Vancouver, BC, Canada calls it pop, not soda. My kind of place!

[rickandcindy23]

Rick and I grew up in Denver, where we called it pop. Our daughter calls it soda, which is weird because we raised her. But even the sign at Costco calls it "Pop."

We had a place in Denver called The Pop Shop, and we also had Duffy's pop in bottles (dating myself), and my favorite flavor was Lime Rickey. It was spelled just like that. We also the usual flavors.

What do you call it?

Other things in Vancouver that are different:
Gravy with french fries (do you want a side of gravy with that?). Delicious gravy that tastes like a thick au jus.
A concoction of french fries, curds and gravy, which has a name that I do not remember right now. They sell it at Costco here in Vancouver by our hotel.
Nachos are bland and not seasoned beef (everywhere we have been so far).

 

[DaveNV]

Are you talking about poutine? It's great, if you like your french fries as a meal.

Soda and pop are those words that are regional and colloquial in their use. I spent a lot of my youth just across the US border from Vancouver, in the northwest corner of Washington state. It was pop there. In Hawaii it was soda. In Virginia it was soda. Friends from the upper midwest (Minnesota and Wisconsin) called it pop. In California it was soda. Here in Nevada it's soda. In all areas where I've lived it was called by whatever it was called in the hometown of the person doing the talking.

But a friend from Texas said all soft drinks are called Coke. "What kind of Coke do you want?" is a question where the answer could be Root Beer or 7-Up. It's still a Coke.

And isn't that Vancouver Costco a strange building? But a great part of town. We've been to a lot of concerts at Rogers Arena, just across the street.

Dave

 

[rickandcindy23]

The Costco is a great place. The ice cream is great. I am going to gain ten pounds.

We drove to Vancouver from Denver, and what a beautiful drive. When we were in Washington (state) on the way here, we stopped at an Outback for dinner, and the server asked what we wanted to drink, and I told Rick I wanted a pop, so I ordered diet, and we had a conversation about where we were from to call it pop. So even 45 minutes from the border of Washington and Canada, they call it soda, or at least this server called it soda.

 

[Luanne]

We call them soft drinks. I also call them junk.

 

[rickandcindy23]

We call them soft drinks. I also call them junk.

I love the flavor of diet colas. I try to stay away from them while at home. I do have a thing for the new Dr. Pepper/ Cream Soda zero sugar pop that came out recently. I can leave pop alone, mostly, but when on vacation, I am wanting to splurge, even though I think it keeps me from losing weight. I don't think a successful diet should have a lot of pop included. Occasionally a pop is fine, but not regularly.

 

[DaveNV]

The Costco is a great place. The ice cream is great. I am going to gain ten pounds.

We drove to Vancouver from Denver, and what a beautiful drive. When we were in Washington (state) on the way here, we stopped at an Outback for dinner, and the server asked what we wanted to drink, and I told Rick I wanted a pop, so I ordered diet, and we had a conversation about where we were from to call it pop. So even 45 minutes from the border of Washington and Canada, they call it soda, or at least this server called it soda.

Do you recall where that Outback was? If it was 45 minutes from the border, was it perhaps the one in Burlington, Washington, visible right next to the freeway? (Exit 230 off of I-5.) If so, that was where we lived before moving to Nevada two years ago. Great area!

Dave

 

[rickandcindy23]

Are you talking about poutine? It's great, if you like your french fries as a meal.

How do you pronounce that? Poo-teen?

I think of New Orleans with a spelling like that. Is this a New Orleans thing, do you know?

 

[DaveNV]

How do you pronounce that? Poo-teen?

I think of New Orleans with a spelling like that. Is this a New Orleans thing, do you know?

It's pronounced as you typed it - "poo-TEEN."

I suspect it may be French Canadian, from eastern Canada, more than New Orleans. There is a lot of French Canadian influence in western Canada. Such a great area. Vancouver is culturally quite diverse, much like San Francisco, and is a world class city. But they have the added benefit of the Canadian migration westward from Quebec and Ontario, bringing food and culture from that area.

I just checked: Google says poutine is from Quebec, and originated in the 1950s.

Dave

 

[dago]

The Costco is a great place. The ice cream is great. I am going to gain ten pounds.

We drove to Vancouver from Denver, and what a beautiful drive. When we were in Washington (state) on the way here, we stopped at an Outback for dinner, and the server asked what we wanted to drink, and I told Rick I wanted a pop, so I ordered diet, and we had a conversation about where we were from to call it pop. So even 45 minutes from the border of Washington and Canada, they call it soda, or at least this server called it soda.

Did you have any issues getting into Canada?
French fries and gravy are great.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Did you have any issues getting into Canada?
French fries and gravy are great.

We went through the border in ten minutes.

 

[slip]

I'm from Chicago and I call it pop. My wife was born and raised in Wisconsin calls it soda. It's definitely a weird thing.

 

[dioxide45]

Poutine is certainly French Canadian, but it has proliferated throughout the country. You can find it pretty much anywhere. It would make sense that it sounds somewhat New Orleans given the French naming influence. We actually had poutine in Palm Desert a few weeks ago at Grill-A-Burger. It wasn't true poutine as it lacked cheese curds and just used shredded mozzarella instead. That said, it was still pretty good. We used to buy the St Hubert Poutine Sauce in the grocery store in Canada and bring it back to the US with us. I could then buy my own curds and fry my own fries.

 

[Pompey Family]

It's generally referred to as pop in the UK.

