readily available is a 20-ounce bottle of Hal's. That is a nice nighttime treat for me. I have a fondness for Hal's for that reason. You'll get some Canada Dry sometimes, but the Hal's also has that breadth of flavor. They are, as a caller said, a little bit of a less sharp, less clear, vibrant flavor than your Polars and your Bublys and Waterloos.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Jim from Fort Green. Hi, Jim. Thanks for calling All Of It.

Jim: Hey, how are you?

Alison Stewart: Doing okay.

Jim: Good.

Alison Stewart: You're on the air.

Jim: Oh, I got one. It's a good one.

Alison Stewart: All right.

Jim: It's a Grapefruit Cold Brew Spritz from Blank Street Coffee. It's very bitter. Honestly, it's gross. I had it yesterday for the first time, not really good.

[laughter]

Josh Gondelman: I love [crosstalk]

Jim: It came with a little piece of dried fruit in it too. It was almost supposed to be a cocktail, a non-alcoholic cocktail, but I was just not really into it. I ordered it by mistake.

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: What do you think about this idea of hard seltzer? Since Jim introduced the idea of alcohol or enhanced seltzers, where do you stand on the hard seltzer?

Josh Gondelman: I've tried a bunch of them, and they're just not quite my speed in terms of-- I think there's a sweetness and a stickiness with them that is very un-seltzer. That, to me, is the problem, is that it's missing a crispness that you get with seltzer because whatever they have to do to add alcohol to it, it feels like it adulterates the seltzer. I much rather just take your spirit of choice and combine it with your seltzer flavor of choice at home, and then that's a nice way to stiffen up your seltzer.

Alison Stewart: This is a great text. "We've been seltzer addicts for years before it was cool. 10 years ago, we remodeled our kitchen and included a seltzer tap. The project was more complex than planned. It became a total money pit but 10 years later, worth every penny. When I'm away from home and don't have a seltzer tap, I'm completely dehydrated because I can't stand flat water." That's devotion.

Josh Gondelman: Wow. Is that Elon Musk? Is that Jeff Bezos writing in?

[laughter]

Josh Gondelman: What a luxury. If I had an MTV Cribs episode, I would want that. I wouldn't even get to the bedroom before I said this is where the magic happens. I would just point to my seltzer tap and people would go, "That is magical. This is like something from the Bible."

Alison Stewart: Oh, tangent on MTV Cribs, when they used to bring the footage back, every rapper would be like, "This is for my beverages." Everybody had a beverage refrigerator.

Josh Gondelman: I think that's smart. People get thirsty. If you've got the space, beverage refrigerator is clutch.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Michelle from Yorktown Heights. Hi, Michelle. Thanks for calling All Of It.

Michelle: Oh, my God, thank you so much for doing this segment. As your producer might have said, I have very strong opinions on the topic, but the first anecdote which made me feel very superior in drinking seltzer was in a college chemistry class. Where my professor kept saying that the seltzer bubbles really hydrate you better because it activates your salivary glands. I don't know if you can get better than that as a top beverage. Good job, Josh. Secondly, my favorite-- I was drinking-- I have two favorites. I had a bottle of Polar Black Cherry in the car, which I did let get warm. It does feel like drinking battery acid.

However, like you said, if it doesn't hurt, if you don't have to earn it, did it really happen? Number one. My second favorite, contrary to many opinions I'm hearing, is Hal's fruit punch, which I don't know if it's easy to find in the city. I'm in Northern Westchester, which sounds fancier than it is, but it tastes like fruit punch without being sweet. Anyway, I'm so excited I got on. I love this topic. You'll be hearing from me again.

[laughter]

Josh Gondelman: I like that we ended with a little threat. I think that's very exciting.

Alison Stewart: Good day, sir.

Josh Gondelman: You haven't heard the last of me. [laughs]

Alison Stewart: Is there a great white whale of seltzer flavors for you, Josh, one that is hard to find or you really hope someone would make it?

Josh Gondelman: That Polar Mango Limeade is one of my favorites, and I don't think I've seen it in the city or certainly not in the part of Brooklyn that I live in. To have 12 cans of that, I'm going to ration them out like a survivalist in a bunker. That's the one that I always have my eyes out for. Especially, I think, the idea of a seasonal seltzer it's obviously not the same as fresh cherries at a farmer's market, but it's fun to have a little thing to look forward to and to feel, "Oh, it's Raspberry Rosé seltzer season," and to enjoy that while it lasts. I think there's something gratifying about the temporary nature of it.

