Dole-licious

Back when I was still younger, Dole had this very catchy jingle that I'd find myself singing randomly. It went:

"Dole, Dole, Dole, Dole-icious Pineapple Juice Drink, 

Pineapple Orange, Pineapple Lychee,

Dole, Dole, Dole, Dole-licious Pineapple Juice Drink,

From the No. 1 producer of Pineapples, it's Dole, it's Dole-icious!"

That time, Dole and Del Monte were the heavyweights in Pineapple products - from juice, to chunks, to tidbits to slices. Del Monte was the bigger and more prominent brand, being the Pineapple behemoth back in that day.

Our family was torn between these 2 brands. For Pineapples used for baking and cooking, we preferred Del Monte. But for juices, Dole was our preferred brand. We found the taste of Dole more balanced, whereas Del Monte was too tart and sour.

Then, as an adult, my taste slowly shifted from Dole to Del Monte - juice-wise. Maybe it was because of my age, but my liking for super-sweet-stuff became less and less. That's when my appreciation for Del Monte's more authentic and tart juices became more pronounced.

But there was another plot twist. For canned pineapples, as well as canned fruit, my taste shifted to Dole. Especially after tasting Dole canned fruits and Dole jellies in the US, my taste buds became accustomed to it, and started to look for it since then.

A few days ago, an ad for the Dole flagship store on Lazada popped up. Having missed Dole and not having it for a year, my fingers clicked on the banner ad. One thing led to another, to several add to carts, and eventually, this:

Yup, this is my Dole stash! A lot of fruit jellies (a healthier way to snack every afternoon), pineapple tidbits (for Mom's sweet and sour fish and sweet and sour meatballs), and a chockfull of Seasons Juice Drinks! 

Strangely, when I was unboxing and disinfecting these goodies, there was a smile from ear-to-ear, knowing that I'd be enjoying my favourite Dole products again after a while. It's so, SO Tito to be doing that. Harhar!

Well, what can I say but it's going to be a Dole-icious few weeks ahead!