And I’m saying that I expect the words “Diet Pepsi” to be uttered, and I believe so is Czarcasm. If they’re not, I’m going to ask for clarification from the server. And for the record, I’ve never heard “we don’t have Diet Coke, is Pepsi ok” I hear “we don’t have Diet Coke, is Diet Pepsi ok”. The reason being that Pepsi and Diet Pepsi are different things.
This being seventy-five years ago and having never worked for Coco Cola, I have no idea. I would assume a spectrometer and they knew specifically what peaks would be a match for 7X.
American here. They would ask me if I want Pepsi.
Swiss cola any good?
This. Though I don’t know why the OP specified diet.
My son did this for his own amusement for a while when he was young. He would ask for whichever beverage the fast food chain didn’t stock. The universal response was, “Sorry we don’t have X, will Y be OK?” He soon tired of his “game.”
It’s cola. If you’re flexible with your cola, it’s absolutely fine. I think it’s supposedly a little bit less sweet, but I can’t really tell. I tend not to drink cola rarely, but if I’m in the mood for a cola, and they only have the local variant, I’ll drink it willingly.
Those who really care whether it’s Coke or Pepsi probably will notice.
Same, ditto for me. In the restaurants, it’s all Coca-Cola or a premium alternative of some sort (or, very occasionally, both). Nobody has Pepsi at the fountain, or canned/bottled in the chill chest.
In fact, now that I ponder the question, I can’t remember seeing Pepsi on the shelf at the grocer either, anywhere around here. I’ll make a mental note to see if I’ve just been overlooking it.
I have never seen Pepsi here either. In fact, I think if I asked for a Pepsi, I would probably get a blank look and a “Comment??”
Curious, which Swiss colas have you come across? Is this like the Coop or Migros store brand, or a local micro-brew?
The poll responses don’t seem to line up with the question.
Maybe it’s just me.
I did not vote on account of confusion.
mmm
The phrasing is honestly a bit wonky, and it took me a few tries to parse it.
[If you ask for a Coke in an establishment that only serves Pepsi products, what are your expectations of the server’s reaction?]
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[I am in] North America, [and I expect the server to] ask me if I want Pepsi [instead of Coke]
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[I am in] North America, [and I expect the server to] just give me a Pepsi [without asking if that’s acceptable or informing me that they only serve Pepsi products]
etc.
In New Jersey they would simply ask “Is Pepsi ok?”
And I wouldn’t even think about the brands, even if they were right in front of me. Our line of sight is so cluttered with logos that I don’t think it would register that “this place does not sell Coke products.”
Surely someone who works in a place like that would be mocking people like me, saying to their co-workers “Even a blind person could see that we don’t sell Coke products!”
Yes.
That is typically how it works, but it’s definitely not always how it works. I’d say a good 10% of the time when my wife orders a diet Pepsi, she gets a Diet RC or Diet Rite. Yes, there are places here that serve that. I like RC Cola products, but she notices the different right away in the sweetener used.
And I’ve had bartenders not bother to tell me the difference and just hit the cola button on the gun and then later noticing they don’t seem to have my preferred brand there. So, all in all, maybe 1 in 5 times I don’t expect the server/bartender tell me. I have my preferences, but I don’t care and just order generically these days using the word “cola” instead of any brand name.
The clearest indicator would be the phosphoric acid. Few other soft drinks contain that, even among colas. But they could probably put it through mass spectrometry and match the exact profile of flavorings and other chemicals, if they really wanted to.
Bartender here just asks "Diet Pepsi OK?” but you’d have to answer fast, because he’s already pouring it. He claims no one’s ever said “No Diet Coke? Well then I’ll just have a glass of water.”
Or, “No Diet Coke? What sort of proprietorship is this? Why I believe I’ll take my patronage elsewhere. Good day to you, sir. I said good day!”
First I’ve never noticed or paid any attention or even looked for what carbonated beverages are on tap. It’s a bar for chrissakes it’s all about what beers are on tap and booze selections.
Second many bars are dark are those Pepsi coke taps lit up for patrons to peruse?
Third, I expect to be served whatever cola is on tap without being informed of the difference.
Fourth, tip your waiters and give it up for the band!
In North America IME, they generally always correct you, unless you’re in the South, in which case Coke is always the default (and it’s expected you will know this), except for major chains that are nationally tied to Pepsi (Taco Bell, KFC, Arby’s, DQ, Pizza Hut, etc.). And even then, they still refer to it as “Coke.”
Though I’ve heard a rumor there’s a Taco Bell at Georgia Tech University with one of those Coke “freestyle” machines.
I think my expectations would be completely different if talking to a bartender who would be using the little soda gun thing. Given that they often imitate “ginger ale” by filling a glass with Sprite and giving a spurt of Pepsi, I think they march to a different beat.