soft drinks 'n social status

[Chickenhead]

Maybe you'll think this is crazy (and I think it may be a phenonmenon restricted to the South), but has anyone else noticed a correlation between soft drink choice and social status? (esp. Coke and Pepsi)

Maybe I'm just shallow. The drinks cost about the same price. I would elaborate with more details, but I'd like confirmation that others have noticed this or that I'm an imbecile.

[evilbeth]

I have noticed this and I cannot help in determining whether or not it is just a Southern thing because, well, I am Southern. I think that no matter what we say, someone on here will disagree with us because he drinks Pepsi/Coke and yet, considers himself to be rather influential and high up in social standing.

Anyway, in my sphere of experience (YMMV), the people with higher social standing drink Coke. Now this only applies to Coke or Diet Coke--none of the other flavors like Sprite or whatever.

[yosemite]

Well, I cannot say that I noticed any specific social status revolving around which soft drink was chosen. However, snob that I am, I make a judgment about anyone who uses the dreaded term "pop" instead of "soft drink" or "soda". But that's just me. :D

I am strictly middle-class. I am from Los Angeles. I drink TAB. Or Pepsi, because I grew up with Pepsi. I choose TAB because it is the equivalent to Popeye's spinach. It just revs me up!

[Typo Negative]

I drink Diet Coke.

Am I high class or low class?

[evilbeth]

Originally posted by spooje
I drink Diet Coke.




Hmmm...that puts a kink in my theory... ;)

[Typo Negative]

Aaawww, nuts!

[Fretful Porpentine]

Coke and Pepsi? Hmmph. If you don't drink microbrewed root beer made with pure spring water and wild honey, y'all are just low class.

[Do Re Mi]

I only drink Coke, and assume people who say it's the same as Pepsi are stupid.

As to Southern, though, I thought they drank RC Cola.

[cher3]

I can't remember where I read this, but there was a period of time when two things were going on:

1) America was in an "anti-drinking" phase, so that it was popular for adults to entertain other adults with non-alcoholic beverages. (This leads me to think that it was earlier than the 50's, but I couldn't find the reference.)

2) Pepsi was selling for considerably less than Coke.


This led, of course, to a situation where it was chic to serve the more expensive Coke. The article claimed that social climbers of limited means would pour Pepsi in the kitchen and claim to their guests that it was Coke.

Pepsi eventually wised up and came up with a different marketing strategy. I think this was the "Pepsi Generation" era--which touted Pepsi as the drink for young, fun types.

Maybe the social status thing is a holdover from those days.

[Edwardina]

Is this perhaps why some people always inquire as to whether you want "a Coke" no matter what type/flavor of soft drink is actually being offered, like "Coke" is synonymous with soda?

I think this may be a regional thing, but I'm not sure where it comes from.

[Ukulele Ike]

Before the "Pepsi Generation" ad blitz, Pepsi used to promote itself as a more economical cola alternative.
"Twelve ounces for a nickel!" the ads ran (Coke sold for a dime). The nickel would bounce back and forth and Jefferson would sing "NICKEL, nickel, nickel, nickel..."

I think this was back in the 40s or the 50s, when we were a more Puritanical nation, and a mere twelve ounces of caramel-colored sugar water was deemed sufficient to quench the average American's thirst.

[Green Bean]

Well, back in the day (late 1930s), Pepsi was cheaper than Coke. ("Twice as much for a nickel, too.") Pepsi could do this because ingredients were not that expensive and they spent a lot less on advertising and fancy bottles. Needless to say, a lot of people started to buy Pepsi--but it was seen as the bargain version of Coke. With the coming of WWII, sugar prices shot up, and Pepsi couldn't maintain such a big price advantage over Coke, but they did manage to keep the price lower for a long time.

Maybe Pepsi is assigned lower social status because it became popular as a cheaper alternative to Coke.

[Green Bean]

Well, great minds think alike, I suppose. Cher and Uke, you beat me to it!

[jessicala]

Originally posted by yosemitebabe
However, snob that I am, I make a judgment about anyone who uses the dreaded term "pop" instead of "soft drink" or "soda". But that's just me. :D


(hijack alert!)
Back in my McD's days ::rolls eyes:: I used to say "soda" instead of "pop" because it was more understandable over the speaker. One lady jumped all over me for this when she pulled up to the window and told me that "out here we say POP" and that by using the word Soda instead I was "watering down our culture." I have never come closer to laughing at a customer, right to her face, than that day. I don't know what's worse, that I got a five-minute lecture on why I should say "pop" instead of "soda," or that I still think about this. :D
(end of hijack)

We drink diet Coke products, but occasionally buy regular Pepsi. Where do technogeeks fall into the social hierarchy, and do we fit the theory?

