> > > My name is Kevin, I'm 18, and a first year computer science major at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA. I grew up in Ohio though (it's 'pop', not 'soda' :) ).
> >
> > Yes it is! We in Canada call it "pop" as well, and I had always thought that ALL US citizens called it "soda"... Glad to see there's at least one state that isn't backwards. :-p
>
> The U.S. seems to be divided up into regions as far as this is concerned. In the midwest, we generally call it "pop". Up in the northeast and New England, they generally call it "soda". There also seem to be a few backwoods types in New Hampshire that call it "tonic". (My wife's grandmother offered me a tonic once.) I've heard that in the South, they just call everything "Cokes". Coca-Cola does not like this, and I've heard stories that they send undercover Coca-Cola copyright agents into restaurants that sell the competition's soft drinks, where they ask for a "Coke." If the personnel give them a Pepsi and don't make it clear that it is not in fact a "Coke," they'll get sued. Californians also seem to call everything "Cokes." At least, one of my roommates in college who was a Californian did.
>
> Gri"tosses back a cold Mountain Dew"shny

I had never heard of the "tonic" thing, but I had heard about the "Coke" thing in the south. I don't know if this part is true, but is EVERYTHING referred to as "Coke" in the south? For example, would this be a logical conversation in a Southern restaurant:

"I'd like a Coke, please."
"What kind?"
"Oh, a 7-up would be good."

That's what I had heard... This seems a bit odd to me, that the term "Coke" could be non-indicative of brand, but also be used (disir)regardless of the flavor of beverage desired... OK, I'll stop mangling the language now, and wait for a response.

Don "The Monkey'You Americans are sure weird sometimes...'man" Jackson