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In Bellingham, WA over New Year's weekend, we went to an olive oil/cheese tasting room. The experience was lovely and they had a little section in the back with pastas, beers, hot sauces, and sodas. I picked up a bottle of Baladin's "Mela Zen" and it seemed so interesting to me. An 'Old World' packaging that made me instantly reminiscent of global-village-coffeehouse (GVC) looks from the 1990s. It had a unique flavour, similar to ginger ale, but more citric.
Ever since I've been trying to find out where to get more. Elephants Delicatessen doesn't have any at their NW 22nd location, haven't found any at the Orenco or Slabtown New Seasons, and I won't bother with any of the big-boy stores like Safeway. I was out on SE Division, the "Div" if I might start calling it, and while waiting for the westbound bus I walked around an upscale grocer on the corner. A little shop that was playing Caroline Polachek when I walked in. They had an assortment of everything in its most upscale, niche packaging. The cold bev fridge had two flavours of Baladin sodas. I asked the cashier if he knew where to find more of these, and he didn't, but he did say he made a shirley temple out of it before. Anyway, this one isn't as good as Mela Zen, but I relish in the packaging and the relief of finding these niche Italian sodas somewhere else in America.
