I’ve made no secret of my love for all things retro, but I really took things a step farther over the weekend when I bought Tang from the grocery store. I’d been craving it for some time now, which is really weird, because I don’t actually remember drinking it as a kid. Or if I did, it was on rare occasions, and always at a friend’s house. My parents never bought me a Big Wheel or Cookie Crisp cereal. Do you think they’d let me have Tang?!
“But astronauts drink it!” I declared. I was born in 1969, the same year that man first walked on the moon. Astronauts were a great negotiating tool back in the 1970s. Unfortunately this strategy backfired: my mom simply countered with, “When you’re an astronaut, you can drink all the Tang you want!” I’m convinced parents all read from the same playbook. And that’s probably why I’m craving Tang now. I never really got to experience it as a child save for the rare special occasion, so it holds a place of reverence in my heart.
When I mentioned to my wife that I wanted to pick up some Tang on our next visit to the grocery store, her response was, “Tang? They still make that?!”
I informed her that Tang is an American classic and most definitely still available. Sure enough, there it was, sandwiched between canisters of powdered Country Time Lemonade and Kool-Aid. I hesitated for a split second, briefly pondering the science behind powdered drink mixes, but decided some things are better left as mysteries and added the product to our cart.
Here’s a fun aside: the man who created Tang also invented Pop Rocks, Cool Whip, and instant Jell-O. It became associated with the space program because Tang was selected as a menu item during John Glenn’s 1962 Mercury orbit, and later used on Gemini missions. Its endorsement by NASA launched it into the stratosphere in terms of popularity. Kids nationwide thought it was out of this world. Puns intended.
Appropriately enough, Sunday afternoon was pretty warm, so I made myself a pitcher of Tang and poured it over a tall glass of ice. Even though I’m not the type to normally go for processed foods, I found the drink refreshing and delicious. When I handed my glass to Audrey and offered her a taste, her first words were, “What kind of alcohol is in there?”
Sheesh. My own kid thinks I’m a lush. What kind of reputation have I made for myself?
“None,” I said. “It’s delicious! Astronauts drink it when they go to space.”
That earned me a quizzical, bored so what? look. In the year 2014, astronauts don’t carry the same cachet as they did in 1974, apparently. She took a sip, grimaced, and declared it “too sweet.”
Undeterred by my daughter’s lack of enthusiasm, I decided to share my new old discovery with the world. I took a selfie (first one ever!) with a glass of Tang as a prop and posted it to Instagram and Facebook. More than one person commented, “Tang? They still make that?!” Another asked what I mixed it with. Water! Sheesh!! My own friends think I’m a lush. What kind of reputation have I made for myself?
Another friend asked if it was “still as crappy as it was in the 70s.” Umm, if by crappy you mean delicious, then yes, Heidi. Yes, it is!
Apparently, I’m alone in my love for Tang. Even Buzz Aldrin told an interviewer last year, “Tang sucks.” Whatever! The dude was only the second man to walk on the moon. Whoop-de-doo. Second place is simply the top loser. I’ll bet Neil Armstrong liked Tang. You know, the guy who set foot on the lunar surface first. A/K/A the winner.
So, I’m curious. What do you think of Tang? Please take the poll below! (Mr. Aldrin, “buzz” off. This is closed to you).
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Mark My Words 
Why go for powdered drink mix when you can have the real thing-aka orange juice from Florida.?
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Because astronauts didn’t have fresh squeezed orange juice aboard their space capsules!
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Well in high school we made “Screwed up Screwdrivers”….tang and cheap vodka lifted from the parent’s liquor cabinet (Sorry Mom!!). And I have a huge COSTCO sized container up in my cabinet. The kids begged for it, drank it for a week, and then haven’t touched it since. I could’ve sent you a scoop or two.
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Dammit. I wish I’d known that. You can always bring that jug o’ Tang to Poskin! When everybody else is arguing, we can all sit back and drink Screwed up Screwdrivers!
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OMG Mark, reading this brought back so many memories for me when I was a kid and drank TANG! And yes, I clearly remember the commercials advertising it as being the drink that was selected as a menu item during John Glenn’s 1962 Mercury orbit. In
Now I haven’t drank it in such a long time, but I do remember liking it. In fact, I can still remember exactly what it tasted like.
Wow…I can’t believe they still make TANG!?!
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I was the same way. Even though I hadn’t had it since I was a kid, I remembered exactly how it tasted. Nothing had changed!
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Do you remember the old Tang commercials that were done in claymation with giant mouths running around the kitchen? LOL
We drank Tang as kids, but not very often. We drank Kool-Aid way more. I haven’t had either in years, but I’d try em again.
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I remember the California raisins, of course, but have no recollection of claymation Tang figures dancing around. Sounds pretty cool, though. I went through a brief Kool-Aid phase, but that was when MY kids were little. Again, I don’t remember really drinking that much as a child myself. I was a very deprived kid, as I’m sure you are gathering.
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I didn’t even like it as a kid and it was a staple in our house.
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Gasp! Say it ain’t so!!
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so, sorry but very much so.
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We had it all the time growing up, along with every other processed food imaginable, including Space Sticks!
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What on earth (again, pun intended) are Space Sticks?!
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Only the most delicious taste treat made by Pillsbury! They were pushed as an energy type food, but it was really just a glorified Tootsie Roll.
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Only had it a couple of times as a kid and didn’t really care for it. We actually have a huge container of it at my house but we use it to clean our dishwasher in the summer when it gets that funky smell. It is one of those “what else is it good for” household tips. My kids used to prefer Sunny D over Tang. I don’t like either. Plain ole OJ for me – of course without pulp!
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When it comes to OJ, I’m a light pulp kind of guy, John. And when it comes to cleaning dishwashers, I’m a 409 kind of guy. 🙂
But I should let Wendy know about your household tip, so that jug of Tang she bought at Costco doesn’t go to waste.
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I haven’t had Tang in decades (unless you count the Kung Pao I got from a restaurant of the same name as you flavour crystals), partly because I’m not into that whole health food scene and also partly because it is not next to the Coke Classic, so I don’t know if they still sell it here in Canada. I will be looking for it next time I’m in the store. Tell me, does it still taste like crunched-up Bayer chewable children’s aspirins?
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Yes – that’s exactly what it tastes like! And that’s part of the draw for me. I love Bayer chewable children’s aspirin! Man, those and Flintstones vitamins were the candy of my childhood.
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I agree… as a kid I used to put money in my mouth hoping to come down with something treatable with kids’ aspirins. Why didn’t they ever give out Flintstone’s vitamins at Hallowe’en?
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I used to like Tang as a kid & my mother used to make popsicles out of it with our own homemade popsicle maker. It was a change from Kool-Aid. I seem to remember sprinkling it over something creamy for a great treat, but I’m not sure if it was ice cream or whipped cream. Try it & let me know how it tastes!
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