Zharol

1.) Party hostels 2.) Quieter hostels

What do you see as the split between the two? Overweighted towards partiers? Pretty even? How do you know beforehand?

I ask because I've traveled a ton, and am not overly averse to hostels (especially in countries where "hostel" is just another word for a kind of hotel). But overwhelmingly hostels seem to be oriented towards meeting up with other travelers and partying.

That's great for some people, but I didn't go to Xazhiristan to get drunk with Americans/Brits/Australians. On the other hand, a nice quiet local hostel is fantastic.

Okay thanks, but what about the split? 50/50, 90/10, what?

I definitely look up websites/reviews, and exclude ones that explicitly cite partying as an attribute (or list attributes that are all in that direction). But there are plenty that don't, and are still in that vein.

Edit: just realized you've been to only 100 hostels, so it's not a really big sample size. I was just wondering how much of a roll of the dice it was to accidentally end up in a place overly oriented towards socializing with other travelers, rather than part of the travel experience of the actual location. I also realize many (most?) don't get the distinction I'm trying to make.

Do people in the South really use "coke" to mean a generic soft drink (including non-cola products)? If so, precisely what regions?

I've spent a ton of time in the South, and have never heard this usage. "Coke" to describe other colas, yes -- but "coke" to describe other soft drinks, no.

I've heard people claim that it's standard usage in Atlanta, but I've lived in Atlanta and know that's not true. Seems this notion may have an element of urban legend -- with the factual basis being limited to only a couple of very narrow areas (e.g. parts of rural Texas?).