I hunted all over the world for Coca-Cola bottles indifferent languages. My first opportunity to buy one was in Ethiopia followed by Egypt. The Coca-Cola in Israel was a plastic wrapping around the glass bottle and therefore less cool. The next chance I had was when we entered the former Soviet Union, I hunted all over Georgia for a precious bottle.
As you can see in this photo, Georgia uses a different written language. It is one of the least-friendly cities to a foreigner in the world. The people are quite nice and the food is incredible, but getting around is very difficult unless you know Russian or can at least read the Georgian language…which was nicknamed “squiggly” by a friend of ours. They have their own Coca-Cola logo but for some reason only print that logo in small letters on the back of the bottle. On the front of the bottle is the normal Coca-Cola logo that comes direct from Atlanta in the other and slightly less exotic Georgia.
To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.
IF YOU GO:Tbilisi is actually very accessible from most of Europe as well as Turkey and Israel. Lots of airlines fly there and there is a lot to see and do. Claiming itself as the birthplace of Europe (there is a reason the Europeans are “Caucasians”) it had phenomenal beer and wine tours as well as more Byzantine churches than you can shake a stick at. Most importantly, you can have your body scrubbed clean by a complete stranger in a hot bath for less than five bucks.
Mellissa says
I love this post because it’s so true! I’m amazed that the flavor of Coke is so popular around the world. I had a neighbor who really wanted a Coke bottle with Japanese characters, but outside of antique shops, I never saw any. I did however see quite a few vending machines full of ‘Georgia Coffee’. At first I thought the country of Georgia must have some random abundance of coffee smack dab in the middle of the old communist block. Then I looked at the label and saw that it was produced by Coke and put two and two together. (And I am offended by your suggestion that my beloved GA is anything less than exotic! You’ve obviously never visited the charming ‘German’ village of Helen or our hot springs at Warm Springs where FDR used to relax. We’re full of fun!! lol!)
Oh and I wonder if you have a post about other multinationals you saw around the world. I know that almost everywhere I’ve been there’s a KFC and of course McDonalds. Also several Pizza Huts and 7-11s. Although it’s sad to see such an American presence all over the globe, it is interesting to see how the locals adjust offerings to their own taste (i.e. McDonalds in India offered mutton and curry along with the fries).
Jillian says
Is it the flavor of coke or the branding that makes it so popular around the world? I’d argue it’s the brand and what it’s come to represent. Great idea for a new post- multi-nationals. We definitely saw a lot of KFC’s in Asia, but in the Americas there are local brands (like Pollo Campero) which take the spot for KFC. We did see a lot of Pizza huts in Central America… I mean relatively speaking!