Comments on: pop, soda, or coke?

By: Sfida

Sfida — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 05:25:53 +0000

No, the beverages in question are indeed soft drinks. Thing is, most people talk quickly enough that a single word is preferred. Soda and pop are both technically correct; different names for effectively the same thing. Coke is different, referring to one brand of a cola (a soda made from the kola nut); like Kleenex, however, the name has become generic, and even branched out a bit.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 04:24:02 +0000

Ack… Sorry about that, Mitsu, but apparently it decided to eat your posts for some reason. I think I got them all back.

By: Mitsu

Mitsu — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 05:17:57 +0000

So you were being specific about that one beverage. In which case, it should be coke or pepsi.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 00:51:39 +0000

Well, see, “soft drink” isn’t any more descriptive than “carbonated beverage” really. The phrase applies equally to root beer, Coca-Cola, Mountain Dew, and Dr. Pepper. The word “cola” is more precise but doesn’t really roll off the tongue like the other three. Besides which it sounds like a sort of bacteria, or maybe something that snobbish rich people would say.

“Winston, my good fellow, after escorting my guests into the mansion, would you please bring me a cola?”

By: Mitsu

Mitsu — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 00:43:12 +0000

Why can’t we all just be happy with soft drink? Look at the title of the goddam thing.

By: Sfida

Sfida — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 15:23:41 +0000

Jeff, I am amazed at your ability to find completely useless information. Well, not completely, as Norm can now no longer say “It’s ‘pop’, and that’s the end of it,” to me, but still. Please tell me that parts of this map were randomly generated.

And what up with that one county in CA where everybody says “coke” and not “soda”, as in the rest of the state? Weird, yo.