Reality TV star Jill Zarin packed a suitcase full of Diet Coke for her Europe vacation, worried she wouldn't find her favorite soda

22.08.2023 - 16:37 / insider.com

An American reality TV star baffled viewers after she revealed she'd packed a suitcase full of soda, as she didn't think she'd be able to get the same taste on vacation.

On August 18, influencer Allyson Shapiro, who has 110,000 followers on Instagram and 59,000 on TikTok, posted a video that showed her mom Jill Zarin, who starred in the reality TV series "The Real Housewives of New York City," standing in what appeared to be an airport, as she addressed the camera and said she'd taken a supply of Diet Coke from the United States to Europe as she believed they wouldn't have any.

"They only have Coke Light and Coke Zero, and it sucks," she said before unzipping her suitcase to reveal two compartments full of bottles and cans of soda.

When asked by Shapiro how much she'd packed, Zarin responded, "Enough for two weeks."

The video was viewed 3.4 million times and received over 5,000 comments, many from viewers who wrote they were from various countries in Europe and could attest that Diet Coke was in fact widely available, so the elaborate packing was unnecessary. 

In direct response to a comment that read that England, for example, sold the beverage, Shapiro wrote they were traveling to Italy, Greece, and Croatia where she said, "It's very hard to find Diet Coke" adding they were going on a cruise which didn't have it at all.

In a follow-up video posted the same day which received an additional 423,000 views, Zarin said she appreciated everyone's comments, but had checked with the cruise ship before she left New York, and was "made very aware that they only have Coke Light and Coke Zero" which she said looked similar but didn't taste the same.

According to the frequently asked questions section of the Coca-Cola website, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (formerly known as Coke Zero) and Diet Coke are both "sugar free and calorie free" but have a different blend of flavors. Although Diet Coke is available in the UK, in much of continental Europe it's branded as Coca-Cola Light.

It is often noted that Coca-Cola products have a slightly different taste in different countries. This may be due to the fact that the soda is bottled locally, so various factors, including the water, dilution levels, and carbonation may impact the end flavor. 

But not everyone seemed interested in the minutiae of soda flavors. One popular comment, which received over 10,000 likes, suggested people were totally missing the point. "Everyone arguing over coke light vs Diet Coke but why is nobody concerned by the unhinged behavior of bringing a suitcase full of DC?!"

"The most American thing I've ever seen. I'm American," another popular comment read.

In a further video which appeared to show Zarin during the vacation, she said they had stopped off