Originally from New York, I have for my entire life called Coke and all those other fizzy drinks “soda.” The first time I ever heard anyone actually call soft drinks “pop” was in college when I met my mid-western boyfriend.
I believe it was within days of us first meeting that I heard him say this, and I think I can remember staring at him.
“Did you just say ‘pop’?” I asked, baffled.
“You must be one of those ‘soda’ people,” I think he said.
Of course I’d heard the word “pop” before, but really only in the cartoonish sense like on TV. Which is actually strange, because before coming to college I’d traveled a bit and had friends all over the country. Just none in the mid-west, I realized.
And so, it was my boyfriend (and also another friend from Wisconsin) who would introduce me to all of the strange things mid-westerners say. Like for example, when telling me a story one day, I stopped my boyfriend mid-sentence when he said, “ruff.”
“What’s a ruff?”
He pointed overhead.
“A roof?”
“Uh-huh.”
Or, for instance, when my Wisconsin friend says, “baeg” instead of, “bag,” like she’s saying the beginning of the word “bagel.”
Being a New Yorker, though, I get made fun of plenty for my accent when I am out of state, which I, of course, don’t hear. I believe the biggest teasing-targets are when I say “coffee” or “water.”
Since I still tease my boyfriend for saying, “pop,” he sent me this awesome interactive map of the
“Great Pop vs. Soda Controversy.”Do you say, “pop” or “soda?” What are some weird things you hear people from other places say?
Comments (166)
Soda.
I say both, but I think I say POP more often...
Contrary to the regional popular (midwest) "pop" I do in fact refer to a carbonated syrupy beverage as "soda" or "soda-pop"
haha seen that map b4 and it's interesting, i say soda personally but many ppl i know say pop, i don't make a big deal either way..
soda pop
born and raised in Chicago, so it was always pop, always...but when i moved to the northeast, no one, i mean no one, said pop (some people didn't even know what it was)...they said soda...and after awhile i did too lol...so now it's soda to me =)
I grew up in Indiana and so for 21 years of my life I said "pop". That was until I moved to Georgia and got ridiculed to no end so I switched it to "coke". Three years later I moved to L.A. and was made fun of again. So once more I changed it up and now I currently say "soda". I now live back in Indiana and have gotten the strangest looks from people who work at various restaurants when I say "soda". I can't win!
that map is awesome! I usually say pop. but sometimes I just say what it is specifically (sprite, pepsi, etc.) because lots of people argue about it where I live.
Seriously? There are people out side of Upstate NY who say pop?
soda :)
that's an interesting map, actually.
i wonder what the "other" is! hahaha
Pop.
Coke. EVERYTHING is Coke. I don't understand what people are saying when they refer to it as "pop".
Pop... I'm a Western New Yorker.
In the south, or at least this region everyone calls the fizzy stuff coke. They usually ask, "what kind of coke do you want?" meaning what kind of soft drink would you like to drink!
Soda, East Texas. But I understand all 3 bc I have friends from all over.
Soda. Pop is a noise, not a drink.
I probably say Soda more often.
I definitely say soda, coming from Brooklyn, NY. I never knew anyone called it pop until I went to the University at Buffalo for college. Up there, they are serious about calling it pop -- never soda. So I'm like a fish out of water...
I say soda.
Living in Wisconsin now for 10 years, I'm used to saying Soda. I used to call it Pop, though. In the south, TN especially, if you say you want a coke, you could get just about anything from a 7-up to a Root Beer!! It's all coke out there!!! LOL
Funniest thing I've heard yet though is when I moved to WI and heard someone at work say something about the "bubbler". I had no idea what a "bubbler" was, and could not for the life of me, even imagine what a bubbler was!! Come to find out, it is a Water Fountain!! LOL
soda
I say soda. A lot of people in central Pa say ruff for roof. It's hilarious.
soda-pop or sody /so dee/ (I think the southern version has no real spelling or maybe I've just never seen it in writing) or when catering it's a 'soft drink'..
Too funny! My friends and I were talking about this today, because a couple from Michigan came into where I work yesterday and when I said soda, the wife said, "Ha, honey! Did you hear that? She said soda."
I use soda/soda-pop interchangeably, because there are a LOT of people here (from the midwest, actually... and we're borderline soda/pop on the map, so that's a pretty accurate map!!!) who say pop. My friend's mom is from the northeast, so she says soda, too.
Actually, I just googled for another map: http://tastyresearch.files.wordpress.com/2006/10/popvssodamap.png
It goes right down to the county.
SODA! I had this debate w/ people about soda vs. pop & sprinkles vs. jimmies (sprinkles ftw)! There are others but I really don't want to get into that debate right now. I had a friend who used to say pop... and her other friends would be like what? did you say pop? Then we'd have a discussion about it.