[Kepi]

All of us true Texas bluebloods drink Dr Pepper. The rest of you are just Coke-drinking social-elite wannabes.

[cornflakes]

Originally posted by Kepi
All of us true Texas bluebloods drink Dr Pepper. The rest of you are just Coke-drinking social-elite wannabes.
Well, that may be the type of coke preferred in other parts of Texas, but not when I was growing up in Houston...

Seriously, I don't know about now, but when I was growing up in Spring Branch (NW Houston), coke was the generic term for a soft drink. People also drank Sprite and Tab, but they were still called cokes. Kids also drank root beer, cream soda and orange, and Big Red was in the cooler, but I don't know who drank that...

[Suo Na]

My heirarchy goes like this:

Dad's or A&W root beer
glass bottle of Coke
plastic bottle of Coke
can of Coke
bottle of urine
Barq's
diet Coke
Pepsi
diet Pepsi

And, of course, I'm high class. I only ride the best buses.

[Mofo Rising]

When I was living in Alaska, where I grew up, I would drink Pepsi because I preferred the taste. (Yes, there is a difference.) Of course, if there was something else in the fridge I wasn't too choosy. The generic term for soft drinks was "pop". The first I knew of this "caring what word people use for soft drinks", was when I went to Space Camp in Alabama and some kid was surprised I said the word "pop".

Now I live in Arizona, and oddly enough I drink Dr. Pepper more than anything, a drink I hardly ever drank in Alaska. Maybe it's the heat, I don't know. I also usually buy Coke as the generic drink because of the traditional "rum and coke".

Of course, if you wanted to be really classy you'd drink this (http://energy.pulse.de/dosen/fukolacola.html).

[ladybug]

I prefer Diet Coke, but I'll drink a store brand or Pepsi One if it isn't available. I'm not too picky.

About five or six years ago I took a nutrition course as part of my science requirement. In the middle of the semester the professor had us take the Pepsi challenge. He was curious if we could really taste a difference, and he also had us rate the sodas according to taste.

IIRC, very few if any students identified all four correctly. As far as taste, the top three were (from best to worst):
1. Coke
2. Publix cola (Southern supermarket chain)
3. Pepsi

The fourth one had to be altered to be in the taste test because it was Crystal Pepsi. The prof added caramel color to it so it looked the same as the others and he said it didn't alter the taste at all. It was the one that no one could identify. All I remember is that almost everyone -- the Pepsi and the Coke drinkers -- agreed that this one was the absolute worst.

[Zenster]

Sadly, I don't believe any major soft drink in America is made with real cane sugar anymore. The use of high fructose corn sweetener has ruined my enjoyment of domestic soft drinks entirely. I believe that even Jolt Cola has switched over from sugar (no more "All the sugar and twice the caffeine" motto). You used to be able to purchase the Mexican equivalents and get your favorite sodas in glass bottles with sugar. Sadly, even they have recently dropped sugar lately.

Fortunately, there are more boutique soft drinks being brewed lately. Most of the soft drinks that I drink come from other continents. If you want to taste what Seven-Up dreams about being on a good night, find yourself a bottle of Bundaberg's Lemon Lime Bitters from Australia. Many of the European sodas are still made with sugar. The "mouth feel" of a soft drink made with sugar is entirely different from one using corn sweetener.

If you have a British food store near you, buy some Coca Cola there and travel back in time. According to legend, state side Coca Cola is available with sugar during Lent or some such. Anyone know about that?

[Feynn]

I found that the taste of Coca Cola varies by region and I think this is due to the different sugars used.

When I was growing up Coke was the drink of choice. I didn't know any people who drank Pepsi.

I see Pepsi being the drink of many younger people and perhaps this is due to their marketing strategy aimed towards a certain younger demographic group. I actually had a kid tell me that Coke was for old people like me.

I'm 34... no wait... it's 1:31 here so I have officially made it to 35...

I'm ancient.

WOO HOO!

[Kepi]

Originally posted by Zenster
Sadly, I don't believe any major soft drink in America is made with real cane sugar anymore.

The Dr Pepper Bottling Company in Dublin, Texas (http://www.drpep.com/) still uses Imperial Pure Cane Sugar in their formula. People drive from all over North Texas just to buy their Dr Pepper from there. You can order it online (http://www.dublindrpepper.com/Store/store1.htm), but it ain't cheap.

[The Mermaid]

I'm from Ohio, we were traveling and stopped at a gas station in Pennsylvania. I asked if they had a pop machine and they looked at me like I was insane. I said You know coke Pepsi, 7-up??? they went Ahhh soda.

