The southern accent is a hybrid of the slaves African dialect and the settlers Queen's English with French thrown in.

I am the same - I can't stand unsweetened coffee, but hate sweetened tea. Strange. I drink diet coke as I find 'fat' coke too syrupy...

But, having said that, have taken on board what has been said and will try the authentic sweetea how it is supposed to be, sugar n all

To further complicate things, in Wisconsin the clear sodas (sprite/7up etc) are referred to as just "sweet".
Also, don't forget, asking for a "jumper" in a store will get you a little girl's overalls dress. (we refer to them as "sweaters")

Most of these seem to be from the east or south so I'll respond from the west. I grew up using pop. I didn't really know people used the word soda until I went to NYC in high school. I would not use coke because that is a brand, however, I read on here that in the south they do use coke rather than pop or soda. Then later that day had a Texan clarify when I asked for a coke. I got a kick out of it.

Do NOT like sweetened tea either hot or cold and dislike coffee no matter how it is hidden.

OliveOyl,
Let's delve into this association with tea and your mother-in-law whom you "locked horns with since day one."
JoeG

Well JoeG, it all started with the first meal I served her, where I committed the cardinal sin of serving English peas without having cooked okra with them, compounded by cooking them for mere minutes rather than hours...and went downhill from there. My this is a comfy couch! gt;

Hook 'em horns!

And hey, those peas were 34 years ago. Moi?? Hold grudges??!! LOL

I spent half my childhood in Charleston, SC and the word soda was used to refer to any carbonated, sweetened beverage. I never heard anyone use Coke as a generic term for any brand.

I also never heard the word pop used for soda until we moved to Seattle. A lot of people would look at us like we were foreign when we asked for "soda" here. Now, while most still say "pop", no one looks confused by the word soda. I guess that's the influence of the influx of out-of-staters in the past decade or two.

I personally can't bring myself to say "pop". After 17 years, it still sounds silly to my ears.

In California we just call them by brand name or type. Coke (people might ask if Pepsi is ok if that's what they have), Rootbeer, Dr Pepper, Sprite (7up, whatever), orange soda, and so on. Soda is the generic name.

Here in Texas (part south, part southwest), I can tell you only transplants say "pop". Speaking casually about a drink, we usually call everything a "coke" but if we're requesting a soda from a restaurant, we ask for it by the brand name...sort of seems like common sense to me, given there are about 5 different options from a soda fountain at a restaurant usually. Course this may be b/c Dr. Pepper is just as popular down here as Coke. Also, all the restaurants here serve tea unsweetened. Some have a sweet variety, but they'll usually ask you "sweet or unsweet?" if they have it. I typically get unsweet anyway, b/c way too many places make sweet, too sweet for me, so I add my own to taste. It's VERY true that if you put that sugar in after the fact, it's just going to settle to the bottom and you'll just get it sweet in the last sip (and whoa howdy, I mean SWEET). WHICH is why I get unsweet and add sweet and low. Not for the low cal option mind you , but b/c it dissolves fast and you can taste the sweet quickly.

EnglishOne, this "tea" they're all referring to is iced tea. If you want real tea, you have to ask for hot tea and you'll usually get a teabag and either a cup of hot water or a small pot of hot water.

...But in NYC, "tea" = hot tea, and "iced tea" is the cold stuff. The cheaper restaurants usually use some type of sweet powder mix to make the iced tea - blech! The better places make real iced tea and have sugar packets on the side. The BEST restaurants have unsweetened iced tea with a tiny pitcher of sugar-water on the side to add as you please.

You could always just ask for a beer and not worry about it.

oh, Methinks, there will be PLENTY of beer going down as well don't you worry about that especially on Beale and Bourbon St. I need to hydrate a little with some softys in between...!

About tea in the US: it will taste weak to you, whether cold or hot, unsweetened or "sweetea" as served in the south. And most restaurants, even if they have every version of coffee specialty drink, are pretty clueless about (hot) teas. It will always be tea-bag tea unless you are in an actual tea-house (gaining in popularity in larger cities), and if they have anything more interesting than Lipton or Tetley, they will not know the difference between flavored and herbal teas.

While I always believe in enjoying local tastes while traveling, if I'm going to be traveling for any length of time, even in the US, I bring or buy my own tea. I use a small tin box (Altoid's boxes are fine if you've washed out the Curiously Strong mint flavor) and keep some of my own favorites. Most waiters don't bat an eye if I ask for a cup of hot water and many will not charge for it. I'm sure you can get Typhoo tea in gourmet stores here (have seen it) if you can't go without for more than a day or two.

Finally, people in NOLA will probably look at you askance if you order hot tea on a hot day, but I believe it was you Brits who figured out what sometimes it works to cool you off. Nonetheless, a tall glass of "sweetea," even if very sweet and dilute, is so refreshing. Just wish they'd substitute a sprig of mint for the lemon sometimes.