I have never heard anyone say "BOW-tique" and I think I would have been very confused (before today) had anyone done so. That's just crazy talkin'.

We have the reverse problem wrt coffee and visitors - we have to buy Sanka for mr. flea's mother when she visits - she doesn't like brewed coffee. More crazy.

Today is the 10th anniversary of my First Real Date (we had a leadup of meetings and lunches that felt weird and not-datelike, probably because they weren't dates, since mr. flea had not broken up with his previous girlfriend yet) with mr. flea. We went to an Irish Pub (Murphy's in Clifton) and played darts with two very drunk guys both named Dave, one of whom said, "she might be good, if you'd teach her how to throw."

I grew up with "pop," but recognize that, in my neck of the woods, Coke=any non-alcoholic carbonated beverage. Now I refer to it as "soda". I think if I asked for a cold drink around here, there's a chance I'd end up with iced tea. And I really don't like iced tea. Pity, 'cause it would be a cheap way to get my summer caffeine buzz.

Calli, don't you mean sweet tea? What is this "iced tea" of which you speak?

Empress

Ok, so I had to know, so I threadsucked COMM and came up with this:

ita: I think I'm opposed to queens. I'm not sure why. You should be an Empress instead, Aimée. And I'll be Captain of the Guard. There will be uniforms, but then we won't wear them, so no one will know when we're around, just waiting to smash their everloving rebel heads in.

This is an open book test, right?

Timelies,

Don't like coffee, so I don't have a preference. I recall being similarly charmed with the noises my grandparents' perculator made as a kid, though.

Neither boo nor bow sounds wrong to me.

Grew up calling it pop, changed to soda somewhere around highschool/college. Coke for everything sounds ridiculously wrong to me.

Worked retail in Wisconsin for awhile and was very confused by customers asking for where the bubblers and Tyme machines were at first.

Stainless steel is really hard to break. IJS.

Unless you make a sword out of it. That doesn't work so well.

don't you mean sweet tea? What is this "iced tea" of which you speak?

Isn't all tea "sweet tea" unless otherwise specified?

Usually Liptons, with an inch of undissolved sugar in the bottom of the pitcher.

And happy 1st Real Date anniversary!

sweet tea heretics! BURN!

{{CaBil}} I am so sorry about Patches.

There was a time of darkness when I visited my parents, and they had no caffinated coffee in their house. So I said, no problem, where's the nearest coffeehouse? Turns out there was none in their entire town.

Are your parents my parents? Mine just drink decaf and they live in the middle of nowhere Tennessee. The closest place for coffee? A gas station or McDonald's that is 15 miles away. The closest place for good coffee? An HOUR away.

I like Dunkin' coffee. I think it's the best chain coffee. And, my office has Dunkin' coffee beans. Not too shabby, either.

So, what region is it that calls all soda coke?

The South. I switch back and forth between coke and pop because of my mixed (Midwest and Southern) upbringing.

Coke for everything sounds ridiculously wrong to me.

Here's the way it works. Your hostess says, "Would you like a Coke?" and you say, "Do you have Sprite?" You say, "I'm going to get a Coke," and you get something out of a Coke machine, but not necessarily actual Coke.

We went to an Irish Pub (Murphy's in Clifton)

W00t!!!1! Murphy's!!!! I had a friend who lived in a house that was literally across the street from Murphy's. I mean his front door was lined up with Murphy's door. I have no idea how he didn't flunk out that year.

Also, flea -- Chicago Gyros has renovated and is all spruced up and shiny and classy -- it looks like a Panera Bread inside or something. It's no longer blue and dirty. I almost cried.