All that fizzes is not cola
All right, it's time to get serious. Really serious. Do you call it soda, pop, Coke, or something else entirely?
I myself have been a staunch soda man (in word, not in deed... I prefer the sweet cranberry's delights) since day one, and have always found it peculiar that anyone would call it something else!
It turns out that my preference for calling it "soda" is firmly rooted in geographical linguistics. Oh yes, my friends, they have done studies on this. Doubt me? Check out this map that breaks it down by counties (Link via Sullivan).
What I found really interesting in looking at this map is the geographic and political implications. I mean, look at it: the Appalachian Mountains fence off New England and the eastern part of New York - strong soda territory - from the "pop" drinkers to the west and the "Coke" drinkers to the south. But then you have California as largely "soda" territory! I mean, this is almost red state-blue state stuff here, people. If you say "soda," you are more likely to live in a state that went for Kerry; if you say "coke," you are more likely to live in a state that went for Bush; and if you say "pop," you probably live in a swing state. Does anyone want to take a gander at what this means?
posted by Joshua @ 3:44 PM
8 Comments:
Alaska's all over the board! Actually, I've heard of this phenomenon, before, but not quite so politically. I was aware, that "soda" is a East Coast/West Coast thing, whie "pop" reigns in the Midwest. "Coke" as a generic term for soft drinks is also present in the Midwest, thanks to Indiana (jackasses... ;) ), but predominantly in the South.
All's I know is that... how it came to be, I couldn't tell you. And I definitely can't tell you what it was to do with voting. Illinois went to Kerry because of Chicago, pretty much. Most of the state went to "Dubya," but nearly three million people in Cook County said otherwise.
That is all.
P.S.: This doesn't quite mean that I'm back, I'm just taking a short break from housework. Family arrives tomorrow!
I am personally shocked that Harris County wasn't 100% in the "Coke" category. Having grown up in Houston until I was fifteen, I can tell you with assurance that ANYONE there calling it anything else is either over eighty or else speaks a foreign language which somehow wouldn't allow the long "O" to trip off the tongue. (Not knowing Vietnamese, this is a possibility in Harris County, though not a likely one.)
At fifteen, I moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, which is pretty evenly split between "Soda" and "Pop." This phenomenon, of course, made me feel like I was stuck in Mayberry (who calls it Pop, really?) and certainly did nothing to help my assimilation there. (I've been told that during my first year in the big OK, I acted aloof at best.)
Whatever, as I live more and more of my life in New York, I've learned to say "on line," rather than "in line," and eat "slices of pies," rather than "pices of pizza," but Coke will always be coke, int eh same way that I'll never call tissue anything other than Kleenex, bandages anything but Band-aids, gelatin anything but Jell-O.
As an aside, Tac, I'm half-with you on the cranberry. Try this tomorrow: mix equal parts Coca-Cola and Cranberry Juice over ice for the tastiest damn morning pick-me-up you've ever had, and then let me know what you think.
Oh, and in case anybody cares, roughly half my childhood conversations went something like this:
"You want a coke?"
"Sure, what kind do you have?"
"Dr. Pepper and Sprite."
Ahh... etymology.
I definitely agree with Pascal's on the typical Southern conversation. Growing up, it was an elementary school rite of passage to go to the World of Coke on a field trip and drink yourself sick on the "Cokes of the World" at the end of the tour. (Note to all readers: "Beverly" is NOT a friendly beverage. Drinking "Sweetflower" is the surest way to feel awful on the busride back). We generally do not recognize "Pepsi" as a drink unless we happen to go to Taco Bell, KFC, or Pizza Hut. I do remember a few rogue Arby's that had RC Cola from the fountain...
When I moved to Kalamazoo, MI, one of the first things I noticed was the prevalence of "pop." While grocery-shopping at Meijer, my eyes were immediately drawn to the sign declaring that one could find "pop" on this particular aisle. It even got so bad that I caught myself saying "pop" with that dreaded flattened "o," so that audibly, the words "pop" and "pap" are indistinguishable.
I'm now living in Burlington, VT, a freakish bastion of Pepsi. I'll admit it: I would rather walk across hot coals barefoot while carrying a bucket of bricks with my teeth than drink Diet Pepsi. Regular Pepsi is too sweet and cloying. Poor waitresses will ask, "Is Pepsi okay?" and I know they expect to hear back "Oh, sure," but I can't give them that answer. I once accused a restaurant here of trying to dehydrate me. They had nothing. The "tea" they had was Nestea, and on principle, I don't trust tea from a syrup. The fountain drinks they were pouring were all Pepsi products. Were I not out celebrating a friend's birthday, I probably would have left.
Old habits die hard.
Oddly enough, I don't hear much in the way of Coke, pop, or soda here. Most people are too into their organic beverages to poison their bodies with high fructose corn syrup or caffeine.
Now, regarding my politics, I've found that as I have moved through the distinct regions of soft drink names, I've actually grown more conservative in gradually more liberal surroundings. I'm not sure what to make of it, but you can certainly count on me to make a fuss at a Pepsi-only establishment!
(As a sidenote, a friend of mine is in dental school and has told me that research has shown Coke to be far worse for your teeth than Pepsi. A tooth will completely dissolve in Coke within a few days, but not in Pepsi. Yes, I know people clean engines with Coke. At the Georgia Dome, we cleaned hot dog rollers with Coke and Sprite because of their grime-fighting powers. It still won't stop me from drinking. I just have to remember to brush my teeth right afterwards.)
When it comes to sweet beverages, I put it to you that no one can compete with our dear Boudicca. I urge anyone to drink her version of "Sweet Tea" sometime and not go into insulin shock. Seriously.
I think it's really interesting how the soda-pop-coke geopolitical trends have broken down. Did anyone notice how St. Louis is emitting magical "Soda" powers? Weird.
Pascals, yes! My first ever "Would you like some Coke?" moment came in the greater Atlanta area, with my first visit to the future in-laws. Imagine my surprise when I opened the refrigerator to find ginger ale and root beer!
Pascals, double-yes! I tried the coke-cran bomb this morning to a successful boost. I usually don't like soda... er... pop... er coke... but I think I got the balance just right.
And I'd certainly like to hear more about Vietnamese linguistics.
Since I am basically a born and bred New Yorker, heading out to Ohio and hence outside of sodaland was huge shock. About 4 days or so into my Freshman orientation I had the following conversation while in town outside or Kenyon:
Me (to the cashier at a small convenience store in town): How much?
Cashier: That'll be $1.50 for the coke.
Me: but this is a Sprite.
[She stares at me like I had just called her an idiot. A long uncomfortable moment passes as we just stare each other. I slowly hand over my money and back out of the store, not knowing if I should be embarrassed, but definitely extremely confused.]
Just so you know, middle O-hiah is definitely pop land, although you can hear coke here or there. NO ONE calls it soda except those preppy-ass liberal arts college kids from the East Coast. Another conversation that comes to mind is:
A friend of mine from Ohio: Let's blow this pop stand.
Me: ...What the hell's a 'pop stand'?
So yeah, if you look the 2004 electoral map for Ohio, those counties that sort-of went for Kerry were either Cleveland or small-out-way places where a liberal arts college such as Kenyon was located: prime real estate for soda speakers. Everywhere else? Pop (North or Middle Ohio) or Coke (Southern edge of Ohio).
That's my belief as well, LoWrit
Looks nice! Awesome content. Good job guys.
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