For me, my cold carbonated beverage is Coke.

[Drain Bead]

You can get Kosher Coke around Passover. It's made with cane sugar, and there's definitely a difference.

My friends won't buy it, though. They don't believe that it has sugar in it (the labels still say corn syrup) and think they're getting ripped off for nothing. I try to convince them, but it's no use.

[egkelly]

Years ago my Dad had a friend who owned a small bottling plant. He made his own brands of soda for local distribution-most of these operations have died out over the last 20 years. I recall him telling my Dad that it cost him less than 1/10th the retail price of coke, to bottle his own brand-which tasted pretty good, by the way.
At any rate, he made a wide variety of stuff-types that you never hear of today (birch beer, sasarparlla, root beer) and some pretty wierd fruit-based sodas-which seemed to be available in the most garish colors.
Of course, he could not afford to advertise, so his business steadily dropped.
On another note, those of you from new England might remember a local soda called "moxie". This is without a doubt, the most vile tasting swill ever sold in can or bottle! It is still made (in Maine) for a steadily dwindling clientele. trust me-it is really horriblw!

[Hello Again]

Moxie -- It's Wicked Good! (tm)

No really, its just *really* strong root beer, no more repellant in its own way than [seeking cover from native Detroiters] Vernors. Oak and ginger are NOT two great tastes that go great together.

[Mr. Cynical]

Where does I.B.C. Root Beer stand in the structure? I would think that anyone who drinks IBC is incredibly cool, and I would gravitate to them.

[RonA]

Please forgive my ignorance, but what's the connection between Coke and Passover?

[Suo Na]

Mr. Cynical, I drink IBC, when I can get it (usually only in restaurants). It would be at the very top of my (above) list, with the other good root beers.

Do you feel my gravitational pull yet?

[Badtz Maru]

I live in Dallas, Texas, a lot of people will laugh if you call a soda 'pop' (which is common only 230 miles north of here, in the Tulsa, OK area). People either call it soda or a coke.

My friend says that Pepsi is what white trash drink, and RC Cola is what black people drink. She's something of a classist.

[mouthbreather]

I'd have to say that I am low class.

I buy whatever is the cheapest that day at the grocery store. Coke, Pepsi, Store-Brand, whatever. Most of is just mixer for cheap bourbon, anyways. :)

[obfusciatrist]

Good list, Suo Na. I've added my own to it in bold.

Original list posted by Suo Na

Henry Weinhart's or IBC root beer
A&W root beer
Mug root beer
Dad's
orange Crush
glass bottle of Coke
plastic bottle of Coke
can of Coke
Squirt
Sprite
bottle of urine
Minute Maid orange
Once you are this far down the list you should just buy the local generic root beer (mmmmmm.....Shasta!)
Barq's
diet Coke
7-up
Pepsi
bottle of urine with traces of feces
Surge
Storm
diet Pepsi
New York Seltzer or any other flavored water
Fresca

[rowrrbazzle]

Originally posted by RonA
Please forgive my ignorance, but what's the connection between Coke and Passover?This page explains how Coke was finally certified kosher in 1935.

http://www.ajhs.org/Chapter1.htm ...the formula for Coke included traces of alcohol that were a by-product of grain kernels. Since anything derived from grains is chametz, or forbidden at Passover, Coca-Cola could not be certified kosher for use at Passover...

Coke's chemists experimented and found that, during the Passover season, they could substitute sweeteners produced from beet sugar and cane sugar for grain-based ones without compromising Coke's taste, and so they agreed to start manufacturing Coke with the new sugars several weeks prior to Passover each year.

Due to the price of sugar, corn syrup (from grain kernels) is now used again. Therefore a special version of Coke is needed for Passover.

[Renton_lvr]

I live in Quebec and to this day some English Quebecers still refer to French Quebecers as Pepsis in a derogatory way. This was due to the fact that, as has been mentioned, Pepsi used to be cheaper than Coke and since the English were generally rich and the French were generally poor...well the French could only afford to buy the "welfare" soft drink.

[Narile]

Hmmm, my list....

H.Weinharts or IBC Rootbeer
Stewarts Root Beer
Ginger Beer
Jones Soda Root Beer
Coke
Schweppes Ginger Ale
Jones Soda Vanilla Soda
Jones Soda Wild Apple
Canada Dry Ginger Ale
Dr. Pepper
A&W Root Beer
Seven Up
Sprite
Pepsi
Mountain Dew

Depending on mood, this list adjusts of course.

