Energy drinks probably aren't the healthiest thing on earh. But if you've ever had to watch your taxi driver nod off to sleep with the car going 130km per hour down one of Jakarta's main thoroughfare at night, you might recognize a redeeming quality in those punchy little bottles.
Red Bull's official website plugs its controversial syrupy-sweet brew as the drik "for when a long day is over and a long night starts," and "for long, sleep inducing motorways," No wonder its Thai originator, Krating Daeng, is the beverage of choice for so many of Jakarta's groggy-eyed cabbies. Sometimes dubbed "the poor man's coffee" of Asia, Krating Daeng (Thsi for 'red bull') took off in Bangkok in the early eighties. In recent years the drink shifted upmarket to win over Asian yuppies, from 'e'-popping clubbers to workaholic dot-commers. But its real customer base remains the many long-haul truckers and taxi drivers struggling through 20-hour shifts. Many Jakarta cabbies admit to being addicted to the drink, and down four or five bottles of it daily.
Nasty rumors have dogged the manufacturer for years: That the stuff's made from bull semen; that it's an ecstasy type stimulant; that it contains amphetamine. In reality, Krating Daeng is a very potent mix of taurin, caffeine, sugar, and vitamin Bs. Competing Asian 'health tonics' - Lipovitan, M-150, or Extra Joss for instance - contain similar mixtures. Energy drinks offer a sensation that in some ways reflects Jakarta itself: a wonderful 'high' marked by a strong buzz, which then fades quickly, leaving you feeling pretty drained.
No comments:
Post a Comment