# soft drinks 'n social status **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2000, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953 "2000-10-23T06:49:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kid\_charlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@kid\_charlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kid_charlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/41 "2000-10-25T22:42:09Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/42 "2000-10-25T23:08:03Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![orion007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@orion007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orion007)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/43 "2000-10-25T23:42:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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. ---
**Author:** ![monkeylucifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@monkeylucifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monkeylucifer)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/44 "2000-10-26T03:38:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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… ---
**Author:** ![barflyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@barflyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barflyer)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/45 "2000-10-26T03:44:54Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/46 "2000-10-26T06:09:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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). ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/47 "2000-10-26T06:45:45Z")
This was provided by another person. [http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/index-type.asp#egg](http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/index-type.asp#egg) ---
**Author:** ![electricwookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3e96dc/32.png) [@electricwookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/electricwookie)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/48 "2000-10-26T09:20:55Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![electricwookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3e96dc/32.png) [@electricwookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/electricwookie)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/49 "2000-10-26T09:22:07Z")
was also wandering…i’ve moved back and forth from illinois and texas and am curious where big red is available outside of texas ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/50 "2000-10-26T09:28:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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 ---
**Author:** ![electricwookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3e96dc/32.png) [@electricwookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/electricwookie)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/51 "2000-10-26T15:08:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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) ---
**Author:** ![Sledman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Sledman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sledman)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/52 "2000-10-26T20:03:10Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Kepi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kepi/32/7251_2.png) [@Kepi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepi)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/53 "2000-10-26T20:44:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/54 "2000-10-26T22:20:08Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/55 "2000-10-26T23:53:14Z")
I drink [Squirt](http://k9.dv8.org/~dlinsley/squirt/index.html). Should I count my chromosomes? ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2000, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/56 "2000-10-27T17:00:31Z")
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) ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2000, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953/57 "2000-10-27T18:00:44Z")
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. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-drinks-n-social-status/37953.md?page=2)