Soda versus Pop

This site plots the regional variations within the United States in the use of the various terms to describe carbonated soft drinks.

Here in Rhode Island, we call it “soda”. In the Midwest they refer to it as “pop”. Pop I can understand but in the south they call everything “Coke”. It doesn’t matter what it is. If it has bubbles and comes in a can, then it is “Coke”.

I remember the first time I went to Alabama. I went into a restaurant. When the waitress asked what I wanted to drink, I said, “I’ll have a Coke”.

The waitress said to me, “What kind of Coke you want Honey?”

“What kind!? What do you mean?”, I asked.

The waitress gave a big sigh and said, “What kind of Coke do you want? We have Sprite Coke, Orange Coke, Diet Coke, and Coke Coke.”

Still confused, I replied, “Umm, ahhh Coke…Coke?”

So what do you call it?