Coleslaw seems to vary regionally. Where I grew up, every chicken barbeque and church event featured coleslaw that had shredded carrots and a mayo dressing that had a bit of sugar. I'm not sure where coleslaw and cabbage salad vary; when i make coleslaw, I add shredded carrots, crushed pineapple and use a bit of the juice mixed with the mayo - no sugar. Sometimes, a few raisins thrown in.
The first time I had coleslaw with vinegar it was jarring, lol. It just seemed so odd. Now, it's okay. As long as it doesn't have celery seed in it. Yuck! Just had some pickles with a lot of celery seed, and I didn't like those, either. I guess I don't care for celery seed.