"Do Europeans NOT DRINK WATER?!" | American Tourists React

[@liquidminds]

"Leitungswasser" translates to "Pipe water" and around where I am in Europe, no one has any negative feelings to it. We usually consider it superior to the bottles. The reason we do not drink tap water in restaurants is because we usually cook at home and when we go to a restaurant, it's something special, so we drink something special.

[@johgu92]

I don't drink tap water usually.

[@urlauburlaub2222]

In all predominently left-wing countries in Europe of the last 50 years, pipe water isn't healthy. France, Northern Spain, Southern Italy, Sweden, Denmark, UK. Pipe water is just great in Germany, Austria, Croatia, Northern Italy. In the US, it's in the middle. In most countries you drink bottled water, because it comes from the mountains (French, Italians) or has specific nutrients in it. (Germany) In the most part, this is then also sparkling.

[@Spechtlerimwald]

@@johgu92 Oh, sure I do - mostly as tea or sparkling-sodastream, depending upon season. But rather than ordering bottled water at a restaurant, we perfer to hydrate ourselves before leaving, maybe because restrooms in restaurants are free of charge ;-)

[@greedycapitalist8590]

@@urlauburlaub2222 And here's me sitting in the UK enjoying a nice, refreshing glass of tap water.

[@mymemeplex]

@@urlauburlaub2222 source?

[@titteifilm]

I recently returned from a week in the US. As a Norwegian, I have to say that tap water over there tastes like pool water... I also dare to say that a lot of bottled water tastes worse than tap water in Norway. Something can probably be attributed to habit, but that's how I feel.

[@Jay_Johnson]

Bottled water in the US Usually IS tap water. Idk about the rest of Europe but here in the UK Bottled mineral water is standard and is bottled at source. Given all of Norway is basically the kind of place you would bottle mineral water in the UK (highlands/wales) the fact your tap water tastes better is unsurprising.

[@lauralvw8445]

Is the fluoride

[@Mayakran]

@@lauralvw8445actually it’s the chlorine

[@Mayakran]

I suppose it depends where you go. In some parts of the country I find the tap water undrinkable.

[@timr.8812]

Of course it tastes like pool water. its clorinated. Like our pools are. I was at in Chicago for a week this summer and the moment I drank tap water at my hotel room I spat it out and got something with way to much sugar to drink instead. it tastes awful. How the hell can you go to a restaurant and ruin your meal by chlorinating your mouth throughout the whole meal? I am really happy I can just get some tap water and actually drink it without feeling like im drowning in a pool.

[@chucku00]

Fun fact : many French people would be perplexed with La Croix sparkling water because "La Croix" in France is a brand of bleach or "eau de Javel".

[@entropybear5847]

Considering how low US standards or for anything consumed by humans, their water is probably so chemically processed that they're not far off drinking bleach. At least compared to Europe.

[@aeolia80]

omg!! I've never put 2 and 2 together, hahahahah, I just went to look under my kitchen sink and yeah, my bleach tablets are La Croix!! hhahahahhahaha

[@LeSarthois]

When I traveled to Germany, I bought a bottle of Vitrex solely on the fact that the name sounds like a glass cleaning product. ("vitre= glass pane" in French)

[@chucku00]

@@LeSarthois Duralex sed Durex.

[@Atom224]

Lol, I was thinking the same and I'm drinking Vitrex with Cassis taste right now 😂😂@@LeSarthois

[@buresdv]

I was born and raised in the Czech Republic and now live in Slovenia. I have never in my life met anyone who preferred bottled water 😅 Literally everyone I ever knew was always drinking tap water, with one exception: Restaurants. You're kinda expected to not get tap water there (although if you ask for tap water specifically, they never have any problems getting that for you, for free). This is one of many reasons why I find Americans grouping all of Europe together very whimsical (for them, Europe is usually France, Spain, and MAYBE Germany and Italy if they're feeling adventurous). I spent a lot of time in the Czech Repubic, Poland, Austria and Slovenia and let me tell you, I've had completely different experiences to what I see online. Another funny thing: I once went to a GI (gastroenterologist, a doctor that specializes in the digestive system) and he straight-up offered me a psychiatric evaluation when I told him that I track how much water I drink. "Your body tells you when it needs water, so why are you tracking it at all?" It was very funny. And in the end, it really turned out that I had a psycholocial problem. So take that as you will 😆

[@Skyl3t0n]

As a german, we also don't have a problem with drinking from the tap. It's good water. But you know I like my sparkling water and am often too lazy for the soda stream. But we even have great flat mineral water from the mountains. Water is not Water.

