This one is simple – what do you call this stuff?
Being a Minnesota native at a Wisconsin university, this debate comes up (pathetically) frequently in everyday conversation – all the Wisconsonites call it “soda†while my Minnesota peeps and I stick to calling it “pop.†Working in fast food, I also encountered a fair amount of southerners who insisted on calling it all “Coke,†regardless of what they actually wanted.
I’m turning it over to you, So Good readers. Do you call it pop, soda, or coke? Or maybe you’re a plus-60 holdover who still calls it “sodypop†(do those exist?). Or maybe you’re part of some pointlessly rebellious club that secretly calls it “spedoinkle” or “cattywampus.” Then be a good representative for your district (or club!) and explain in the comments.
Loading ...On a side note, check out this U.S. map of generic names for soft drinks by county (courtesy of popvssoda.com). It’s a little outdated, but how often do they really do this kind of research?
19 responses so far ↓
1 Lady Callahan // Dec 16, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Surely you’ve seen this:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/scott/pop-vs-soda-map
And don’t call me Shirley.
2 Brandon // Dec 16, 2010 at 9:50 pm
It’s not like you ignore all brand names when you use “Coke.” It’s a replacement for the word “soda.”
“Let’s go get some Cokes.”
3 Geena Stepp // Dec 16, 2010 at 10:43 pm
soda pop! thats what my friend marissa calls it…
4 Jennifer // Dec 17, 2010 at 11:05 am
Personally, I would call the two pictured sodas CRAP. I don’t like the aftertast and Zero just tastes like a flat diet coke.
5 Holly Norton // Dec 17, 2010 at 1:00 pm
I call it cola.
6 Steve // Dec 17, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Can’t believe you didn’t add “Soft Drink” itself as an option.
7 Marie // Dec 17, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Soda holds true on the East Coast too. Being a transplanted Minnesotan living in Delaware, the debate waged on…soda vs pop. Sadly, I was in the minority in their fair land. I had to pick up my belongings, diet Coke in hand and move back to the state that nows my language!
8 Marie // Dec 17, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Okay, so I can’t type! KNOWS my language! Ugh. I think I need a diet Coke…
9 El // Dec 18, 2010 at 1:56 am
Soda, even though I’m a pretty hardcore Chicagoian. Why? I don’t even know, but hearing ‘pop’ grates my ears.
10 Peter // Dec 18, 2010 at 5:32 am
I grew up in Oregon and we always called it pop. I think that’s pretty common for the Pacific Northwest. Then after living in California for 3 years, where it’s mostly known as soda, I adopted that as my name for it.
11 Eick // Dec 18, 2010 at 4:21 pm
This vote is breaking down about exactly how I thought it would – slight majority for Soda with a bit more support for Pop than Coke.
12 harleytexas // Dec 18, 2010 at 7:49 pm
I called it pop all my life until I moved to Texas, now it’s soda because most people I said pop to either didn’t know what it was or said I was a yankee….not a yankee!!!! lol
13 Marilyn // Dec 18, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Also born and raised in Minnesota, I call it pop. However, no one in the northeast knows what that is…or they laugh at what they consider is an incorrect regional slang word. So I have learned to refer to it as soda.
14 Raiders757 // Dec 24, 2010 at 8:01 pm
I live in Virginia, and for the most part, when one says “Coke”, they are referring to Coke, Pepsi, RC, and the likes of. Flavors such as Sprite, Cheerwine, and Root Beer are called “soda”.
15 Alana // Dec 27, 2010 at 3:54 pm
I’m well familiar with that debate. I grew up on the MN/WI border (on the correct “pop” side of the divide). Now I live in Scotland, where everyone calls it “juice” and after 5 years here, it still makes me cringe.
16 Polish Mama on the Prairie // Dec 27, 2010 at 4:47 pm
I call it garbage. We don’t drink that stuff.
17 Anne Wilkinson // Dec 29, 2010 at 7:02 am
Also born and raised in Minnesota, I call it pop. However, no one in the northeast knows what that is…or they laugh at what they consider is an incorrect regional slang word. So I have learned to refer to it as soda.
18 G // Apr 8, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Ginger. Its a Scottish thing.
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