Whether he is in the classroom teaching, the gym coaching, or the field golfing, teacher and coach Dr. Steve Nave always has one thing by his side: a Coke Zero. While most teachers begin their day by sipping a cup of coffee or tea every morning, Dr. Nave begins each day with a bottle of cola—more specifically, the “healthier” version: Coca-Cola Zero-Sugar.
“He drinks at least one bottle every single day,” Julie Koh (11), Dr. Nave’s work-study and basketball player, said. “Two months ago, when we went to Taiwan for a basketball tournament, I remember Coach Nave was very desperate to drink his daily coke. Because I am his work-study, I see his best friend diet coke accompanying him every morning.”
As an approachable teacher, Dr. Nave often finds many of his students visiting his classroom during passing periods. To no surprise, his students always discover a bottle of Coca-Cola Zero-Sugar, which seems to have become a trademark of his.
“One day I was hanging out in Dr. Nave’s classroom and found an enormous bottle of diet coke,” Jimin Son (11), high school student, said. “There was a small 500-milliliter bottle on his desk, but underneath, there was a bigger, 1.5-liter one hidden. Honestly, Dr. Nave’s consumption of diet coke is pretty excessive.”
It was later found out that the larger bottle of Coke Zero was in fact Dr. Nave’s “gas station.” Throughout the day, whenever he feels that his smaller bottle runs low, he fills it up with a bit from the bigger one. The fridge in his room keeps his prized possessions cool, serving the perfect chilly sip at any moment.
So, where does this deep affection for his diet coke come from?
It roots back to his life as a student.
“I started drinking diet soda after I graduated high school,” Dr. Nave said. “During my first year of college, I gained about 20 pounds and realized I was consuming around 1000 calories a day from Mountain Dew. So I switched to Diet Mountain Dew. This really helped me lose weight, and I got used to the taste of the sweetener. When I moved to Taiwan there was no Diet Mountain Dew, so I started drinking Coke Zero.”
Throughout his educational life and career, Dr. Nave drank a variety of soft drinks. Although he is always seen drinking Coca Cola Zero-Sugar, he does not believe that it is the best one. Dr. Nave–the soft drink expert–says that his favorite drink is in fact not Coca Cola Zero-Sugar. He openly shared his opinion on each brand.
“McDonald’s Diet Coke is the best,” Dr. Nave said. “Even better than Coke Zero. Bottle Diet Coke is a bit flatter than Coke Zero, but Diet Coke in a can is pretty good. Coke Zero has a stronger taste that is more similar to regular Coke, without the ultra-sweet sugar taste of regular Coke. And since Coke Zero is ‘97.99 percent’ water, I feel that this is the most healthy option for me.”
Wherever he is, his favorite soft drink is always by his side.
