Culture: Two nations divided...

[tashabear]

We just call soft drink, "cordial" down here. We also have a syrup which is usually called "water cordial" as you put so much syrup in a glass and then add water. No one ever calls it pop or soda. The only time you'd ask for soda is if you wanted some in your scotch.

Tony.

So all sweetened carbonated beverages are called cordials in Tasmania? I always thought cordials were alcoholic -- I make them by combining equal parts sugar, vodka, and fruit in a big jar. Leave it on the back of the counter, flip it upside down and rightside up once every day. In 2-4 weeks, you strain and bottle and let it age. Om nom nom.

[wildrose]

I have to pipe in on the pop issue. I am from New Jersey - haven't lived there in several years, but you'd not know that to hear me. A non-alcoholic, carbonated beverage is a soda. An ice cream soda is another entity. Pop is what you do to someone when you are annoyed with them (i.e. "I'm gonna pop you!") I went to college at Grove City, near Pittsburgh, PA, and out there soda is called pop. I went 4 years without ever calling it that. I brought my husband (from Ohio) back with me to NJ and informed him he'd better start calling it soda - LOL! (and he did)

My sister went to college in South Carolina (Furman) and said everyone called it Coke - whether it was or not.

I still say soda. Here in Virginia, near several colleges, it's what I hear the most too. I think it's what the locals say too.

And if you really want a good food experience, you have to go to a diner in New Jersey!

[tonyc1]

So all sweetened carbonated beverages are called cordials in Tasmania? I always thought cordials were alcoholic -- I make them by combining equal parts sugar, vodka, and fruit in a big jar. Leave it on the back of the counter, flip it upside down and rightside up once every day. In 2-4 weeks, you strain and bottle and let it age. Om nom nom.

The alcoholic cordial sounds great. I think many, many,many years ago that was the term. We are usually specific when we want a coke or pepsi though, and just use cordial for any other soft drink.

[barra]

Must be a Tasmanian thing Tony (that's as far as I'm going with that). In Australia cordial is the flavoured syrup that is added to water and comes in various flavours. Red supposedly send kids round the twist. When I was a kid there didn't seem to be a huge range of commercial branded soft drink choices so just about everything got referred to as coke whether it was or not. we did however have little soft drink companies that would home deliver their particular variety of soft drink. Soda here usually refers to the clear carbonated water used as a mixer for spirits.

I do adapt and change my vocabulary when in the US as I believe that when in Rome, so I call soft drinks Soda and then specify what sort. I am addicted to root beer which is uncommon in Australia. To me the root beer to die for was found in NJ and came from Stewarts root beer stand in Matawan. I'm not sure if Stewarts was a franchise or a one off but OMG was it good. Also in NJ they called Pizza "pie". I'm not sure if this was common or was an older generation thing.

Barra

[tonyc1]

Must be a Tasmanian thing Tony (that's as far as I'm going with that). In Australia cordial is the flavoured syrup that is added to water and comes in various flavours. Red supposedly send kids round the twist. When I was a kid there didn't seem to be a huge range of commercial branded soft drink choices so just about everything got referred to as coke whether it was or not. we did however have little soft drink companies that would home deliver their particular variety of soft drink. Soda here usually refers to the clear carbonated water used as a mixer for spirits.

I do adapt and change my vocabulary when in the US as I believe that when in Rome, so I call soft drinks Soda and then specify what sort. I am addicted to root beer which is uncommon in Australia. To me the root beer to die for was found in NJ and came from Stewarts root beer stand in Matawan. I'm not sure if Stewarts was a franchise or a one off but OMG was it good. Also in NJ they called Pizza "pie". I'm not sure if this was common or was an older generation thing.

Barra

Root beer is Sarsaparilla isn't it. A lot of people here drink it, I love it! I like to but the syrup and mix it to my taste. I also a Square and Lemon is just beer and sars, god knows where they got that name from! If Root beer and Sars is the same then I love it. Some people aren't so keen and call it Flytox.

[tonyc1]

Root beer is Sarsaparilla isn't it. A lot of people here drink it, I love it! I like to but the syrup and mix it to my taste. I also a Square and Lemon is just beer and sars, god knows where they got that name from! If Root beer and Sars is the same then I love it. Some people aren't so keen and call it Flytox.

I made a blue there! Sars and lemonade is a "Square and Lemon"

Tony.

[barra]

I used to think the same thing Tony - sars and root beer being the same thing. To come up with the closest anology I can, root beer in the States is sort of a cross between sars and creaming soda. The most common commercially available brand was A&W.

Barra

[cem]

Must be a Tasmanian thing Tony (that's as far as I'm going with that). In Australia cordial is the flavoured syrup that is added to water and comes in various flavours. Red supposedly send kids round the twist. When I was a kid there didn't seem to be a huge range of commercial branded soft drink choices so just about everything got referred to as coke whether it was or not. we did however have little soft drink companies that would home deliver their particular variety of soft drink. Soda here usually refers to the clear carbonated water used as a mixer for spirits.

I agree with that, in Western Australia all the carbonated stuff is called cool or soft drink unless you ask for something specific like coke or pepsi and cordial is what Barra explained it as. Yes red cordial is nasty stuff I refuse to let my husband and son drink it as it sends them absolutely bonkers. Not many people in WA drink Sars or root beer I remember when they released Dr Pepper here it was an absolute flop and only lasted about 6 months.

Clair

[UKRay]

In the UK, cordial tends to be the sort of stuff you mix with alcohol (lime juice or blackcurrant cordial for example). We have fruit squash that is mixed with water. In the main it is fairly unpleasant stuff and the orange flavouring made my son hyperactive for hours - CocaCola did it too.

Rootbeer is pretty scarce over here, but can anyone get bottles of Dandelion and Burdock in their part of the world? I wonder if this is exclusive to the UK?

Edited October 17, 2008 by UKRay

[Denise]

We were in Australia in 92/93 and couldn't find root beer anywhere, much to my husband's dismay as it is his farvorite. We were told Sasaparilla was the same, but it is not. We thought it tasted like Dr. Pepper. But then we discovered your Gingerbeer and Rod got a new favorite. Not as available over here, but you can find it if you look hard enough.

PS. As a Canadian I have really been enjoying this thread. We get the best (and sometimes the worst) of both worlds. Either way of spelling is correct. We understand most of the jokes that the other side doesn't usually get. And we are pretty fluent converting from metric to imperial because although we are metric, the US isn't and we have to convert for them or they just don't get it...