"Up here it is sauce, as gravy is what you put on meat and potatoes. Pasta is referred to what it is, noodles, macaroni or spaghetti. We call it soda but other regions call it pop. Its interesting to see every part of this big country has a lot of diversity in what things are referred to as."
My family is from Missouri/Arkansas region, we always called it sauce, gravy was brown or white to go over various meat / potato dishes. Sodas were called Cokes, no matter the flavor. Southern cooking was really loaded in fat (mostly lard and cornmeal, most things fried except the Sunday Brisket or Pot Roast, not the most healthy diet by far but socio economic factors played heavily into the foods. In Lous. the foods were often spicy (NOT a family favorite) and coffee was made much, much stronger (Cajun)....could grow hair on your chest!!!! LOL.
Fried Chicken, Fried Mushrooms, Green Fried Tomatoes, Fried pork, Fried Fish, Fried Noodles, Fried Okra, Fried Potatoes, Fried Squash, Fried Funnel Cakes, Fried Eggs, ETC. ETC. If it was cookable it was fried, sadly it still is in many economically depressed areas. Arteries were clogged by the age of 40, many died in their 50's. Sorry guys, I got off topic.