Delicious gravy that tastes like a thick au jus.

I've never understood this phrase, "au jus" is French for "with juice" yet in the US all menus refer to dishes "with au jus" which means "with with juice".

 

[DaveNV]

It's generally referred to as pop in the UK.



I've never understood this phrase, "au jus" is French for "with juice" yet in the US all menus refer to dishes "with au jus" which means "with with juice".

I agree. My thoughts are that Americans consider "au jus" to be a noun, rather than a prepositional phrase. To the unwashed American masses, "au jus" is a thing, not a process. Maybe?

Dave

 

[kozykritter]

Definitely pop here in Ohio. My cousins in Florida called it all Coke, regardless of the brand/type of pop.

 

[sun starved Gayle]

Cindy, will you get a chance to visit or even to pass through on the ferry, the San Juan Islands in the US or the Gulf Islands in Canada ? They are remarkably stunning. We have even seen a pod of Orcas while on the ferry from the Tsawwassen (Vancouver) to Nanimo (Vancouver Island).

 

[dioxide45]

In Canada growing up we had "The Pop Shop". I beleive they sold their own brand of pop in small glass bottles that you would return when you bought more. I don't remember if there was a deposit on each bottle, but we would take them back and buy more pop. When I moved to Ohio I am pretty sure we called it soda and still say soda here in Florida. When I go to a restaurant I just say what it is I want. I don't say I want a pop. I say I want Coke or Sprite. I do know saying you want Coke in certain southern states may result in them following up with a question of what kind; root beer, orange Fanta, etc.

 

[linsj]

I'm from Michigan, went to college and worked in Ohio, then moved to Chicago area. All three states call it pop.

 

[PigsDad]

Rick and I grew up in Denver, where we called it pop. Our daughter calls it soda, which is weird because we raised her. But even the sign at Costco calls it "Pop."

That is interesting. I grew up in northern Minnesota, and we called it pop there. However, when I moved to Colorado in 1989, everyone here called it soda, so I switched as well. I honestly have never seen it called "pop" in any store anywhere in Colorado since I have been here. Maybe that is only in certain parts of Denver? (I'm further north)

Kurt

 

[SandyPGravel]

Born and raised 'Sconnie here. Always been Pop, and we drank from a bubbler too!

 

[rickandcindy23]

Cindy, will you get a chance to visit or even to pass through on the ferry, the San Juan Islands in the US or the Gulf Islands in Canada ? They are remarkably stunning. We have even seen a pod of Orcas while on the ferry from the Tsawwassen (Vancouver) to Nanimo (Vancouver Island).

We have been here now for 8 days and leave on Friday. We have done something every day, except yesterday, when the kids moved from the JW Marriott to the Hyatt Regency. They have a huge room at the Hyatt. They booked an executive suite, and it's 3X the size of our king bed hotel room.

Anyway, we went on a whale watch, but it was pretty much a dud. We saw whales pretty far away. I don't see us going on another boat. We did take the aqua bus around, which was fun. We visited Granville Island and loved the food over there. I am not doing well on my health program. I have eaten too much bread and french fries. I need to be good on the drive back home.

 

[rickandcindy23]

That is interesting. I grew up in northern Minnesota, and we called it pop there. However, when I moved to Colorado in 1989, everyone here called it soda, so I switched as well. I honestly have never seen it called "pop" in any store anywhere in Colorado since I have been here. Maybe that is only in certain parts of Denver? (I'm further north)

Kurt

No one seems to say pop except the old people in CO. The pop sign is at the Costco in Vancouver. Our son sent a picture of that sign to our family FB group. Our boys call it pop, but they aren't as argumentative as our daughter. I love her but she also doesn't like the way we say Roku, which I pronounce like Haiku. She says it like bazoo. The emphasis on it is different. She also thinks it's odd that I call our patios on Maui and Florida lanais, when lanais are actually a term for a much more enclosed space.

My grandma always called it pop, and they lived in Nebraska, so it's pop in Nebraska, I think. But the only pop she ever bought was Mason's Root Beer, and she would have an occasional bottle in front of the window AC unit by her chair.

 

[DaveNV]

I am not doing well on my health program. I have eaten too much bread and french fries. I need to be good on the drive back home.

The phrase I've always heard about dieting is that "the problem is not in falling, it's in not getting up." So you've had fun on your vacation? Great! After you're back home, climb back on the wagon, get back on track, and move forward. There is no sense in starving yourself endlessly if you can't treat yourself once in a while. Life is short - eat dessert first.

Have fun on your vacation!

Dave

 

[rickandcindy23]

Definitely pop here in Ohio. My cousins in Florida called it all Coke, regardless of the brand/type of pop.

Texans call it coke, as someone already mentioned. We had this kid that was in Drum and Bugle Corp with our son, and he came to visit us from Texas and ordered pop at the Armadillo restaurant in downtown Denver. He said, "I want a Coke." She turned and came back with a Coke. He said, "You didn't ask me what kind of Coke I wanted." She looked perplexed. He then asked her to bring a Dr. Pepper. First time I heard Coke as a general description for pop.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Do you recall where that Outback was? If it was 45 minutes from the border, was it perhaps the one in Burlington, Washington, visible right next to the freeway? (Exit 230 off of I-5.) If so, that was where we lived before moving to Nevada two years ago. Great area!

Dave

It was close, but I think it was maybe Bothnell or something like that name-wise.