Coke verses Pepsi. It is a long-standing, hotly-contested battle which, for North Carolina, hits close to home. As you are most likely well aware, N.C. State has a contract with Coca-Cola giving them exclusive beverage rights to University dining establishments and convenience stores. Not that you care, but I am a pretty vehement Pepsi fan despite the fact that the corporation recently changed their color motif from a more patriotic theme to a rather ostentatious Duke blue. Due to my Pepsi-Cola prejudices, I am here to lobby against Coke despite the fact that their logo is admittedly designed with a much better color choice. Pepsi is a North Carolina product, born and bred, being invented in New Bern in the 1890s by a pharmacist named Caleb Bradham. And while its headquarters are no longer located there, its ties to our state are still substantial. It’s the only soft drink sold in Bojangles, for goodness sake. And if that doesn’t mean something, I don’t know what does. From a taste standpoint, Pepsi is far superior to Coca-Cola. It doesn’t taste as sweet as Coke or leave that weird sugary film on your teeth, and it finishes crisp and clean without an aftertaste. This is very important when considering the food options offered on campus, for sugary teeth film and waffle fries are not such a delicious combination. Despite the fact that the University will most likely continue to stock Coca-Cola at least in the near future, us Pepsi diehards do have one saving grace on campus. And that saving grace can be found in the 1911 building. Inside the main lobby, a snack bar can be found which stocks Coke as well as their arch-rival, Pepsi. Unlike any other area of campus, here competition and Adam Smith’s invisible hand are free to determine the real winner — at least as far as the soda market is concerned. And the reason, you may ask? While the 1911 building was recently under renovations, the snack bar was noticeably absent from North Campus. Without risking death by crossing the treacherous river of cars known as Hillsborough Street, the only place close by for North Campus snacks were the machines in the Caldwell Lounge. No worries, though, as after a seemingly infinite wait, the snack bar has returned and is open for business.   This snack bar is funded by a federal program to provide jobs for the visually impaired through the Division of Services for the Blind, and not by the University. Thus, it is conveniently exempt from the totalitarian choke, or should I say Coke, hold that the University has placed us under via contract. Oh, and when you tell the cashier, Eva, that you are getting a Pepsi, say it with all the joy your caffeine starved heart can muster, and be sure to mention that you’d stop by even more often if she started stocking Sun Drop.