It shouldn’t be a problem, but unfortunately for some it is- and its usually the same people who drink the generic at home who complain about it at work. The addtional 50 cents or so per bottle is worth it I guess to keep the workers happy.
Dr. Thunder, from Walmart? That’s our default household soda; 47 cents for a 2 liter, and actually better than Dr. Pepper.
Every pop tastes different to me, but I’d rather have 40 gallons of generic diet than a single sip of Diet Pepsi. When I buy cans, I nearly always buy the store brand. When I buy in 2-liters, I always buy Diet Coke.
And I would notice that it isn’t Diet Coke, but not think anything more than that. I certainly don’t care if it costs less or more and wouldn’t think you were cheaping out or anything similar. It’s not my business. It either tastes good or it doesn’t, and the money doesn’t actually change the taste.
Pop preferences are almost totally what you get used to. Years ago, I claimed that I simply couldn’t, just couldn’t, drink diet because I was soooooo sensitive to the taste and soooooo special. One day, I told myself I had a choice: No pop or diet pop. I made the switch and now the other stuff tastes funny. It’s that simple. There’s no difference in quality between Coke and Pepsi and Dr. Thunder and Big K.
If those who brought beverages before had consistently brought name brands, I would take generic sodas as an unwelcome surprise. But just like if my colleague brought a worm and fish head casserole, I’d just avoid the offending article and not complain. Although I couldn’t rule out making a crack that might be interpreted as criticism.
I have a hard time swallowing the “it’s all just sugar water and I can’t tell the difference anyway” argument. Clearly people care about what soda they drink, so buying soda that one personally does not mind, but with the knowledge that it may not be preferred by others, just doesn’t seem right. Every once in a while I like plain rice with some salt on it – probably the blandest meal on the planet – but in a potluck situation, it would be rude to put one’s own preference ahead of the group. In this situation, however, I don’t think there was intention to not please, so this is really neither here nor there.
And I just have a hard time thinking that cost is a good reason to avoid name brand sodas. The difference between buying a wide variety of generic sodas and a merely sufficient amount of name brand sodas is for a gathering of this size is, at most, $5 vs. $10. I’d say spending $10 for a pot luck of the size implied is a pretty reasonable expectation, and spending half that amount seems to me to be sort of along the line of not making an equal effort with the other participants… I guess the word I’m looking for (but was trying to avoid) is “cheap.”
Yeah, I’m a soda snob.
Like others have said, there is a big difference between regular cola and store-brand. However, Dr. Pepper has at least a couple of generics that taste better than the real thing, and all lemon-lime soda is really much the same.
So it was really rude of your coworkers to complain, particularly because you asked before hand and they were sure to tell you to bring specific varieties, but didn’t mention that they had to be name brand.
I would have drunk whatever was offered and kept my mouth shut. Do these people complain and ridicule a person if their potato salad isn’t up to par?
I’m only 25, and it always amazes me when I realize that I seem to have a better upbringing and better manners than people 15 years my senior. WTF?
Missed the edit window, but that should say “than SOME people 15 years my senior.”
Also wanted to add, I don’t think you were rude by bringing store brand, or that you didn’t do your best to please everyone. Some people don’t like store brand, just like some people don’t like spinach or onions or tomatoes. I wouldn’t see anything wrong with making something with tomatoes, and would expect the tomato-haters to eat other things. Comparing store-brand soda to fish head casserole or something seems a little much- much closer to making a dish that didn’t have enough garlic.
As the soda bringer, it’s easier to see that you didn’t spend as much- nobody knows if one of the coworkers made a plate of cookies because she couldn’t afford to buy some, or that the person who made X dish did it to use up some ingredients that were going to go bad, instead of buying something else. If I had the money for it, I’d happily make my asiago and sun-dried tomato quiche for an event like this. If I didn’t, I’d be perfectly fine making pasta salad with whatever I had on hand. You’d never know, but am I being cheap for doing that? The ingredients for the quiche might only be $10, but that’s a third of a tank of gas for me.
Since I call soda soda, I thought the thread was talking about generic pop music being a faux pas. It reminded me of the part of High Fidelity where the main guy goes to the girl’s house and while he is attracted to her, he’s not sure he can be with someone who owns not only Tubular Bells, but Tubular Bells 2.
OK, it’s late and my stream of consciousness is getting me in trouble 
I would err on the side of name brand soda.
If there’s really a sizable contingent at your place of employment that cares deeply about what brand of soda they get at a potluck, if it really spoils the event for them to be disappointed, then it is their responsibility to make their expectations explicit in the first place. They need to communicate with the organizer.
How pathetic. You are definitely on the right track with your plan to bring something a bit more, er, challenging to the next event.
“…perform this duty for my husband…”
You need to stop watching “*Everybody Loves Raymond” * and the other 22 dozen shows that categorize things as duties for one’s husband.
Good grief!
Apologies for hijacking the thread to a small degree. I have to go now…to do some duties for my wife. :rolleyes:
One additional guideline is you should bring something that costs at least as much as you expect to eat for lunch.
I have been so broke that for one potluck I made brownies, taking advantage of the fact I had a jar of cocoa, bought some flour, and learned that you can buy single sticks of generic margarine. The total cost was probably about equal to a lean cuisine and a yogurt. If you have to go cheap, it does make sense to volunteer for something you can put some effort into, rather than something that is fully prepared and sold at an obvious price, like sodas.
