A few days ago I did a blog on childhood memories, Swamp Dog made a comment about pull top cans, even though they are not that old it did remind me of a experience I had with them a few years back. We are all used to the pop top as seen here to the right.
In late 2003 my unit was sent to Iraq. I had 17 years military experience under my belt so many troops were younger than myself. I remember early on going into a chow hall and getting a can of Coke, the top looked like the one seen here to the right. Being used to seeing them in the past I thought nothing of it. This is the way all our cans were before some bureaucrat decided we weren't smart enough to not swallow them or stick our tongues in the can and get cut and bleed to death. Anyway these Cokes were from Saudi Arabia (I guess we don't care if they hurt themselves so Coke sold all the old canning equipment to them)As I sat down at the table a young Marine about 19 years old sat across from me. I watched him look at the can, not sure how it worked. He took his thumb and pushed on the little rivet while trying lifting the ring like the new style can. It suddenly struck me he was not old enough to have seen these. I reached for mine and pulled the tab and ripped it right off he followed suit and was fascinated by it.
Made me feel old.......and I'm not that old.
Ask one of the kids for a "church key" and see what you get.
ReplyDeleteI'm old enough to remember when cans didn't have any pull tabs. Carried a 'church key' to open mine....and, I'm not that old either.
ReplyDeleteoops - i don't know what a church key is?!?!? but i do remember cans with the pull top!
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
Id like to first wish you and your family a merry Christmas, and i thank you for being a reader of my blog Amish Stories. Yours truly Richard
ReplyDeleteAlways had to have a church key in the car. Some steering columns had an indentation that would open a bottle of beer or pop. Usually beer.
ReplyDeleteJon Spencer and Stephen, I do remember a 'church key' for opening cans and bottles some even carried them on the key ring. You can still find them though.
ReplyDeleteKmyber, It's just a slang for bottle opener/can opener.
Amish Stories, Merry Christmas to you also. Thanks.
John, There were a few ways to open bottles cans were a little harder without a opener although I have opened a bunch with a knife, just don't let the blade close on you fingers.
I vaguely remember cans like that from my childhood. I also remember cans of juice that took one of the punch-a-hole-in-the-can can openers to get the juice out.
ReplyDeleteI'm a lot younger than some of you--I remember the pop cans because my family had a lot of them stored: my family were disaster preppers from my earliest childhood. I'm not comfortable without at least a month's worth of edibles in the house as backup.
now don't i feel like a total idiot?!?!?!? i have never heard the term "church key" - we just called them bottle openers/can openers up here - bahahaha!
ReplyDeleteI remember them from my childhood. The beer my grandpa drank had them. oh and V-8 had a similar top, but it was more of a peel back foil.
ReplyDeleteH.H. I think some of the juice cans from the grocery store may have to be opened with a can opener still
ReplyDeleteKymber, yes different areas may call them different things.
Phelan, I don't know exactly when they stopped using them but I guess the early 80's ???
I think I was 10 that last time I saw them, Miller Genuine draft, so '87, but my grandpa could have stocked up on beer. Pop cans didn't have them at that time.
ReplyDeleteI was in the 8th grade when aluminum pop cans first came out. I still prefer bottles. The Coke was different then too. Less sweet and more fizz.
ReplyDeleteok, you got me all curious and I looked it up. Pop cans stopped using them in 1975, but other beverages used them until mid to late 80's depending on the law in the State.
ReplyDeleteI remember when they had no tab at all. When you could not find the bottle opener/can opener, you used a flat head screw driver. Oh the good old days.
ReplyDeleteOh my god! We use to take all the pull tabs, and bend them together. We would make a vest out of them.( talk about showing your age.) I've still got about 10 or so "church keys" A few of them are from Coors beer. And to this day, when out metal detecting. I still come across pull tabs. To bad that they are not worth some $$$. it would take forever to get a pound of them.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember when they had them silly cans that you had to punch the tabs in. They didn't last very long.
So, Duke. Hope that you and yours have a great CHRISTMAS!
It still tastes better out of a glass bottle.
ReplyDeletePhelan, I would have thought it was later than '75 but I guess time gets away. Thanks for the research.
ReplyDeleteAnon, I remember when we had steel cans for drinks, they had a seam down the side.
Rob's Bunker, We could go back to that, it would be cheaper to make cans.
Flier389, I remember bending them together, also if you took it apart you could shoot the ring using the flap as a spring (some of them had a notch in the ring)
Ausprepper, Bottles are better for any drink in my opinion.
I'm not that old (I defy you to argue) and I still remember the pull top cans. Now, my sweet wife is just a few years younger than me and she would not. Therefore, I usually don't talk to her about things like "hey, remember..?" because she doesn't and I feel old.
ReplyDelete45er, Time gets away, the older you get the the more you can say 'remember when'
ReplyDeleteI used to improvise fishing lures out of the flat tabs. Poke a hole in the narrow end with the tip of a knife, thread the line through it, and tie it to a hook. Crimp on a split shot sinker half inch above the hook and cast it across shallow water. Annoys the heck out of bluegill.
ReplyDeleteIf any of you kids remember the song "Margaritaville," there's a line that says:
"Blew out my flip-flop, stepped on a pop-top. Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home."
I had that happen a number of times.
Dave H, I had forgot about the Jimmy Buffet song and yes I have also seen fishing lures made from them. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDelete