Coke - what do you call it in your area?

[Pea-n-Me]

@Pea-n-Me Glad to know I’m not alone in my memories. My older sister went to uni in Boston and I when I visited her ordering a carbonated drink was half the fun of the trip. Also the trams that stopped running at 11:00 PM ish. What a difference 400 odd miles made

Yup, sort of like a small Beantown in comparison, lol. DH and I used to drive down to NYC once a year and we enjoyed going to a movie at midnight and grabbing a slice of Ray’s pizza at 2am walking back to the hotel. Miss those days!

 

[goofyernmost]

Yup, sort of like a small Beantown in comparison, lol. DH and I used to drive down to NYC once a year and we enjoyed going to a movie at midnight and grabbing a slice of Ray’s pizza at 2am walking back to the hotel. Miss those days!

At least back in the 60's it was known as "Tonic" in the Boston area.

I've lived in central Florida my whole life. I used to say "soft drinks" when at a restaurant, like "what soft drinks do you have?" but often servers wouldn't understand me, so changed to "soda".

Hearing people say "pop" randomly was very weird. Pop what? popcorn? popsicle? pop tarts? I couldn't get the reference to soda....until occasionally people would say "soda pop" together. Knowing the history, the original people at pharmacies etc. that would serve the drink we're referring to were called "Soda Jerks".

I've also never heard anyone refer to "coke" as generic for any type of soda, unless you're asking specifically for it.

Now that you mention it the only way I've ever heard it as a general cover name is "what flavor of coke to you carry"? Otherwise it is if you ask for Coke you get Coca Cola, More and more you hear that they don't have Coke, only Pepsi. But not often.

 

[AppleDumpling]

It’s alway been soda to me. My preferred brand of cola is definitely Coke; don’t care for Pepsi. As a kid, I liked the very sweet flavors, ie. cherry or orange soda, and my very favorite was cream soda, which I sometimes drank mixed with milk.

 

[Moliphino]

Do you have multiple brands of tissue/Kleenex? If I have someone over and they ask where the Kleenex is, I don’t follow up with asking if they want Puffs, Kleenex, or Up and Up, I just point them in the right direction.

This. I'll use coke as a generic word for all colas, but it doesn't make sense for all soda flavors.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

This just popped up on fb posted by a friend in MI (where I hail from)…

 

[Kestryl]

This just popped up on fb posted by a friend in MI (where I hail from)…
View attachment 823805

This is correct.

 

[goofyernmost]

This is correct.

Actually all of them are sodas, just different flavors.

 

[Babs Johnson]

Do you say bandaid or Kleenex, xerox, jello, hoover, vaseline? coke with a lower case c is a generic term for soda, same as the other items listed above.

True, but there isn’t a ridiculous unnecessary ritual involved when buying those other products.

If one wants a Diet Sprite, why request a “coke” just for the server to ask “what kind of coke?” so one can respond “a diet sprite“? Just say “diet sprite” right away.

It’s probably made by Dr Brown’s and is still sold in NYC along with cream, and black cherry sodas at Jewish delis. Yeah it’s definitely an acquired taste

I tried that Cel-Ray soda decades ago My supermarket sells Dr. Browns cream and cherry, both regular and diet, but I haven’t seen cel-ray in a very long time. But a Jewish deli/luncheonette had it on its menu this past Hanukkah.

 

[goofyernmost]

If one wants a Diet Sprite, why request a “coke” just for the server to ask “what kind of coke?” so one can respond “a diet sprite“? Just say “diet sprite” right away.

In reality, at least in NC, that is the way they do it. I've really never heard, even once, someone ask for Coke and not get a Coca Cola. I have had the occasion to order Coke and no server ever asked me what flavor. Coke is Coke. I have heard people order by asking, like I said before, "what flavor Coke to you carry?" and if they did the best they usually would get for an answer is Regular and Diet.

 

[nighttowll]

In reality, at least in NC, that is the way they do it. I've really never heard, even once, someone ask for Coke and not get a Coca Cola. I have had the occasion to order Coke and no server ever asked me what flavor. Coke is Coke. I have heard people order by asking, like I said before, "what flavor Coke to you carry?" and if they did the best they usually would get for an answer is Regular and Diet.

Yes, you wouldn't tell the waiter coke unless you wanted a Coke, but the waiter might ask you what type of coke you would like, or you might say to a friend, "Hey, I'm going to a get a coke, do you want one?" And the person might reply with, "Yes a Sprite." It would be understood that coke just meant soda in those situations. People use coke in place of soda when speaking about generalities. When discussing specific brands, they will use the correct brand.

 

[goofyernmost]

Yes, you wouldn't tell the waiter coke unless you wanted a Coke, but the waiter might ask you what type of coke you would like, or you might say to a friend, "Hey, I'm going to a get a coke, do you want one?" And the person might reply with, "Yes a Sprite." It would be understood that coke just meant soda in those situations. People use coke in place of soda when speaking about generalities. When discussing specific brands, they will use the correct brand.

That's what I was saying. Coke is used as soda, pop, tonic etc. But no one asks for Coke in a restaurant as an order. They will only do that if Coke is actually what they want. It's regional. You go to New England or most of the people might refer to a soft drink as soda or soda pop and in the south it is used in that same way. It is a general statement not necessarily as a discriptive adjective. If I order a soda up north without being specific, the staff will probably spit in my food, which is why we don't anymore then here in the south someone would order a Coke unless they wanted a Coke.

That would be like going to a department store and asking for a shirt and leaving it up to the clerks to figure out what size or color you wanted. It just doesn't happen that way.

I've never heard a waiter ask what type of Coke do you want. He/she/it would just bring a Coke. Again that just isn't done.

 

[ncc1701]

This. I'll use coke as a generic word for all colas, but it doesn't make sense for all soda flavors.

Same here in South Jersey. The only reply you may get is "We have Pepsi is that ok?"

 

[LuckyL3gends]

Coke

 

[AppleDumpling]

Growing up, my father would only call a soda when he drank Cel-Ray. It was a hideous celery flavored drink (almost as bad as Moxie soda).

I remember having celery soda occasionally as a kid too. Not Cel-Ray, but a different brand, maybe Kirsch. My grandfather liked it. It’s not bad, IMO, tastes similar to ginger ale. Like ginger ale, it’s supposed to calm your stomach if you have digestive issues.

 

[maxaroni]

Same here in South Jersey. The only reply you may get is "We have Pepsi is that ok?"

We moved from North Jersey (Bergen County) to South Jersey (burlington County) and found out quickly that it’s not called Taylor Hsm in South Jersey. I ordered Taylor ham and got a ham steak, lol. No difference with soda, though. If ordering a Coke (cola), same reply of “we have Pepsi, is that okay?“

 

[ChrisFL]

I wonder how some people started calling it pop to begin with

 

[JLTraveling]

From the south, and it is all coke.

Waitress: "Would you like a coke?"

Customer: "Yes, I'll take a Dr. Pepper."

Same. Also common:

Waitress: "What do you want to drink?"
Customer: "Coke."
Waitress: "What flavor?"
Customer: "Dr. Pepper."

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I wonder how some people started calling it pop to begin with

Maybe when the top came off the bottle, because of the carbonation, it made that type of sound?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

This reminded me we were in a restaurant recently and ordered Diet Coke. Waitress said, ”Is Pepsi ok?” That happens sometimes. But it was understood we wanted a cola. We’re in New England.

 

[ncc1701]

We moved from North Jersey (Bergen County) to South Jersey (burlington County) and found out quickly that it’s not called Taylor Hsm in South Jersey. I ordered Taylor ham and got a ham steak, lol. No difference with soda, though. If ordering a Coke (cola), same reply of “we have Pepsi, is that okay?“

It's Pork Roll down here. Taylor's is the main brand.