Pop, Soda, Coke-- what do YOU call it?

[AlphaGamDiva]

how many times has this conversation been brought up? lol

that map is neat-o, BTW.....i was in Southern Alabama for too long to call it anything other than coke! i remember going into a mcdonald's when i was in middle school and saying i wanted a coke and the girl at the counter asked me, "what kind?" (when it comes down to it, i am a pepsi girl, though!) however, being in KY for so many years, and esp now being in this small EASTERN KY town, "pop" does occasionally pop up in my vocabulary. but we have this drink called "Ale-8" here...it's like a barely fizzy ginger ale and is NASTAY....but ppl around here drink it like they'll never make another bottle......gotta be raised on it, i guess......the full name is "Ale 8 One"....a late one.....b/c it has so much freakin caffeine in it!

/rant about a drink no one cares about....including myself

[cash78mere]

soda. why would i call something a coke if it's a pepsi or a sprite?

[dakareng]

A carbonated beverage, whether it is in a can/ bottle or glass is POP (and far more of tha map seems to agree with that). A soda is a fountain beverage that is soda water with ice cream +/- flavoring.

Coke is a brand (yes there are other products where the brand has taken over as a generic term but that doesn't make it right) I'm a true Coke gal (actually diet Coke) so it drives me crazy when I ask for a Diet Coke and they bring me Diet Pepsi, or even worse Diet Rite.

[kk_bama]

What about cola?

Anyone call it cola, since that's what it actually is?

[RACooper]

But a cola is a type of "pop".. for example is an Orange Crush or Cream Soda a cola? That's just as silly as calling a Ginger Ale a "coke"... "pop" and "soda" are the only two that make sense really.

[tinydancer]

I usually say Coke because that's what I like. Sometimes it's cold drink. We only laugh at people who say sody water!

[kk_bama]

"cola - carbonated drink flavored with extract from Kola nuts." from thefreedictionary.com

I don't think anything other than Coke and Pepsi use the Kola nut, but I could be wrong. Maybe Dr. Pepper and Mr. Pibb as well?

[GRhinoUK]

I'm in a "coke" area but I've always called it "soda" in general or the specific brand I want. "Pop" always seemed weird to me but nothing drives me crazier than when someone says they want an orange coke or a cherry coke but actually mean cherry Pepsi.

[Jill1228]

I call it soda and folx here look at me like I lost my ever loving mind!
(I get the "I can tell you are not from here". No sh*t! My slight Southern accent is a dead giveaway!)

[kappaloo]

I use "pop" to refer to carbonated beverages.
I use "coke" when I'm specifically talking about the Coke/Pepsi/RC type of pop.

[The B Girl]

In Florida, it is a melting pot of people so you hear EVERYTHING (Soda, Pop, Coke). But since my family is more southern, I was raised using "Coke". Since I have become older, it has turned into "Diet Coke".

[CarolinaCutie]

Originally posted by KellyB369
It's Coke to me here in NC. I know it is a brand name so it sounds dumb, but Band-aid and Kleenex are brands too and that's what most people refer to those products as. The problem with calling it Coke is that when you say that in a restaurant if they only serve Pepsi they will just bring the Pepsi without telling you they don't have Coke. Pepsi may be from New Bern, NC but I'm a true Coke girl.

I think that map is really cool too but the numbers are not so good. I mean 120,000 respondents in approx 3,000 counties across the country...that's not very good statistics. But it is still cool to see how it is different across the country.

Yep... I would definitely put Coke in the same category as Bandaid and Kleenex, at least in NC. Just yesterday, I asked someone to get me a Coke, and they responded, "What kind?"

Also, I think I've mentioned this in some other thread about pop/soda/Coke, but I've also heard it frequently called DRINK in NC. Like, "Can you get me some drink?" If someone said "a drink", it could mean any beverage. But "some drink" implies a Coke-type beverage.

[labeachgrl]

I grew up calling it pop in Colorado, but my mom grew up using it in Iowa. I switched to using soda in Hawaii, because people didn't know what pop meant. I've been using soda ever since.

[aephi alum]

Soda. Coke is Coca-Cola, a specific type of soda (unless you are referring to cocaine). Pop is your father.

I was just recently in Vancouver, and stopped into a drug store. The aisle with all the soft drinks was labeled "pop". Silly people...

[Lindz928]

I'm down here in good ole TEXAS where we all say Coke. I can't remember the last time I heard anyone in TX say soda or pop. I honestly think you would get a funny look in most parts of Texas if you asked for that.

My mom's whole family lives in Cleveland, and they all say Pop. I laugh at them every time they say it. But, I guess it's ok, cause they look at me like I'm nuts when I say "Ya'll". hehe