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

[DaveNV]

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.

That's how my Texas friend said it. Not sure I've ever heard anybody NOT from Texas say it that way.

Dave

 

[rickandcindy23]

Today we go to Stanley Park and ride the train and visit the aquarium.

Tomorrow it's PNE for Elizabeth, our five-year-old adventure seeker, and then we drive home on Friday. They fly home.

 

[DaveNV]

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

Ok, Bothell is a ways from where we lived. I think I know where you were, though. Glad you're enjoying your trip. There is plenty to see and do this time of year there.

If you get the chance, walk through Stanley Park. It's beautiful. (Oops - I see you just mentioned Stanley Park. it's awesome. And the PNE is a great way to spend a day. Have fun!)

Dave

 

[geist1223]

We were in Vancouver BC from 7/19/22 to 8/2/22. We stayed at the WM Canadian. The new A.C. was greatly appreciated. We always Book a 2 Bedroom with no Dining Room. The Bedrooms and Bathrooms are bigger. They give you 4 TV Dinner Trays for eating. We were there for the International Fireworks Competition. We saw the Canadian and Spanish Teams. It was pretty amazing,. The nearest Costco in Washington to the Canadian Border is in Bellingham. We stop there to fill up on our way to Canada. Crossing into Canada was not bad. About 15 minutes. Coming home it took over an hour. Except for our 2 days of rest we walked 5 to 9 miles per day. We never used our car.

Did you make it to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park or Grouse Mountain?

 

[beejaybeeohio]

We went through the border in ten minutes.

Which crossing did you use? 1-5, Rt. 15 or Lynden? We will be driving over the border from Birch Bay WA @9am Friday morning 9/16.
Thanks!

 

[Luanne]

A fascinating place in Vancouver, on the UBC campus is the Museum of Anthropology.

 

[beejaybeeohio]

Back to the carbonated beverage discussion...
Growing up in Queens it was soda. Lived for awhile in downstate IL and it was sodypop. Here in Ohio it is pop.

 

[vacationtime1]

I grew up in Detroit, where people drink pop.

 

[bizaro86]

That's how my Texas friend said it. Not sure I've ever heard anybody NOT from Texas say it that way.

Dave

One of the most amusing Texas pop experiences I have had was when I was eating lunch at Red Lobster in Calgary during a training course. A variety of the attendees were international to Canada, including a recent university grad from Texas. She ordered an iced tea. I asked her if she wanted a Nestea type sweet tea (because that is what she would have gotten) and her horrified look was the answer. She actually stood up, ran across the restaurant, and hunted down the waitress to order something else. Because while poutine is readily available in Western Canada unsweetened iced tea is not.

 

[clifffaith]

Pop. Born in Ashtabula, OH as were several generations of ancestors. Left there at age four, but mom and dad called it pop so I did. I actually have no idea what kids in California where I’ve lived for the last 60 years call it. Cliff grew up in Texas so I’ve definitely run into “what kind of coke do you want”. I think it is sort of charming that coke means a genetic soft drink — along the same lines we call all sweets “pie” so donuts, cookies, cake and ice cream are all pie!

 

[jabberwocky]

One of the most amusing Texas pop experiences I have had was when I was eating lunch at Red Lobster in Calgary during a training course. A variety of the attendees were international to Canada, including a recent university grad from Texas. She ordered an iced tea. I asked her if she wanted a Nestea type sweet tea (because that is what she would have gotten) and her horrified look was the answer. She actually stood up, ran across the restaurant, and hunted down the waitress to order something else. Because while poutine is readily available in Western Canada unsweetened iced tea is not.

I have to laugh at this. My 14 year-old DD loves iced tea and orders it everytime we go to a restaurant. I had to keep reminding her whenever we go out to eat in the US that if she orders iced tea she will just get cold tea!

On poutine- it is probably the only dish that we would consider to be a Canadian dish (Canadians just really borrow stuff from a whole bunch of different cultures). The classic is the curds with gravy - but you can get a whole bunch of different variations as well.

And when I was growing up in Alberta it was “soda pop” - we covered our bases I guess!

 

[b2bailey]

Born and raised in San Jose CA.
We never said POP.
Soda -- only if it was to say Orange Soda.
Otherwise, Coke, Root Beer or 7-Up.

 

[PcflEZFlng]

Growing up in Minneapolis - always pop. Here in California - always soda. When we lived in Colorado (Boulder County), we called it soda.

We just got back home today from a cross-country road trip. My wife loves Diet Pepsi, and the only state we couldn't find it in the highway convenience stores was Texas. They are definitely Coke all the way, for sure!

