It’s like a Mountain Dew float

September 25th, 2009 | By Sarah Shaughnessy | Section: Features

Though few students would call Grinnell dining hall cuisine extraordinary—award winning though it may be—Cyril Afeku ’13 has discovered a way to make it a bit more interesting. Every day, often at both lunch and dinner, he mixes 2 percent milk with Mountain Dew.

Although he didn’t start drinking the concoction until he arrived at Grinnell from his home country, Ghana, Afeku cultivated an interest in adventurous beverages growing up—mixing together various sodas and regional juices. “I try to keep in mind different flavors and how they will taste together,” he said.

The philosophy behind the alliteratively alluring soda-dairy combination is really quite simple. Afeku explained that the caffeine from the Mountain Dew gives him energy while the protein and vitamins in the milk provide nutrition. I found that the drink does not taste too bad either—fizzy, sweet, and slightly creamy—similar, perhaps, to a melted Mountain Dew float. “I think it’s really quite nice,” Afeku said.

The drink has received mixed reviews. “My friend Kamila really likes it, but, you know, not everyone does,” he said, adding that another friend thought the combination was disgusting.

So far, milk and Mountain Dew is Afeku’s sole culinary creation, but with Grinnell’s wide array of liquid offerings, more are sure to follow.