Tang (drink)

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A canister of Tang.
A canister of Tang.

Tang is a sugary, orange-flavored, non-carbonated soft drink from the USA. The original orange flavored Tang was formulated by General Foods Corporation in 1957 and first marketed (in powdered form) in 1959.[1]

It was initially intended as a breakfast drink, but sales were poor until NASA began using it on Gemini flights in 1965 (researched at Natick Soldier Systems Center), and that use was heavily advertised.[2] Since that time, it has been associated with the U.S. manned spaceflight program.[3][4]

Contents

[edit] Overview

The Tang brand is owned by Kraft Foods. It is available in 38 flavors (some region-specific), and is sold both in powdered form (in sachets and larger canisters) and in a ready to drink sachet. A single 8 fl oz serving of Tang provides 9 grams of sugar; 40 calories (167 kJ); 100% RDA of vitamin C; 10% RDA of vitamin A, Calcium, Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Vitamin B6; and no caffeine. Kraft also makes a sugar-free version of Tang, containing aspartame, which comes in individually-measured packets and was introduced in March 1985.

Tang is most commonly served as a cold drink, although some people prefer to heat it or add it to smoothies.

[edit] Original Tang

Tang usually comes in a plastic container with a screw-on lid that makes eight quarts. A larger nine-quart container (898 grams) is available. Tang is also available in larger institutional sizes.

The recommended usage is one tablespoon per 8 fluid ounces (U.S.) of water. The lid on the plastic container also acts as a measuring cup which may be used to make one or two quart quantities.

[edit] New Tang

In 2007, Kraft introduced a new version of Tang (with Fruitrition) which has replaced half of the sugar with artificial sweeteners. The new packaging advertises "1/2 the Sugar of 100% juice." The artificial sweeteners used in the new formulation are Sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and Neotame. The new formula is more concentrated and distributed in smaller containers, with a 12.3 oz (348 g) container making 8 U.S. quarts.

The recommended usage is two and one-half teaspoons per 8 fluid ounces of water. The lid on the new smaller plastic container acts as a measuring cup which may be used to make one or two quart quantities, the same as the original Tang.

[edit] History

Tang was used by the NASA Gemini[1] space program. A NASA engineer working with the Gemini Space Program on a life-support module explains the story of how and why it was used. Paraphrased:

"... There was a particular component of the Gemini life support-system module which produced H2O (water) among other things. This was a byproduct of a recurring chemical reaction of one of the mechanical devices on the life-support module. The astronauts would use this water to drink during their space flight. The problem was, the astronauts did not like the taste of the water because of some of the byproducts produced, which were not harmful of course. So, they added Tang to make the water taste better ..."[5]

However, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin has stated that Tang was not consumed on his moon mission: "We... instead chose a grapefruit-orange mixture as our citrus drink. If Tang was on our flight, I was unaware of it."[6]

The inventor of Tang, William A. Mitchell, also invented Pop Rocks.

It has long been believed that Tang got its name from China because of its high content of sugar. The Chinese name for sugar is Tang.[citation needed]

[edit] Other uses

  • A household tip says Tang is an excellent dishwasher cleaning agent due to its high citric acid content, although Kraft does not recommend it or advocate such use. Kraft's web site says:
    "We have heard that some consumers have used TANG Drink Mix to clean their dishwashers. TANG does contain citric acid which can act as cleaning agent. TANG Drink mix is intended to be a food product and Kraft Foods does not advocate its use for any other purpose."[7]
  • At one time, Philadelphia authorities attempted to deter addicts from misusing doses of methadone by packaging it in combination with Tang[8]; this was carried out under the reasoning that nobody would be foolish enough to intravenously inject the combination. This was not the case.[8] There was also at least one reported case of accidental methadone overdose from family members who found a jar of mixed Tang in the refrigerator.[9]
  • Tang is a featured ingredient in Instant Russian Tea (a variation of Wassail), a hot drink mix popular in the Southern US made with Tang, instant tea, ground cinnamon and cloves, and sometimes instant lemonade. Instant Russian Tea is often given as a holiday hostess gift.

[edit] In popular culture

In the Walt Disney motion picture "Rocketman", main character Fred Z. Randall is brought to a bar and bought a round of drinks called "Blast-Offs". The buyer of the drinks (William Overbeck) says that is a special drink only for astronauts. Randall replies "Oh, you mean like, Tang?"

Tang was frequently referenced as the drink of choice for the Bundy family on Married with Children, particularly in the early seasons.

In the fifth season episode of The Simpsons "Deep Space Homer", Homer makes a phone call to President Clinton, alleging that "if anyone knows where to get some Tang, it'd be you". Having previously made a phone call to NASA to ask them to stop showing "boring space launches", NASA officials track down Homer during this phone call and ask him to enter training to become an astronaut.

In an episode of That 70's Show, Eric and Hyde make frequent puns about the slang phrase, "Tang," and the soft drink.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Spinoff at STI.NASA.gov.
  2. ^ Boomers collect artifacts, memories of NASA's heyday.
  3. ^ Food Timeline: popular American foods by decade.
  4. ^ Space Food: From Squeeze Tubes To Celebrity Chefs.
  5. ^ The History Channel.
  6. ^ Aldrin, Edwin E. and Warga, Wayne: Return to Earth, Random House, 1973, p. 223
  7. ^ Can I use TANG Drink Mix to clean my dishwasher?. Kraft Foods website. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
  8. ^ a b Robert C. Wolfe, Marcus M. Reidenberg, Vicente Dinoso (May 1972). "Tang and Methadone by Vein". Annals of Internal Medicine 76: 830. 
  9. ^ A. Mitchell Smith, Michael B. Dratch, Solomon S. Mintz (Jan 1973). "Methadone in Tang". Annals of Internal Medicine 78: 154. 
  10. ^ 'Airliners plot': The allegations (BBC News).
  11. ^ 'Chilling Details Emerge'.

[edit] External links

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