Fun fact (which you probably know), sassafras grows all over the US and is easy to identify, and you very much can simply dig up a root and chew on it :)

Not exactly the same experience as the soda, to be sure, lol. I don't think most folks would enjoy it. But it's fun and a little trippy having grown up finding that flavor in cans and cups, to later go pull it outta some dirt.

I have thought about making my own illegal root beer for personal consumption using wild sassafras but just never went anywhere with it lol. Never thought about just chewing the root though, might have to!

I'm not sure. Could be

I remember when I was a kid we would go on "nature walks" at summer camp (hiking, but with 7 year olds, so more like a leasurly stroll in the woods). Our camp counselor would show us where sassafras root was and we would pull some up, rinse it in the river, and chew on it whole we walked around. I always loved it. I was like "this plant tastes like root beer!" not knowing that it was the other way around.

I'm sure everything I just described is completely banned and possibly illegal in modern summer camps.

I always had A-Treat Birch Beer and the red cream soda when I visited my grandparents in PA.

Red cream soda??

NYC here. I've had vanilla cream soda, but not this red cream of which you speak.

Sasparilla extract contains high levels of safrole, a potent carcinogen.

I'm an avid root beed drinker and I wish I could agree the HFCS v cane was the defining difference between good and bad root beer I find there are still some that use cane sugar and are still not great. These are on whole better than any of the HFCS ones but still not created equal. Unfortunately I'm not sure what it is that makes the big difference, but I do find smaller batch companies that do still use other root oils and extracts to be the best.
You may also be able to find birch beer in the EU and I find that more akin to OG rootbeer flavors.

Also a note on OP's family experience, I find in America the devide on people who like it and don't also seems to fall along gender lines. I can think of maybe 4 women in my life that can even stand the taste of root beer.

To give you additional context: root beers can vary pretty strongly by brand. Here in Canada some brands lean into the licorice, others the dryness, and others still play around with levels/type of sweeteners. A&W, Barqs, and Mug would be the three root beer brands I think best show you the spectrum the drink can have.

But the Sarsaparilla base aroma is the same for all, I assume?

That was the most interesting part for us, as it is basically unknown here and we had no idea what it tastes like.

Guess kinda like all the woodruff flavored stuff not known outside of Germany - there are differences between individual dishes, but the interesting part for foreigners would be the exotic base taste itself...

I agree I still have my preferred cane sugar option as well and imo the others are "less good" than it, but I'd still drink them where the HFCS ones aren't even worth my time. Birch beer rules too.

Haven't noticed a gender divide myself, though. Might have to start paying attention to that lol.

Agreed the HFCS aren't worth it, might as well have a coke.

What is your preferred?

I could definitely be wrong about the gender divide, its just something I've noticed in my own life.

I prefer IBC personally, but will drink any pure cane. The only one I really don't like is frostee (or something like that) but imo it's just too sweet, they just put too much pure cane sugar in lol. Not that it is bad, I'd have loved it as a kid! Which is your preferred?

Funny I had the exact same thoughts on frostee.

I also prefer IBC (their black cherry soda is pretty tasty too) as the most accessible brand but if I can get my hands on it my favorite is from red hare brewing company. Unfortunately I think they may not exist any more.

Never heard of Red Hare, but if they are still open I'll keep my eye out!

IDK if you cab get it outside of PA https://www.a-treat.com/flavors/cream-soda-20oz-bottle

Cream soda here is vanilla flavored. Looks a little like beer, especially if you get a long neck bottle. What does the red taste like?

Hosmer Mountain all the way