100 Things I Love About the USA: Part 3

#11. We invented "S'mores". 

No one knows who thought this tasty treat up, and quite frankly, we don't care. Whoever they were, they were freakin' geniuses. This graham-crackery-chocolatey-marshmallowy-deliciousness was "invented" around the turn of the 20th century, probably by campers who were trying to figure what else to do with the newly made marshmallows. I mean, besides eating them straight out of the bag. We even have a National S'mores day (not kidding) dedicated to it. Not to mention we Americans can't really explain why they are so freaking delicious and popular. Considering graham crackers are not the most popular cracker and most people won't eat more than a few marshmallows by themselves. Nor should we really enjoy cooking something over a  campfire on a stick some kid found in the dirt, meaning we have no idea where that stick has been. Oddly enough, S'mores just work and we love them. And it is strange to try to describe these things to foreigners, because y'all think we're just crazy. (But that's only because we are. Crazy.)

#12. Mount Rushmore. 

Left to right: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln.

More than 3 million people travel to South Dakota every year to stare at this mountain. Congress approved funding for this national treasure to represent the first 130 years of America. Construction started in 1927 and continued through 1941. Little tidbit - the original design was to depict our former presidents from head to waist, but lack of funding forced construction to stop in 1941.

#13. Coca-Cola Company and Museum. Coke was invented in the late 1880s in the great state of Georgia, and the headquarters and museum are all located in Atlanta. I've been to the museum, which was very cool even though I prefer the taste of Pepsi to Coke. It is true that originally, Coke's formula had a significant amount of cocaine in it. Coke was named after the two main ingredients, cocaine from the coca plant and for the caffeine from the kola plant. Over time, Coke started using a cocaine-free coca plant and it survived the New Coke debacle of the 80s.

My cousin and I got our giggles on getting our picture taken with the infamous Coke Bear.

And they do come up with some good commercials.

#14. Since I did Coke, I have to do Pepsi, which I prefer the taste of. Pepsi came along a few years after Coke, in the early 1890s in North Carolina. Pepsi barely survived the Great Depression, entering into bankruptcy and was even offered to Coke for purchase three times, and Coke said no. Pepsi was later purchased by a candy maker who wanted to get rid of the Coke dispensers in his stores after the company refused to give him a discount on the syrup. Eventually, Pepsi became a major contender. Today, Coke still outsells Pepsi in most places, but America wouldn't be America without the cola war that continues on. Besides, I'm Team Pepsi. Plus I love when Pepsi makes commercials that joke about their rivalry.

Here's the map of the USA to show you where I've taken you in toady's post.