Soda pop beauty

Twin City supermarket in Jersey City, NJ, boasts a bevy of soda hailing from Central and South American countries that has customers snatching them up by the dozen. What makes them so special? Unconventional flavors like apple and banana, of course, but what trumps the ingredients and fizz factor are the sumptuous retro-inspired labels. I'm fixated upon Kola Ingles's Red Kola the most for its preppy stripes, clipped type and sporty red, white and yellow color combination. Quench your thirst with this parade of photos:

-Dani

Kitsch by way of Puerto Rico

Our cosmopolitan chum Dave recently embarked on a whirlwind trip to Puerto Rico and brought back these foodie treats dressed in vintage packaging. Let's deconstruct the look and feel. Dulzura Borincana is a well-known PR sweets purveyor boasting the milk and coconut confections above and the gofio snacks below (toasted corn). I love how the palm tree smartly serves as the letter "i" in Borincana; likewise, the "i" in "gofio" comes in the form of an ear stalk. There's something pleasingly arts and crafts about how the gofio is snugly wrapped as cones in purple and pink construction paper. Unravel these trim shapes and the once taut gofio spills over like sand. The buxom goodie in this tropical gift set is Yaucono coffee, bundled in a lovely color scheme of red, black and yellow. These pieces are like a work of art that deserve a shelf life of infinite years.

-Dani

Taylor'ed for stardom

Add one more item to your list of Jersey "must do's." Also known by its generic name "pork roll," Taylor ham is a New Jersey "natural resource" celebrated across the Garden State at diners and breakfast tables. Invented by New Jersey businessman John Taylor in the 1950s, this offbeat meat's texture can be described as a cross between good old-fashioned bacon and Canadian bacon. Upon the first bite, you're hit with a salty sensation followed by a sour finish. When fried in the skillet, this circular ham curls up and resembles a flying saucer. Those in the know will cut slits on the side to help it maintain its flat shape. Founded by John Taylor himself, Taylor Provisions in Trenton packages its slices of pork roll in this kitschy 1960s box. Bold type and the charming logo of a sausage with slices falling like dominoes make Taylor's pork roll jut out among its breakfast competitors at the grocery store. The nostalgic photos on the back remind us of images found on the pages of 1960s cookbooks. We're sure there's a cookbook devoted to Taylor ham recipes lurking around somewhere.

-Dani