Alison Stewart: Also from Instagram, "SodaStream, no schlepping, no inventory, handy flavors, variety of guests and can regulate fizziness. Bubly, because I like the flavors without sugar." You've also got a Polar enthusiast here. "Polar is by far the best lime cranberry. Also, the company is family-owned in Worcester, Massachusetts, and they do great things for the community. The new baseball stadium is Polar Stadium."

Josh Gondelman: That's right.

Alison Stewart: "They sponsor a ski lift called the Polar Express."

Josh Gondelman: That's good.

Alison Stewart: Is that true?

Josh Gondelman: I didn't know about Polar Express. I knew about the stadium there. It's a Polar Stadium in Worcester for the Red Sox, I think Tripple-A affiliate now, and they have the big mascot. Orson the Bear is a landmark from the highway that a lot of people, since I published this article, have been tweeting at me about.

Alison Stewart: I'm curious. How have people responded? We've got the phone lines are full, texts, tweets, DMs coming in.

Josh Gondelman: I got so much positive feedback, and it's so hard to know when you post-- When you publish something on the internet, people just respond so viscerally without remembering that a human being is reading it. I was really worried that people would be like, "I prefer Waterloo seltzer and because of this disagreement, I think you should take your own life." It didn't get to that point. People were very supportive. In the seltzer community, I mentioned this Facebook group that I'm in, it's very supportive and enthusiastic about all flavors. I think that's really a testament to the power of seltzer, that it brings people together even when they disagree.

Alison Stewart: Somebody tweeted, "This is such a fun and silly segment. I can't stop laughing."

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: Very funny. Let's try to get one or two more calls in here. Rebecca on line 9 is calling in from Queens. Hi, Rebecca.

Rebecca: Hi. How are you guys?

Alison Stewart: Great. What's going on?

Rebecca: Good. I wanted to just say I moved from Michigan to New York about six years ago, and I will say I think seltzer is much more popular here on the East Coast rather than in the Midwest. Midwest, I feel like we're exposed to a lot more pop or soda as it's known here. I feel like my first experience with seltzer actually was in New York. I didn't drink much of it in the Midwest.

Alison Stewart: Aren't you glad--

Rebecca: I feel like it's more regional. [laughs]

Alison Stewart: Aren't you glad you came East? All right. According to an unofficial AOI Instagram seltzer poll, the clear winner was Polar. Runner-ups included Spindrift. We are still putting an asterisk next to that, and Canada Dry. Also Sanpellegrino, Topo Chico, Bubly, and Straight & Narrow.

Josh Gondelman: I don't know Straight & Narrow.

Alison Stewart: I don't either.

Josh Gondelman: I think the regional aspect overall is really interesting. My friend Eva Hendricks from the band, Charlie Bliss, and I have talked about how when you're touring around the country, there are places where it is just a dearth of seltzer, and they'll go, "Oh, you mean club soda," like we heard already. It is a different thing. Or, they go "Seltzer? Oh, I don't know what that is." You go, "Oh, I feel like I've wandered outside my comfort zone." When I see seltzer at the gas station, it feels like, "Oh, this is a little piece of home."

Alison Stewart: All right. Josh, 60 seconds, writers strike, two months. Now also actor's SAG, how are you feeling?

Josh Gondelman: It's been a lot. It's been a heavy couple of months and it's not just the writers that have been experiencing the strain of being out of work as we heard earlier. I think the writers and the actors that are striking don't take that lightly. There's an enormous amount of solidarity and enormous amount of energy on the picket lines from people that just want a fair deal so they can keep doing the work that they're so passionate about, that we're so passionate about, and sustain a livelihood, have a family, pay their rent or mortgage.

I think we're really out there with a lot of energy. It's been so energizing to have more SAG-AFTRA members out on the lines now that they're on strike, but there have been so many already in solidarity before last week even. It's been an intense time, but a really energizing time to imagine, and a way to make the industry fairer and more inclusive and better for the people who do this creative work that generates all the profits that these huge corporations benefit from and siphon off from us.

Alison Stewart: The article's called One Seltzer to Rule Them All. You can read it on Slate. Thanks to everybody who called in, those who got on the air, and those who didn't, who called in as well. Thanks to Josh Gondelman for our-- This is our debut episode of Small Stakes, Big Opinions. I think it's going to work.

Josh Gondelman: This is incredible. I loved hearing this energy from the callers. Thank you for having me. An honor to be part of the inaugural segment.

Alison Stewart: Thanks, Josh.

 

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