pop vs. soda

absent anything better to blog about --

recently some friends have been discussing carbonated beverages and the regional expressions used to designate same, i.e., do you say "pop" or "soda" or, as befits a youngun raised in the american south, just plain "coke" and then designate the "flavor" of coke you want? not surprisingly, perhaps, some bloke has done some informal research and compiled a map! having lived in new england for a few years before coming back to mississippi for a stint, i am now a proponent of "soda" as the most fitting term of general usage, but i still fight the urge to say "coke."

"pop" is just plain ludicrous.