[@davidandrs3535]

I'm Czech and I have the exact same experience as you. Nobody buys bottled water here

[@DADDA]

A lot of what you said is anecdotal and in my opinion and experience, very misleading. I know a lot of people including me, who prefer bottled water, most just dont want to spend the extra money on it, so they mostly drink tap water. As for the restaurants and free water, that was mostly a thing in the past, but recently its mostly getting pushed out and youre pretty lucky to get tap water and extremely lucky to get it for free in czech restaurants.

[@mrdimitroff]

When USA people discuss Europe they always mean anything west of Italy. I don't personally know people who prefer sparkling water here in Eastern Europe

[@miyounova]

In France, whether you're at a cafe or restaurant, you'll usually get tap water, for free obviously. Some people who are snobby or like sparkling water will get bottled water, but that's not the most common thing to do.

[@lukvanleeuwen7603]

Speaking as someone from the Netherlands, I don't think bottled water is popular at all over here. Sparkling water is, but just flat water is usually drunk from the tap. It goes so far that I once heared a delivery person say they knew someone ordering was foreign (American in this case) based on the fact that they ordered water with their meal. I have never seen anyone buy bottled water for at home use. Only for drinking it on the way somewhere. I also remember interpreting for a Korean family, who didn't want to refill their water bottles from the tap in the bathroom, because it seemed too much like toilet water. I explained to them that the tap water was basically the same as the bottled water, but the idea made them queasy, so they just bought new bottles. Eventually they did become okay with filling bottles at the kitchen sink though :P

[@PaladinfffLeeroy]

EXACTLY! Why would you ever buy flat water in bottles to use at home when you can just open the tap? That's just shooting your wallet.

[@Max_JustMax]

@@PaladinfffLeeroy i think she missinterpeted the stats she herself said that bottled water is the most popular drink in the US while it's not in Germany. Maybe she added the bottled flat water and sparkling water stats together to come to that conclusion idk. Still weird. Most of what she said was true though. What they always forget is that bottled water in europe has a cap price while it doesn't in the states. Fun Fact in greece the 500ml Bottles have a cap price of 50cents if you are ever in akropoli in athens don't get scammed because they sell it illegaly to tourists,

[@mfbfreak]

Although at home that's very true, at restaurants it's quite unusual. If you order 'water' you often get a bottle of Spa for something like €2,50 or so. Obscene. Americans eat out way more often than us dutch people, so her analysis might be based on more restaurant visits than the average dutch person does. It is, however, very true that at the middle class or upscale supermarkets like Albert Heijn you find a metric fuckton of different brands of waters. As of yet, our tapwater is very good still. It is, however, under threat by 'don't look up' anti-environmental politicians who try and ignore the problem we have with traces of medication and chemicals like PFAS in our tapwater.

[@praetoriancorps]

Also Dutch, I have no problems drinking tapwater here.

[@passionpourelegance]

True as a fellow Dutchie, I believe most people I know, including myseld, drink water from the tap.

[@kaya-1094]

This is interesting to watch coming from the Netherlands. Over here tap water is the absolute king (together with coffee). People might buy a small bottle of water while on the go, but only if they don't have a refillable bottle with them. Some people like sparkling water, but you'll get some weird looks if you buy bottled flat water.

[@thirstwithoutborders995]

If you didn't bring a bottle of tapwater, we often buy a small PET bottle and then fill it up in Restaurant bathroom if it's empty and we are having a long drink. We just don't carry around giant bottles of water.

[@herrbonk3635]

Coffee is great with pastries. But tea is better when you are a bit thirsty, I think. /Regards from Sweden

[@simonmeszaros2770]

dont sure about others as i see people buyng loads of mineralka but in czech rep or slovakia ibguess its the same. tap water. and i drink almost exclusively tea so for me tap water is infused with herbs.

[@John-Is-My-Name]

Yeah in the whole north of europe too. Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Poland (I would assume Latvia and Lithuania too but I havent been). At least in Sweden its better then bottled water so there is no reason for drinking other water then tap water. Except if you want sparkling water... Typical american too say "In europe they do this .... " and its only France, Germany, Italy or Spain.