 

[PcflEZFlng]

One of the most amusing Texas pop experiences I have had was when I was eating lunch at Red Lobster in Calgary during a training course. A variety of the attendees were international to Canada, including a recent university grad from Texas. She ordered an iced tea. I asked her if she wanted a Nestea type sweet tea (because that is what she would have gotten) and her horrified look was the answer. She actually stood up, ran across the restaurant, and hunted down the waitress to order something else. Because while poutine is readily available in Western Canada unsweetened iced tea is not.

Interesting to know! From what (admittedly little) I know about the Southern USA and Texas, if you order iced tea, sweetened is the default, unless you ask for it otherwise. When we were recently traveling there, if we ordered iced tea, we made sure they knew we wanted unsweetened. Whereas if you order iced tea in California, you will always get unsweetened. And even if you ask for it sweetened, you will be asked how many packets (sachets) of sweetener you want with it!

 

[jabberwocky]

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

It’s just like chai tea. You’re literally saying tea tea.

 

[youppi]

In Quebec, we normally use "soft drink" in English and "boisson gazeuse" or "liqueur" in French.

 

[PrairieGirl]

and her horrified look was the answer. She actually stood up, ran across the restaurant, and hunted down the waitress to order something else. Because while poutine is readily available in Western Canada unsweetened iced tea is not.

I had to wipe tears from my eyes laughing at this! I was raised in Portland, OR where it is "pop" (to answer the OP's question), well, at least I thought so until I went on an exchange program in grade 12 and my host's boyfriend was from Texas and had turned the entire school (in a small rural Southern OR town) onto calling it "soda".

But I digress - back to the iced tea episode. I, too, was absolutely HORRIFIED when I moved to Saskatchewan and found out that they all thought "iced tea" was sweet powder out of a "Good Host" brand can mixed with water. Aka tea-flavoured Kool-Aid! Ick!!!!!

Now that I've become acclimated to being Canadian (notice - Grade 12, not 12th Grade and the "u" in flavoured!) I mix up the "iced tea" for people all the time. Me? If I want iced tea, I brew it, cool it and add Splenda. And lemon.

 

[billymach4]

Sneakers or Tennis Shoe's?

 

[PrairieGirl]

Sneakers or Tennis Shoe's?

Tennis Shoes (or Tennies) growing up, but sneakers now.

 

[PrairieGirl]

But mostly "Runners" once I moved to SK!!!

 

[billymach4]

How about Fry Sauce. It's an Idaho / Utah thing. @Passepartout!

 

[marmite]

This is really a fun thread for me to read this morning. I'm glad you're having a good trip @rickandcindy23.

I definitely can related to the iced tea conversation. I always avoid it in the states, even sweet tea because I just can't get used to the taste of it having grown up with Nestea, Brisk or other brands here.

I grew up with Pop Shoppe. Taking back your bottles and picking more flavours was fun. Even though I have a SodaStream now, I still think of it as making pop -- I don't know if I'll be able to convert over to calling it soda this late in life!

Poutine is everywhere, but also many different versions of poutine (they're starting to call anything with fries on the bottom and stuff on the top poutine). There's butter chicken poutine, chili cheese, breakfast poutine, chicken and truffle oil etc.

It's funny that you mention nachos. It is not something I really order here. There are pubs that might have it, but come to think of it I have only really ordered it in the US.

If you like a Bloody Mary, order a Caesar here and enjoy!

 

[rickandcindy23]

I don't drink alcohol anymore because our son is a recovering alcoholic. He is constantly battling with himself over this. I cannot imagine having that issue. I have been able to take or leave alcohol my whole life, but alcohol is insidious. It takes a while for that addiction to take hold, and I don't want to take the chance, since it is genetic.

The Pop Shoppe in Denver was probably spelled exactly the same as yours. I don't remember how it was spelled.

I have a Soda Stream and never use it anymore, but we have friends who go to Maui for the same time of year we are there, and she brings a Soda Stream and makes flavored water with flavor drops to make the water taste better. That way, they don't have to buy bottled water, but I have no problem buying gallons of water on Maui to drink. At home we have a reverse osmosis, and it really makes you picky about water. When did I become that picky over the taste of water?

 

[Passepartout]

How about Fry Sauce. It's an Idaho / Utah thing. @Passepartout!

Oh CRAP! My bubble has burst. Even Wikipedia says that 'Fry Sauce' originated in Salt Lake City at a food cart that morphed into an Arctic Circle drive-in. So there you are.

 

[Bunk]

Regional use of soda vs pop vs coke