"soda" in Minneapolis

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

In a message dated 8/9/2002 2:20:55 AM, language_scholar at YAHOO.COM writes:

<< Here's my area of expertise!  To earn money for
college, I've been working at the local Arby's and
Subway in my fairly rural Minnesota town.  I never
heard the word "soda" used for pop in normal
conversation between native Minnesotans until this
summer.  About 20% of customers order soda rather than
pop!  I have yet to figure out this phenomena.


Maia >>

I don't think of Minneapolis as fairly rural--I guess the heading and the
locale under discussion are different--and that you are sure that the folks
are natives and not tourists who are exhibiting this phenomenON? How would
you characterize the soda folks in terms of age, sex, social class, (and
esp.) education? If they have been away to college, that might make a
difference.

I'm also wondering if the word SODA may not be written on menus and
soft-drink dispensing machines.