I grew up in southern Texas, so when I was younger and thirsty for, say, a Dr. Pepper, I’d order a Coke. Luckily the waitress would know that when someone orders a “Coke” in southern Texas, it didn’t necessarily mean they wanted Coca-Cola Classic. “What kind?” they’d ask, and only then you were free to say “Dr. Pepper, please.”
This didn’t work out too well when I traveled, of course. If I ordered a Coke in a “pop” county, I’d get a Coca-Cola Classic, even if it was a Dr. Pepper that I really wanted.
These days I’m a soda kind of guy, even though I live in a pop county according to the Generic Names for Soft Drinks by County chart provided by PopVsSoda.com.
What do you say: soda, pop, or coke?