carbonated beverages

[ironymaiden]

a map of pop vs. soda. vs. coke by US county.

i've always switched between the two: a can of soda comes from the pop machine. i grew up in that yellow streak down the middle of PA.

yunno, i still don't consider "coke" a valid option. i laughed the first time i heard someone do it. (would you like a coke? we have orange, grape, 7-up, and pepsi.)

Comments

[mimerki.livejournal.com]

Coke should refer only to Coca-Cola products. "You want a Coke? We've got Diet, Cherry & Regular," probably doesn't squick you. (I say because it's true for me.)

Someone would have to follow me around (and get me to talk about carbonated beverages) to get a real sample. I know I swap back and forth and also use 'soda-pop' but I don't know if there's a pattern.

[buhrger]

so does anyone say "soft drink"?

[weahawk.livejournal.com]

don't consider "coke" a valid option? now you're messing with my peoples!!!!

I had to laugh quite a bit at the whole "pop" thing...but now I am acclimated and call it pop more than coke....*sigh*

[textualdeviance.livejournal.com]

"Soda" here. Mom was born in San Diego, Dad was born in Arizona. Both spent their teen years in southern Oregon. Me, I was born in Reno.

Although these days, if I'm asking M to procure me something, I tend to say "beverage" because what's stocked in our fridge (and what I tend to drink) is a wider variety than carbonated stuff in a can. He's been known to request that I bring him "some caffeine" regardless of what form that caffeine is in.

[inevitableguy.livejournal.com]

I love statistics, so of course I clicked on the states on the map to see the numerical breakdown.

In the county I was born in (and lived in until I was 10 and had firmly established linguistic habits), 94% of people refer to it as "soda". To this day, I still do.

In the county I lived in for 8 years after that, 58% of people refer to it as "Coke". That's odd, because in those 8 years, I don't think I ever actually heard someone refer to soda generically as "Coke". It might have something to do with the sample size - 12 respondents in a county of approximately 150,000 people.

Hmpf. Either way, this gave me joy and entertainment for perhaps far too long. Thanks!

[mrdorbin.livejournal.com]

I was surprised to see that King County is a 'pop' place; my impression was that everyone here said 'soda', which makes me wonder if there isn't some other factor (class?) beyond geography going on here.

[ironymaiden]

i say it's because you know too many transplants. my first real job here was at a family-owned business where most of the employees were lifelong natives. definitely pop, and these people were prep-school kids. but yes, where i grew up it was sometimes a class divide. pop was low.

[lala67.livejournal.com]

ha! no way orange co. FL (orlando) is coke and Osceola co. (kissimmee) is soda! Oseceola is far more country than Orange.

I demand a recount, LOL.