[Tristan]

Mt. Dew- Ice cold. literally, best with a few ice crystals formed up in it...
Mt. Dew- cold.
Pepsi- cold
Mt. Dew-room temperature
-after this point, temps no longer matter-
Dr. Pepper
Coke
Orange Slice
Sprite
Root Beer
Ginger Ale
Cream Soda
obligitory bottle of urine
cleaning fluid
water... don't know why, really can't stand water.

And I grew up in Montana, mostly, and we would either say Coke, or Soda... go fig.

[Silver Fire]

WOO!! I'm incredibly cool. Neat. (See also, MrC's post.)

Hey, Suo Na, a bottle of urine before Barq's? :eek:

I can't really make a list of favorites in order, because it varies way too much. The list would include Mountain Dew, Coke, orange soda of just about any kind, root beer of just about any kind, Dr. Pepper, grape soda of just about any kind... That's about it, I think.

[Suo Na]

Originally posted by Silver Fire

Hey, Suo Na, a bottle of urine before Barq's? :eek:


Barq's bites. I can't believe Coca Cola makes such a nasty product. It has no root beer flavour, and burns my mouth. It seems to be liquid sugar with battery acid added.

Oh, and obfusciatrist, I completely forgot about Mug root beer. Of course it belongs with the good ones!

[Silver Fire]

Yeah, but a bottle of piss??

[Engineer Don]

I used to work as a box-boy at a supermarket near a Marine base (USMCAS-El Toro), and I learned that Marines drink Mountain Dew. Almost no one else touched the stuff, but the marines couldn't get enough of it for some reason. All ranks, all races, all ages of marines seemed to always be buying Mountain Dew. Why? Is it some weird ritual? Marines are cool, but what is the deal with the Dew? I can't shake the idea that it is somehow related to Texas accents and short hair cuts. The current Dew commericals seem to be trying expand their market. They just confuse me for the most part, since I see these young guys skateboarding or whatever, and I immediately think that they are just goofing off until it's time to enlist.


My list is:

Diet Coke
Diet anything but Pepsi
Water
Urinated Diet Coke in a bottle (hopefully filtered and flash-pasturized)
Diet Pepsi
Pepsi One

Pepsi is too lemony. Coke is nicely orangy. Diet coke with a slice of orange is great.

[kid charlemagne]

Pepsi is lemony? Thats a new one.

Well, IMO Pepsi is much sweeter than Coke and anything with more sugar has got to be better. Right? Besides Coke is way too salty and tasteless.

Mountain Dew shrinks your nads so thats out.

Anyone from Michigan ever try Vernors? Not the original, but the barrel aged goodness. Liquid crack.

My vote for best rootbeer goes to Virgils.

[obfusciatrist]

Yeah, Barq's is crap.

The worst thing is that when Coca Cola bought Barq's all of the restaurants with soda fountains no longer got to provide a GOOD brand of root beer (usually Mug).

It was a shock when I moved to Hawaii and found that very few places had root beer, they used that slot on the soda fountain for fruit punch (fortunately, usually not Hawaiian Punch which is WAY too sweet).

[orion007]

Originally posted by Edwardina
Is this perhaps why some people always inquire as to whether you want "a Coke" no matter what type/flavor of soft drink is actually being offered, like "Coke" is synonymous with soda?

I think this may be a regional thing, but I'm not sure where it comes from.

That makes me wonder; what else would it be called (beside a brand name)? I can't think of any other name for it, really.

[monkeylucifer]

Originally posted by obfusciatrist
Yeah, Barq's is crap.

The worst thing is that when Coca Cola bought Barq's all of the restaurants with soda fountains no longer got to provide a GOOD brand of root beer (usually Mug).

It was a shock when I moved to Hawaii and found that very few places had root beer, they used that slot on the soda fountain for fruit punch (fortunately, usually not Hawaiian Punch which is WAY too sweet).

Okay, I'm from Biloxi, the home of Barq's and I've seen just enough of you people bash it....it's time somebody stood up and defended it.

Sure it has a stronger taste..but that's the damn point!!! If you lived down here and ate the spicy food we do, you'd need a powerful beverage just to be able to taste it over the tobasco and cayenne pepper!!!!

Damn yankees....

[barflyer]

I spend a lot of time in bars, and the "social climbers" who try for the most exclusive water or mixer are just jokes.
The real gentry use "water" and "soda" or "7-up" in their bar-brand drinks, and drink their name-brand whiskey neat or on the rocks.

[evilbeth]

Originally posted by kid charlemagne

Mountain Dew shrinks your nads so thats out.


Wow, that must really suck (http://www.snopes.com/toxins/yellow.htm).

