# What do you do when you can't get your cola of choice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [March 16, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838 "2014-03-16T15:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/21 "2014-03-16T18:54:31Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > And to think, I was this ----\>\<---- close to trying Vegemite based on your raves. :smack: 🙂 Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Cheeseburger No Pepsi. Coke! ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/22 "2014-03-16T19:06:45Z")
Dr Pepper is my favorite, but if they don’t have that and I can accept that they wouldn’t… Coke. No Coke, then water which is what I’m mainly drinking these days anyway. Pepsi is a distant fourth. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/23 "2014-03-16T19:10:03Z")
I just say “diet”, rarely is more than one selection offered, and fountain diets pretty much all taste the same. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/24 "2014-03-16T19:22:01Z")
I don’t drink colas so I’m not sure I understand the rabid “it has to be [insert Coke or Pepsi] or nothing!” attitude I’ve sometimes seen people express. I prefer Sprite slightly to 7-Up and Sunkist to Fanta, but if I really wanted soda, I’d drink whichever they have. If they didn’t have anything fruit flavored, I’d drink water, or nothing, over cola because I dislike both Coke and Pepsi equally and thoroughly. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/25 "2014-03-16T19:48:49Z")
My usual at a sit-down place is iced tea anyway. There are a few fast-food places that have Diet Dr. Pepper, and I will usually order that if they have it. I can handle Diet Coke or Coke Zero, but to me, Diet Pepsi is vile. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/26 "2014-03-16T19:52:54Z")
I hate Diet Coke. Either Pepsi or regular Coke is fine by me. ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/27 "2014-03-16T19:55:32Z")
No Coke? I’ll have a Dr. Pepper. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/28 "2014-03-16T20:32:17Z")
It depends on how desperate I am for soda. I most often drink Diet Coke or Coke Zero, and I usually depise the taste of Diet Pepsi. 3 out of 5 times, I’ll choose water as an alternative, but sometimes I’ll suck it up and have the Diet Pepsi. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/29 "2014-03-16T20:39:35Z")
Who over 25 still drinks soda? That’s about when I quit. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/30 "2014-03-16T21:12:57Z")
Coke and Pepsi taste the same to me; or I’ll order something else. Who cares? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/31 "2014-03-16T21:26:27Z")
The tears of the damned, thanks ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/32 "2014-03-16T21:32:21Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Who over 25 still drinks soda? That’s about when I quit. Who over 25 still lives by silly rules like that? Stop worrying about what the cool kids are going to think and just do what you want. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/33 "2014-03-16T21:54:50Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Who over 25 still drinks soda? That’s about when I quit. I’m drinking a bit more since I’m on a vacation from wine and beer. So, about once a week or so I’ll get a diet cola with my meal at a restaurant. I’m way over 25 ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/34 "2014-03-16T22:01:05Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’m drinking a bit more since I’m on a vacation from wine and beer. So, about once a week or so I’ll get a diet cola with my meal at a restaurant. I’m way over 25 I was going to ask if you gave soda up for Lent. Hadn’t seen the “once a week” part. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/35 "2014-03-16T22:51:41Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t care. I just ask for a “diet cola” these days, and whether it’s Pepsi, Coke, RC, it makes no difference to me. And quite often the server won’t even correct you if you say “Diet Coke” and you get a diet RC (which to me and others tastes quite different from diet Pepsi and diet Coke.) Personally, my preference is for Coke products. When I drank sugared drinks, my preference was enough that I would often opt for a different drink if they had Pepsi as the cola (although I did like RC, as well.) Nowadays, I don’t care. I just want something cola-flavored and mildly caffeinated. This. I give zero fucks. If I’m buying it in a bottle I’ll look for Coke Zero or Pepsi Max since those are less objectionable in flavor than the other diet colas, but if I’m ordering it in a restaurant I want a low-cal, cola-flavor caffeine dose. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/36 "2014-03-16T22:51:46Z")
I drink ice tea with supper, but grew up with “coke” being the generic for whatever soft drink you got. But if you want to get picky I think Pepsi is too sweet, 7Up is better than Mtn. Dew, and A&W beats Mugs. Given a wild hair I just might ask for a “yaller dope.” (Nehi Orange.) But never plain water. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/37 "2014-03-16T23:03:16Z")
I voted the sigh, but I’m really between that and it doesn’t matter. It depends on exactly what I’m getting. For some reason, my favorite soft drink, Diet Coke with Lime, tastes much better to me than Diet Pepsi with Lime. But either plain diet with a lemon in it is equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/38 "2014-03-16T23:09:00Z")
I can never order my favorite soda, because very, very few places will have the caffeine-free variety of normally caffeinated sodas. The two usually available options, root beer or lemon-lime soda, aren’t usually different enough to matter, especially when watered down by ice. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/39 "2014-03-16T23:24:34Z")
If they don’t have Sprite I’ll get a Mountain Dew. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838/40 "2014-03-16T23:26:44Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Cheeseburger! > > Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Cheeseburger > > No Pepsi. Coke! Ok. It’s back on the list! And for the record, I agree with the comment above about Vanilla Coke Zero. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-cant-get-your-cola-of-choice/683838.md?page=3)