Want A Coke?

christine asked what we call our carbonated beverages, and for me, the answer is "coke," for all of them. as in: "want a coke? yeah, what kind?" she's already discussed it in much more detail if you don't already know what i'm talking about. i grew up in oklahoma, and it's a pretty typical thing to say for that part of the country. but i don't think saying "coke" is such a weird thing anyway (like some people do.) when a single brand rules the market, it isn't that uncommon for its name to become synonymous with the product. like kleenex or chap stick.

Some common household words—aspirin, cellophane, nylon, thermos, escalator—all started out as names for specific products but gradually became so common that they became generic names.
- infoplease

maybe in some parts of the country they liked coke better than in others. or maybe coke was all they could get. for whatever reason, i know that there are still some small town drugstores in oklahoma that have coca-cola soda fountains, where they will serve you up any kind of fizzy drink you want. and though i have been gone from oklahoma for quite some time, i still ask my friends if they want a coke before i serve them a cold drink.

Thursday 12-Sep-02