Pop or Soda?

[dascoot]

OK so.. I am from Florida, and here in Florida EVERYTHING is coke.
"Hey, can you grab me a coke?"
"Sure, what kind?"
"Sprite"
If it's not coke, it's soda. Soda is used more often by "professionals", people that work with carbonated drinks and have to be specific about the names (restaurant workers, grocers, gas station attendants, etc.).
Then I meet my husband, who is from Michigan. EVERYTHING is pop.. pronounced with that midwestern accent "Pahp". We have full fledged debates over the issue, because I hate the word "pop" (just one of those words that I hate, like "luscious" and "packet".. *shiver*) and he refuses to use "coke" or "soda"..
So what I'm wondering is, what does everyone else call it? I know the names differ from region to region.. Any other interesting names? <_<

 

[Kodos84]

i live in south california and i just call it soda. Pop just seams so old and something my dad would call it. Besides it sounds funny with other words. Like orange pop. It just doesn't sound right to me.

 

[givemfitz]

Pop is east coast and soda is west. Far west. It's the rap wars all over again. I've traveled quite a bit over the years and it's pop in most places. Although growing up in the deep south, (not Florida) lol, I now remember that coke WAS the generic term for all non-alcohol carbonated beverages.

 

[dascoot]

Well, I can vouch first hand for "pop" in at least Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan.. everywhere ya go it's PAHP PAHP PAHP.. don't know if it's called anything else in the rest of the midwest though.
I'm also curious about what it's called in Canada, Europe and Australia..

 

[givemfitz]

Trust me it's called POP from New York to at least Nebraska except in the south.

 

[Rob]

In the UK we call it either "Pop" or "Fizzy drink" but I'm a coke man so for me it's just "Can I have a coke" in France it's called "Coka" at least that what my ex used to say.

 

[ActuarialMadness]

This map is extremely accurate from my personal travels and observations:

Pop vs. Coke vs. Soda

 

[jca]

That map seems about right. One reason the "South" uses the term "Coke" as a generic term is the far reaching influence of Coke's World Headquarters being located in Atlanta GA.

 

[k-lo]

I'm from Canada and I always order 'Coke' usually getting the response "Is Pepsi ok?" It's funny because I really do prefer Pepsi (new topic?)
'Pahp' is very much an American term.

 

[givemfitz]

my one visit to NY was to Rochester (pop). Called a friend originally from NYC (soda). All else matches my experience as far as my travels. I'd say the map is extremely accurate.
For the record one of my brothers now lives in MI and calls it pop. Living in Ca I now say soda. We grew up saying coke.

For no reason that comes to mind, I also find POP annoying. <_<

 

[Rob]

I hate Pop it sounds too childish. What about new suggestions for names like...Abe Simpson, "The bubbles make my tongue burn!" maybe we could call it "Sweet mouth pain" or something like that!

 

[jca]

Semi-related:

Who has taken the "Pepsi Challenge" at one time or another? I did as a kid and picked Coke.

In high school, I did a project on recycling and got to talk to the head of Coca-Cola bottling in my home town. I asked:

"Why do people pick Pepsi in the Pepsi challenge?" and "What the hell happened - why 'New Coke'?"

His response:

"I can give the same answer for both. Sugar and sweetness. People will always pick a sweeter item in blind taste tests because they gravitate towards a sweeter taste naturally - but it isn't necessarily what they'd pick in the long run and on their own. So Atlanta decided to make Coke sweeter with 'New Coke', but it was obviously a big mistake."

 

[k-lo]

I think Coke is sweeter than Pepsi...
Anyone agree?

 

[dascoot]

Actually, I never liked Pepsi, always thought it was TOO sweet..
BTW that map kicks much ass. :lol:
And I think "Sweet Mouth Pain" has a nice ring to it.. anything inspired from a Simpsons quote is A-OK in my book..

 

[givemfitz]

I love the Simpsons!!!!!
Some of my favorite Homer quotes are:

Homer:Your lives are in the hands of men no smarter than you or I, many of them incompetent boobs. I know this because I worked alongside them, gone bowling with them, watched them pass me over for promotions time and again. And I say... This stinks!

Homer: Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true!

Homer: Here's good news! According to this eye-catching article, SAT scores are declining at a slower rate!

Lisa: Dad, I think this paper is a flimsy hodgepodge of pie graphs, factoids and Larry King.

Homer: Hey, this is the only paper in America that's not afraid to tell the truth, that everything is just fine.

Homer: Hey, just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand!

Homer: Aw, people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. 14 percent of all people know that.

Homer: Well of course, everything looks bad if you remember it.

Homer: I don't have to be careful. I got a gun.

Huge fan of South Park too!!!! :lol:

 

[Rob]

Off topic I know but a Homer quote something like...."Marge.. don't do it you'll kill us all" "Homer.. It will either kill us all or we'll all die trying"

 

[givemfitz]

Marge: Homer...this is positively the worst thing you've ever done!

Homer: Ohhhhh Marge, you say that so often that it has lost all meaning. :lol:

 

[Rob]

What would Homer call Coke?.......mmmmmmmm.....tingly <_<

 

[dascoot]

:lol:

 

[givemfitz]

:lol: Now that's funny!!!!!!