Pop or Soda

[Pan]

Water fountain.

[tastykimmie]

I live in Maryland (Washington D.C. metropolitan area)

I drink lots of BEER!!!

[alacarte]

1. Agreed, great map.

2. Someone needs to teach Kenk how the "reply" function works.

3. Can anyone offer an explanation of why some areas use "soda" and some use "pop"?

[Jake]

I'm told (sorry, no exact reference) that it was originally called soda pop. I guess some shortened it one way, and some another. If indeed my information is correct.

It's always interesting what we pick up from where we live, work or how we were brought up. When I don't feel like cooking, I always stop for a "take-away" never a take out.

[evilcartman]

I'm in DC and here we call it soda.

But...my cousin from Chicago says pop, my St. Louisian friends remain divided between pop and soda, and around here you ask for coke and you'll need a straw but not because it's soda.

Oh, and I say water fountain, but in New England they seem to say bubbler. Well, BUBB-LAH if they got the accent goin' on.

[hillvalley]

I'm told (sorry, no exact reference) that it was originally called soda pop. I guess some shortened it one way, and some another. If indeed my information is correct.

It's always interesting what we pick up from where we live, work or how we were brought up. When I don't feel like cooking, I always stop for a "take-away" never a take out.

I've hear the same story.

Take away? Where did you grow up?

[Pan]

I believe my grandmother on my mother's side (born in South African but grew up in Brooklyn from the age of 7 on) said "soda pop."

[nanuq]

I grew up in South Africa - cool drinks or cold drinks, never soda or pop. No idea where it came from, but I had never heard soda or pop until the first "overseas" venture.

And always take-aways, not take out.

Tracey

[sparrowgrass]

Once when my son was little, he asked if he could have a "soft drink" with his burger. Not a phrase we would have used, but we said sure, and ordered him one. When I brought it to the table, he was sorely disappointed--he thought a "soft drink" was a milk shake.

[snowangel]

Water fountain.

Bubbler in our family.

[lcdm]

NJ - soda

My Dad was from Pa and we used to get Brookdale soda (refillable bottles) it was either colored or clear soda (according to him).

[indybear]

Here in central Indiana, it's soft drink, drinking fountain (for water) and carry out.

[Fresser]

I live in the Deep South.

It's all Coke no matter what flavor you want-Dr. Pepper, Barq's, 7-Up, Sprite, Big Shot, etc.-It's all Coke.

Pop is a name for your Grandfather or a reaction caused by sticking a pin in a balloon.

One kind of soda goes in bisquits and the other kind goes in Bourbon.

A chum from Texas tells me this as well.

"What do you want to drink"

"Cokes."

"What kind?"

"7-Up."

When I was at the U. of Chicago, all the first-years would re-enact the "Soda vs. Pop" debate each year. Since we were in Chicago, we natives called it "Pop," but the East Coast contingent continually bristled at our nomenclature. Ahh, whadda they know?

[yellow truffle]

Water fountain.

Bubbler in our family.

In rural Wisconsin, the water fountain is the structure that people throw coins into and make a wish.

The bubbler is structure where one can drink water from.

The Bubbler: Wisconsin's Information Source

[JennotJenn]

In North Carolina, everything is a "coke" or a "drink".

Growing up, we said "pop." I have no idea where we got that from, because my family is from Ashe County (farthest Northwestern county in NC). When I say we're from Ashe County, I mean born and inbred since 1690...until the middle of the century that place was like the WONKA factory...:"No one ever goes in and no one ever comes out." I dunno how we got so worldy and uppity as to say pop Seriously, this is sick, but I just spent, like, an hour trying to figure it out (well, mom's family did spend a year in PA when she was a baby....)

FWIW, I say soda now. DH (also from Western NC) says drink.

[itch22]

Though a I don't drink it, here in Belleville, ON; most people say "pop". However, a lot of people do say "coke" even to refer to non-Coke-a-Cola products...

[Dana]

Growing up in Kansas, we always said "pop", however, since moving to TX, we now have cokes, although mine is always diet coke. My St. Louis born SIL says "soda", althought it's more like "sooda".

Never heard the term "bubbler" before. It's a water fountain.

I'm so confused. I need a coke.

[gus_tatory]

3. Can anyone offer an explanation of why some areas use "soda" and some use "pop"?

no, i can't.

but i can tell you in Nova Scotia, it's pop. in Quebec, in English, it's soda.

[FireWire]

It is pop to me, when I was in San Fran, I asked what kinds of pop they had in a restraunt, the waiter gave me the funniest look ever.

http://www.popvssoda.com/ gives you a sence of what its called in diffrent parts of the US://http://www.popvssoda.com/ gives yo...parts of the US

Edited March 5, 2004 by FireWire (log)

[clothier]

when I was a kid, it didn't matter what you called it, since my mom never let you drink it or order it.

It was all milk and juice at our house.

Nope, no kool-aid either.

[phaelon56]

It's always been soft drinks for me but when you buy a six pack or two... do you ask the clerk to put it in a sack... or a bag?

[slbunge]

Here (Milwaukee) it is soda. Where I grew up, 80 miles west of here, it was pop. Either place, when purchased it was placed in a bag.

Bubbler and water fountain seem haphazardly used. I hear both.

[Stone]

In Texas, it's all 'coke.'

My first week of freshman year, a bunch of us were sitting around having the "soda" or "pop" discussion. The Houston kid said, "I just call it coke." Those of us from civilization were shocked. "What if you want a 7-up?" "You'd ask for a coke, and they would ask what kind."

I think he dropped out and is now a homeless crack addict.

[formerly grueldelux]

Along the same lines, is it a bubbler or a water fountain?

Here in New England it's a bubblah.

-michael

[FoodZealot]

In Hawaii and California, soda.