For over a century a great debate has raged
regarding the correct vernacular for "soft drink.”
Being From New Jersey, I had known nothing of this debate until
relocating to Seattle in 2007. For me, “soda” was
all I knew. Now, living in Seattle, I have discovered “pop”
as the preferred local nomenclature and "soda" a word
never spoken except when referring to generic tonic water. Strange,
indeed, this whirlwind of word play oddness, made even more peculiar
by the fact that Seattle is not alone in its preference for "pop."
Indeed, throughout the country there are distinct boundaries in
this "soda" versus "pop" war of words.
For example, in the Pacific Northwest and
Midwest, “pop” is the common terminology. In the northeast
and California, “soda” reigns supreme. Most peculiar
of all is the south, where “coke” is the common term
even when referencing flavored soda. For only in the south can
you order a Coke and mean an orange soda, or so I've been told.
Face-to-face with this dialectic peculiarity,
a question immediately comes to mind: what is the correct, or
at least, “official” terminology for a non-alcoholic
carbonated beverage? Scouring the coca-cola website, the most
prominent of all carbonated beverage companies, I found no reference
to either "soda" or "pop." I did see mention
of “carbonated beverage,” but nothing close to a committed
answer one way or the other on the pop/soda debate.
I suppose, practically, the best course of
action when unsure what to call your favorite fizzy drink is to
do what you always do and order as you've learned as a child.
Your particular region will surely be on your side. However, when
you do find yourself in soda land as a pop gal, or pop land as
a soda gal, I say stick to your guns and do what feels natural.
Whether “soda,” “pop,” “coke,”
or something else entirely tickles your phonetic fancy, anyone
will eventually get the point and you'll surely have a bit of
fun with this unexpectedly silly language barrier.
Prepare yourself, Seattle, because in the
face of your pop loving preference, I’m sticking with “soda.”
You've been warned.
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