all things essential

Not long ago, a friend mentioned how she did a blog posting on the great creamy v. crunchy peanut butter debate, and received quite a few hits as a result, mostly from people doing searches on the internet. In the spirit of shameless self promotion, I decided to copy her idea and write a little number on an even greater debate, which really can be boiled down to good vs. evil. I'm speaking, of course, of the soda vs. pop controversy. (Keywords: soda vs. pop, soda v. pop, britney spears nude, midgets and jello). When I moved from California to Southern Oregon, I noticed that a number of the people still seemed to be living in the 1950s. One key piece of evidence was the fact that everyone used the word "pop" when they clearly meant "soda". It was like I was living an episode of The Wonder Years. Cute, but a little creepy.

Upon later moving to Idaho, I discovered that they did the same thing. After more moving around, I came to the realization that all of the Northwest is into the whole "pop" bit. I did a bit of research and came across a map that breaks down by a geographical region who says what. You can find it here, along with some other interesting bits of information. The end result? Those states that eventually determine culture and trends for the rest of the nation (a.k.a. the states that "matter") primarily use the word "soda". I speak mostly of New York and California. Strangely enough, the South tends to use the word "coke". Either they don't have a whole lot of options down there, or they still aren't real keen to the whole diversity thing.

Whew. I've tried to offend just about every group out there, in the hopes of getting a few posts. My better judgment tells me to delete the last sentence in the previous paragraph, but my insatiable hunger for attention is simply too overpowering. Enjoy.