I was very young, maybe four or five, and visiting my paternal grandmother. I had an upset stomach. She gave me ginger ale. Told me it would be good for me.

Turns out Grandma was wrong. The Ottawa Hospital recently dropped ginger ale from its menu because of its dubious health benefits.

Many patients are upset. It may not have medicinal value, but for generations it has been a comfort food for those who are ill. ( For the record, ginger does have medicinal properties – but you won’t find much in what is called ginger ale today.)

My grandmother served me two different brands of ginger ale over the years. One was Top Valu, which I seem to recall was the generic brand for the IGA supermarket chain. The other was Pure Spring.

Pure Spring was a local bottler, or local enough. My grandmother lived in Arnprior, just outside of Ottawa where Pure Spring was based. They went out of business in the late 1980s. Best ginger ale I ever tasted.

I don’t recall being able to get it in Montreal where I grew up, so trips to see Grandma were special. If Pure Spring were still around today I would be drinking a lot more ginger ale.

As Canadians know, the “King of Ginger Ales” is Canada Dry, a brand that has been around for more than a century. That is what I drank at home as a child, on the odd occasions when we had soft drinks. I still drink it on occasion.

As I associate ginger ale with my grandmother, I also have specific people and memories of Canada Dry.

Just before my teen years I used to go to Sunday evening church services with my father. Maybe I was considered old enough to understand. Maybe it was just to get me out of the house so I didn’t fight with my brother.

Most Sundays after the evening service my father would drop in to visit some elderly freinds. At least they seemed elderly to me – they were probably in their late sixties r early seventies.

Naturally, I would have to go with him. I was bored out of my mind sitting in their old-fashioned living room while adults talked of adult things. But, they always had Canada Dry ginger ale for me.

I didn’t know if they drank the stuff themselves, but I always appreciated that they kept it in hand for me. Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers were okay in my book, even if I found them boring.

When I was baptized they gave me a Bible. King James version (there wasn’t much else back then). When we downsized from a house to an apartment last year it was one of the things that was given away. I wrestled with doing that, but it had seen better days.

It is only from that Bible that I can remember their names. Watson and Doris. Back then we children didn’t know adults even had first names – they were always Mr. and Mrs. (I’m no longer sure if the spelling is Rogers or Rodgers – I couldn’t find anything for either online.)

I still have a King James Bible from my maternal grandmother. I can’t see ever parting with that one. But I know the next round of downsizing might mean even harder choices. Hopefully that is far in the future.

I understand the Ottawa Hospital’s position. No health benefits to ginger ale? Maybe not, but some great memories.

That must have sone sort of medicinal value.