Oh my, I forgot Vernor’s. Being a Michigander, this is a nearly unpardonable sin.
You know you’re from Michigan if: you order a ginger ale, and you expect Vernor’s.
Since my dad likes Pepsi, that’s what I had to drink growing up (if we were lucky enough to have soda (pop in upstate NY) in the house). When I went away to college they only had Coke machines on campus, so I switched. Now that I’m older I still choose Coke, but actually feel a little guilty for abandoning my Pepsi roots. 
Coke, of course.
OfficeGirl, Cheerwine is available here too (SW VA/NE TN). I have had it many times, mostly as a kid, but I don’t like it.
Anyone ever have Dr. Enuff? It’s some kind of pseudo-citrus poison with added “vitamins and minerals”. My mom drinks Diet Dr. Enuff. That stuff REALLY tastes like poop. Sort of Ovaltine-y, but with no chocolate and too much burp.
Zette, used to live on the Adirondack Citrus Frost back in college simply because you could buy it cheap and by the case. As for the Polar Dry sodas you had to use them to mix with, but that just made me more creative.
StStella are you originally from the Finger Lakes/ Western NY area? (I think you’ve mentioned this before but I’ve forgotten allready) One of the Syracuse area TV stations did a short little bit on the cutoff line between the people that called it pop and those calling it soda. IIRC the cutoff line was somewhere in the Finger lakes and just about everyone west of there called it pop.
When talking Coke we have to distinguish between Classic Coke and the new stuff. Classic Coke is the stuff I drink, and it does have a lot less sugar and about 20-30% fewer calories.
Try what I did yesterday. I took a fresh bottle of Pepsi & a fresh bottle of Coke, both the no calorie versions, put them in identical new styrofoam cups & asked my son which was which. He couldn’t figure it out but made a wild guess and guessed right. tsk.
Funneefarmer,
Yes I grew up really close to the finger lakes. About 30 minutes to Seneca and Walkins Glen. I went to college in Geneseo (near Rochester) and everyone in that area called it pop. When I moved down to Southeastern PA nobody had a clue what “pop” was. They thought I was asking for popcorn. How embarassing, can you say “hick”?
Can I say ‘hick’?
OH YEAH. You have no idea.
I’d like to see Mike King drop in on this one because I think he’s from out there as well.
Coke or Pepsi?
Yes.
But lately, it’s been root beer.
You say “cheesy” like that’s a BAD thing.
I rarely drink cola.
Best brand of soda around is Stewart’s. Wonderful flavors – orange cream, cherry cream, cream, key lime. Don’t care for their ginger ale, but I admire the conception – spicy soda! I understand their root beer is pretty good, too.
Another great flavor is Adirondack Orange Citrus Frost. Hard to find, but it’s a dry orange soda. Their Citrus Frost (grapefruit) is pretty good and they make a great diet black cherry.
Favorite major brands: 7-Up and Diet Dr. Pepper.
I need to return my stepbrother’s call, I need to call my little sister and wish her a Happy Birthday, I need to pay some bills… but FIRST I have to read 50 posts from the TM about this great divide in America (while sipping a rum and _____?).
I drink Pepsi, my husband drinks Coke. He uses this as an example of the fact that we don’t agree on anything else, either.
BTW, I grew up south of Chicago, far enough south to be offended if we were accused of being suburban. I always referred to the stuff as “pop”, but people I met from actual suburbs (fairly near to the city) drank “soda”. A friend of mine from the suburbs of Detroit said it worked about the same way there. We decided it must be a city thing.
Personally, I don’t care. Whatever one’s on sale is ok by me. If I had full choice, though, I’d either take sarsaparilla (which is NOT easy to find) or Jolt cola. My brother, though, swears by Mountain Dew, and drinks it by the case. And this despite the fact he lives in Cheerwine central. I also like the Stewart drinks (did you mean ginger beer, not ale? I have a bottle of that around here someplace…) and most any offbeat soda I find.
I hate Colas. That doesn’t stop me from drinking all the Pepsi and making my sisters mad, though. I like rootbeer (this local stuff, Lost Trail, is great), cream soda, fruit sodas (grapefruit is yummy), Dr. Pepper but prefer Mr. Pibb (smoother flavor, more mellow), love Sprite, Fresca sometimes… But I hate colas.
–Tim
We are the children of the Eighties. We are not the first “lost generation” nor today’s lost generation; in fact, we think we know just where we stand - or are discovering it as we speak.
If you’re ever in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area of eastern Pennsylvania, try A-Treat soft drinks. They are the soft drinks of Valhalla. I particularly recommend orange and root beer.
Remember, I’m pulling for you; we’re all in this together.
—Red Green
I used to swear allegiance to Pepsi. But now that some stores are charging almost $7 a case, I’ve become a soda slut. I’ll buy whichever product is on sale. If it’s over $5 a case, I’ll happily drink water.
The soda/pop issue is a long-standing one in New York. It’s unusual because it has an east/west breakdown (most cultural differences in New York state are based on a north/south divide). I’ve lived in the Adirondacks and in the Hudson Valley where you drink soda. I’ve also lived in the Elmira, Rochester, and Buffalo areas where you drink pop.
As for cola, I’ll admit I usually drink Coke over Pepsi but that’s mainly for the added caffeine. I like Stewarts (especially their orange cream soda). And I’m going to keep an eye out for Adirondack Orange Citrus Frost now that I’ve heard of it.
That 'ol Mike King has got a point.
Vernor’s? Where do you find that in Southern California? (I’ve been here 47 years.)
Dougie_Monty, I don’t know where in Southern CA you are, but I can get Vernor’s (regular or diet) at Lucky in San Diego. I imagine other major grocery stores have it, too.