Here's Why People In Utah Are Obsessed With 'Soda Culture' & Putting Milk In Diet Coke

Utah is absolutely obsessed with soda and apparently, a lot of us are only just now finding out thanks to the internet. Tiktok user Taylor Blender went viral in a video on "Sodie Culture" that amassed 3.1 million views and nearly 500,000 likes in a matter of weeks.

In her Tiktok captioned "Ask me anything about the Utah sodie culture", Taylor describes her experience working at a soda shop, and the enthusiastic customers she dealt with on a daily basis. She goes on to explain the specialty drinks which consisted of "two pumps of coffee creamer, four pumps of syrup, and the soda on top of it."

Taylor told Narcity that her first job was in a soda shop, which she explains is "kinda [of] a Utah right of passage."

"I think soda is a big deal here because members of the church can’t have coffee, so these shops replaced cafes as a fun place to hang out. And now it’s a source of caffeine & who can’t live without caffeine," she explains.

One thing is for sure, soda shop regulars are passionate about their drinks. "You can have 1000 different chains, and all of them be successful with lines wrapping around the whole building and down the road at any given time. I don’t know that you could do that anywhere else," Quinn, a Utah native explains.

As far as the origins of their popularity, Quinn has another theory. "Honestly, I love weird sodas. I think it’s something that you really can’t go to a gas station and mimic for half the price, but I couldn’t tell you why. Kind of how home-brewed coffee and coffee shop coffee just don’t taste the same. It’s definitely overpriced, definitely overhyped, but that won’t stop me from going to get one hahaha. Also, Utah is an incredibly family-centric state," she tells Narcity.

And though it may sound weird, Yadira, another local thinks it's worth trying. "Personally, I love Dr. Pepper. My favorite order has Dr. Pepper, Strawberry Purée, Vanilla, Coconut, and Cream. It’s very good! Most of the popular chains have really cool retro vibes and it’s a nice place to hang out."