I’m glad those days are over.
I’m a super-taster, too.1 But I really think the difference between any soda is minuscule. This isn’t champagne, were talking about. As mentioned above, it’s just bubbly water, sugar (or rather, corn syrup), caffine and “natural” flavoring.2
I agree with ridiculous and rude, but maybe not spoiled. Maybe they want to appear to be spoiled; a truly spoiled, (i.e.) from a rich up-bringing, person would complain about cheap champagne, perhaps, but probably wouldn’t even drink the soda at all. They’d asked for some name-brand club soda, like Evian, etc.
I used to have a co-worker (may he R.I.P.) who would always organize the pot-lucks, and he’d encourage the employees (who come from a variety of countries) to make something distinctly of their own culture; he encouraged people away from just bringing in a bucket of KFC. (He was a super-taster, also.) But when it came to soda, he didn’t really give a damn whether it was Coca-Cola or Safeway brand.
I think the distinction between American soda tastes is more psychological (or name brand loyalty) than anything. As to Coco Rico, just wait ‘til you’ve tried Inca Cola.
However, Terrifel, while you certainly did no wrong in my opinion, you could have done better by going with name brands. I realize you’re not rich, but the difference would “grease the wheels” (as they say) in your work environment. Even though you admit to not respecting your co-workers, it’s worth a few dollars more to make them think you do. Really, in most workplaces, the more you can fool them into thinking you respect them, the more opportunity you have for either advancement or a good recommendation. It’s a hollow, cynical game, but it’s your paycheck we’re talking about here. If you could have scraped up enough cash for at least one bottle of a fancy French soda (like Citrona, or whatever it’s called), you’d’ve scored points somewhere, somehow, that someday would have a good chance of your benefiting from it.
- I have more than 25 taste buds within a circle of a quarter-inch diameter area on my tongue.
I can see both sides. I mean, I dislike most of the store brands, and I can taste the difference, believe me. I’m a hard-core Pepsi (Diet Pepsi, actually) addict. Coke tastes like Satan’s bathwater to me; generic store brands, like his piss. It’s the way I am. (See below for a significant exception to this.)
That said, I’d’ve kept my trap shut and thanked you for bringing the drinks, and probably stuck with water, and not thought twice about it. My in-laws are loaded and stock up on generic soda regularly, because it’s cheaper, even though they can easily afford the good stuff. Myself, I either save up to get the good stuff (when I’m broke), or I go without. Either way, it’s not like it’s something you need, so get over it. 
(Aimed at your coworkers, not you, heh).
And regardless, if it’s free, be thankful and don’t criticize. That’s like Politeness 101. Sheesh.
Total Hijack: last time I was confronted with bringing the drinks, I brought one of these. It was the biggest hit EVER. I loves me my Fountain Jet. Mmmm… I think the difference is you can ‘tune’ your drink to your preferences. Most generic brands skimp on the syrup (IMO); with this baby I can make it as fizzy and strong as I want.
Ok, done with Hijack
Sacrilege! Burn the heretic!
That being said, there’s a huge difference between the name brands and generics. But if someone brought them to a lunch, I would drink and certainly not complain. That was incredibly tacky.
My advice to you? Next time, buy the generics and pour them into name brand bottles. See who notices the difference.
It’s the fact that most pop drinkers do care what they drink that makes it impossible to please everyone. My first choice is Diet Coke. If there isn’t Diet Coke, I’m not getting my preference. Someone else’s preference will be Diet Pepsi, while I think Diet Pepsi is too lemony and not bitter enough. DP isn’t my second choice. It’s not even in the top 10.
It seems likely that the people complaining were more concerned with being snobs about the price than concerned with the taste. That’s rude and, well, snobby.
I certainly think there is a difference in taste and have my personal favorites (I’m surprised that I once thought 7-Up and Sparkling Palmolive tasted the same). However, I can deal with other brands and even enjoy them. I have a favorite mustard, favorite hotdog, and favorite potato chip, but if I eat at someone else’s house, I wouldn’t turn up my nose that they chose to server something different.
I didn’t realize that any Dopers were super-tasters and in this thread I find out there are at least two. Pretty cool.
I hate Coke but I drank it in such a situation. I did not complain (except via IM to my SO).
:eek: I totally want to try these things. If you bring some you’re official invited to my next picnic.
But to the point, I think there’s a difference. Generic tends to be too sweet. It’s like it’s trying too hard. But your coworker whinging about it just out of place. They should be happy to have pop at all, don’t they know there people in China who don’t even get pop?
Eh, not really, but close enough for most flavours.
There are 3 exceptions, IME:
Cola (and generics are truly vile)
Root Beer
Ginger Ale
Cola and root beer taste different across the name brands, too - Coke tastes nothing like Pepsi, and Mug, A&W and Barq’s all have very distinctive flavours.
Big name ginger ales tend to all be more or less similar, but generics tend to have a stronger flavour, IME.
But back to the topic of the OP - yeah, the complainers are being rude, rude, rude. I can’t claim I’m always a paragon of virtue in this case, but I think complaining about something that’s free is not at all polite.