[Doug Bowe]

This was provided by another person.

http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/index-type.asp#egg

[electricwookie]

i love barq's so there...even if it's not technically root beer...i understood that mexican coke used corn syrup or sugar but not one exclusively...still tastes better even if that's true

[electricwookie]

was also wandering...i've moved back and forth from illinois and texas and am curious where big red is available outside of texas

[Odesio]

Originally posted by Chickenhead
Maybe you'll think this is crazy (and I think it may be a phenonmenon restricted to the South), but has anyone else noticed a correlation between soft drink choice and social status? (esp. Coke and Pepsi)

Maybe I'm just shallow. The drinks cost about the same price. I would elaborate with more details, but I'd like confirmation that others have noticed this or that I'm an imbecile.

Almost everybody I know prefers Coca-Cola over Pepsi. So much so that I have seriously wondered how Pepsi stays in business. I live in Texas by the way. The only guy I know who likes Pepsi over Coca-Cola was a Canadian. And they're hardly human to begin with.

Marc

[electricwookie]

Originally posted by Kepi
Originally posted by Zenster
Sadly, I don't believe any major soft drink in America is made with real cane sugar anymore.

The Dr Pepper Bottling Company in Dublin, Texas (http://www.drpep.com/) still uses Imperial Pure Cane Sugar in their formula. People drive from all over North Texas just to buy their Dr Pepper from there. You can order it online (http://www.dublindrpepper.com/Store/store1.htm), but it ain't cheap.

Can you physically buy this anywhere outside Dublin? (I'm in Austin)

[Sledman]

Coke is it!

Give me this day my daily Coke or stay the hell out of my way!!

For the record… Coke could have bought the recipe for Pepsi back in the 40’s(about that time) but they basically said “Nah, it will never amount to anything.” One of the great business “DOH’s” of all time.

So how do people with 2 College degrees working in neither field but instead working for a Software QA and Training fit the regimen.

[Kepi]

Originally posted by electricwookie
Re: Dr Pepper from Dublin

Can you physically buy this anywhere outside Dublin? (I'm in Austin)

I assume it's only available in the area served by the Dublin bottling plant. You might try contacting them through their web site to find out what their distribution area is.

I do know that you can purchase Dublin Dr Pepper in a gift shop in Terminal B at DFW airport. The shop is located next to the US Airways gate B-21. There is also an old-time barber shop on Main Street in Grapevine (between Dallas and Fort Worth) that used to stock it in their old-time drink machine. I assume that these businesses have arranged to get their Dr Pepper from the Dublin plant specially rather than being a part of the distribution area for the plant.

[Johnny Angel]

I don't know where you guys are from, but around here Pepsi products are significantly cheaper than Coke products. Thus, Pepsi products are generally bought by tasteless skinflints who have just enough self image to avoid buying Double Cola.

Personally, I go back and forth between Coke and Dr. Pepper. Actually, I realy buy the Wal-Mart equivalents most of the time. In restaurants I'll don't accept Mr. Pibb as a substitute for Dr. Pepper, nor Pepsi as a substitute for Coke. Pepsi is swill.

I used to like Cherry Coke, but after the introduction of Wild Cherry Pepsi, Cherry Coke has started tasting a lot more like Pepsi. It's cherry-flavored New Coke, near as I can tell. It took me a while to realize that I didn't just get a bad batch or was drinking it at the wrong temperature, the stuff had permanently changed to something nasty. So far, I haven't gotten a word back from Coke's website on this matter.

[Cervaise]

I drink Squirt (http://k9.dv8.org/~dlinsley/squirt/index.html). Should I count my chromosomes?

[obfusciatrist]

I'd like to take a moment and encourage you good people to not be swayed by the obviously mad among us.

Barq's is swill! As for having to have a strong taste to overwhelm the taste of tobasco, battery acid will do that to, but that doesn't mean it tastes good.

But don't worry, if given a choice between Barq's and going down on Ned Beatty, I would choose Barq's - but this would be a mistake as I'd then have to go down on Ned Beatty to get rid of the awful taste)

[Wolverine]

Pepsi and Mountain Dew are drinks of choice for me and my friends. I'm still in college so does this fit the whole generation thing?

Personally I like almost all soft drinks. (I personally say pop but use soft drink as the universal name anybody can agree to.) I'll drink Coke almost as much as Pepsi, but I prefer Pepsi. I think because it advertises with a blue color. I like blue. GO BLUE!

Another of my friends is a die hard Coke fan and will prefer Coke over almost anything else. But he doesn't hate Pepsi.

They're too similar to really notice a major difference. I usually taste water, sweet, and carbon dioxide on the tongue. To me, Pepsi is sweeter but not as syruppy as Coke. Coke leaves a much thicker phlegm.