I live in TN and call it whatever it is--if I want a Sprite, I ask for a Sprite. My dad says pop though....

Yep, we say coke in North Carolina. If I want just anything, I'll say coke... but usually at a restaurant or drive through, I'll ask for a "CoCola".

That's what's wrong with Boston milkshakes--they're just milk and flavoring that they shake up and serve. If you want a milkshake, order a frappe.

Gotta love the USA!!
Christin

I'm from Southern California and I just tend to call the drink by it's name. "I could really go for a Dr. Pepper right now" etc. Though, if I have to be general, I'll call it "soda".

My family is largely from Chicago. They tend to call it "pop" most of the time. One of my cousins lived in Mephis for a while and he noticed that they refer to everything as "coke" (as in asking the waitress, "What kind of coke do you have?" and she replies, "Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Sprite and Minute Maid Orange") :)


.....Kelly :)

Here in Michigan, myself and everyone I know refer to it as pop.

Whenever I go out of state though, I make a conscious effort to say "soda." Growing up, I always considered a soda to be something of an icecream sundae. So now, whenever I say "soda," I still kinda think it's weird to say, in reference to our pop.

I went to Arizona one time, and asked for a pop, and the waitress looked at me like I was crazy and asked me what I meant.

Now the coke thing... I have heard of that before, how everything is a coke. But I dunno, that's just weird to me. To me, a coke is a coke is a coke as in Coca Cola. Is this primarily in the southern states?

Yes, you can definitely tell when you aren't in a "southern" place because you CANNOT get sweet tea. In Florida, anywhere near Orlando and south, you better give it up.

I just visited down in Orlando last month and one of the waitresses I had while I was there, looked at me like I had three heads when I asked for sweet tea. She then proceeded to tell me that there was sugar on the table. Oh, wow, thanks! Sugar dissolves really well in cold drinks; what was I thinking? :)

I think this probaby relates to something along the lines of people calling tissues "kleenex" (name brand), petroleum jelly "vaseline" (name brand), and cotton swabs "q-tips."
COKE is an internationally known name brand...it kind of makes sense that it would become synonymous with all related beverages...

This is a very good annalogy.

Band Aids instead of bandage
Pampers instead of diapers

I call it soda. When I order in a restaurant, I ask specifically for Coke.

I can see that line of thinking, but with soda it's different because there's an obvious difference between Sprite and Coke, whereas there isn't an obvious difference between Kleenex and generic brands of tissue. I can see how "Coke" might become the default name for colas in general, but not for all sodas.

I think it's just 'cause Southerners are strange. :p

It's soda. Pop is your father. :p

Soda! :)

That is soooo true! I'm from Houston so I've always known it as the feeder... I went to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl and they were like you take the service road to blahblah... i was like because I know what a service road. Then in Austin there was a sign that said frontage road and I called my friend for directions and they were like where are you and i was like it says the next exit is frontage road... they were like stupid, that's just like a feeder... I felt stupid!


I call it either coke or soda.Mostly coke though. My parents are both from the midwest so whenever we go back it's terrible. They talk about pop, i'm like AHHHHHHHH make it stop.

Oh, so my grandma is staying with my mom right now and I went home to visit. Well they were folding laundry and they said the socks "didn't have a mate" ... Have y'all heard or say this?


It's kind of crazy growing up in Texas but from a midwest family... I just have a really messed up accent. Now it's got a little New Orleans in the mix.

and by the way it's not New OrLEANS... it's new orlens!

Most of my family is from the South so I know better than to go someplace in the South and ask for a Coke. I know their response will be "what kind?" My husband still has a hard time with this.

I have always called it sodapop or sodypop (so-dee-pop)