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"When traveling in Japan or Hong Kong, it is not uncommon to purchase a bottled or canned beverage (soda or otherwise) and get hit with the surprise of, what seems like, hundreds of little unidentifiable matter happily floating along in your drink. When this happens in Japan, it is weird, but novel and kind of zany. When you open a beverage here in the United States and find a mass of unidentifiable swirling matter, well, it is probably time to get a lawyer. These may just be cultural differences between east and west, as Americans tend to frown on flecks of unfamiliar substance in their food. Regardless, it is always amusing to see a new product that, from outright appearance, looks like nothing any conventional American would consume try to make a dent in our conservative beverage market. No matter how good AL\u014C, the all-natural aloe vera drink, may be, it is likely doomed to fail. Not because it is radioactive green, or because aloe vera is something Americans traditionally reserve for topical application on extreme sunburns. No, it is because the only thing most Americans want floating in their drinks are ice cubes, not miniscule slivers of an aloe vera plant.    As I mentioned, AL\u014C is an all-natural, non-carbonated, bottled drink made with aloe vera extract and floating chunks of aloe vera pulp. The health and therapeutic benefits of aloe vera are purported to be numerous, including aiding digestive function, soothing heartburn, and preventing constipation. Go into any reputable health food store and you will find aloe vera juice being sold by the gallon. Regardless, its presence in our food still puzzles most consumers.  That said, I kind of liked AL\u014C, maybe for the utter novelty of the product, but of the four varieties I sampled (Exposed, Elated, Enliven, and Awaken) I liked at least two of them. Originating from Taiwan, AL\u014C does hold a distinct Asian character of some Indeterminate fruit, and is almost syrupy sweet (sweetened with cane sugar and honey). Besides the oddity of having aloe bits floating in your drink, some of the chosen flavor and ingredient combinations are maybe not quite ready for prime time (or at least American prime time). These include aloe and olive leaf (Elated), and aloe and assorted vegetables (Enliven).   While I won&amp;#039;t recommend AL\u014C whole-heartedly, I will say, on a hot summer&amp;#039;s day, AL\u014C over ice might be a refreshing change of pace. Go ahead, live a little.  AL\u014C is sold in 16 fluid ounce bottles (approx $2.00) and is available at select Whole Foods Markets, Hy-Vee, and online.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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