[@Call-me-Al]

​@@herrbonk3635 depends on coffee and tea strengths. An Americano is very hydrating, for instance.

[@IvanToshkov]

Here is a relevant joke from Bulgaria. A journalist interviews a 100 year old woman in some remote village and of course asks her how she managed to live that long. And the woman responded that she drinks some rakia (a bit like brandy). If she has a low blood pressure she would drink a glass of red wine. And if she has high blood pressure, she'd drink white wine. The journalist asked her: "But water? When do you drink water?". "I haven't been *that* ill" said the woman.

[@leob4403]

That's cute but it's bullshit. Alcoholism certainly is correlated with a shorter lifespan.

[@FredrikGranlundkayaker]

😂

[@aramisone7198]

😂 and Rakia cures diseases.

[@seboost4999]

As a German family living in the US there are many things that we observe and feel as being weird without understanding why. One of these things is co-workers and other people everywhere walking around with huge drinking bottles as if preparing for a 3-day hike in the desert. In contrast, I hardly mange to fulfill the German recommendations that you mentioned in your video. Your videos always help to understand the backgrounds. Thanks!

[@TypeAshton]

I guess last year was the year the gigantic Stanley cups became the "It" item on every girls Christmas list. We flew home for Christmas and had to ask our family why everyone was drinking from cotton candy colored "big gulps" all of a sudden.

[@Pidalin]

When you work manualy, it's totaly normal to have 2L bottle of water with you, especially when it's 33°C and you have to do some manual work, you will get headache without drinking enough water.

[@dagmarbubolz7999]

The recommendations are totally useless if you don't take the persons body into account. I always had problems getting the 2 l that is recommended. But I didn't have any health problems. Then I found the X ml per kg conversion, and because I'm a small and thin person I just needed 1,3 l not 2 l. No wonder I always felt ok. That's why with the years and everone claiming they know what's best, and some trial and errors, we have found with our friend that it's the best way to follow our intuition. I drink when I'm thirsty. And I have my habitual morning cup of coffee and a tea in the evening. That's already half of what I should drink, so why stress about the rest? All these huge cups are just another stupid trend to yet again sell something to the people.

[@claudiakarl7888]

Just came home after three weeks in the US. Met some German people who have been living in Florida for some years. We took a sightseeing trip by car, a/c on full blast, about 29 Celsius outside. My wife and I of course had something to drink with us, a 0,5 l bottle each. Both Americanised Germans had giant cups of water with them, looked like they were ready for a hike in the sun. But we just drove around indoors Naples. And what surprised me: every shopping cart had one or two bottle holders. Who needs to drink in a shop that’s cooled down to nearly freezing?

[@wallerwolf6930]

@@dagmarbubolz7999 I and probably almost all doctors see it the same way, according to the latest (?)! insights! As with food intake, the body knows best when it needs “fluid”. As a rule! Completely dependent on the actual need at any time, which will also vary depending on the activity and whether part of the fluid requirement is already covered by other foods. For example, if you eat a bowl of soup, you have already covered part of it. Even other solid foods “always” consist of water. Nothing edible is completely dry. The “average” recommendations are therefore very inaccurate and must be considered individually!

[@Andreas_42]

I'm Swiss and I drink tap water at home, sometimes humorously reffered to as "Hahnenburger", where "Hahn" is short for "Wasserhahn" with "-burger" as a suffix. If you ever visit a town in Switzerland and see a water fountain assume it will be safe to drink. If it is not, there will be a sign that will tell you it is not safe to drink.

[@its_just_seb]

I had a friend over from America a few months ago in summer, and he was so excited by the water fountains we have here. He really missed them when he went back, and ever since then I've started appreciating them much more. I don't think I ever really appreciated enough that it's a rare sign telling you it's not safe to drink, and not the other way around. I wish the whole world had water like ours. Everyone deserves access to clean and fresh water that tastes good

[@haselni]

The sign telling you it's not safe to drink might not be in English, though.

[@jasperzanovich2504]

"Kranerberger" in Germany. At least where I live. Pretty much the same meaning.

[@aurelspecker6740]

@@haselni It's a pictogram most of the times. Literally everyone using standard pictrograms will understand that.

[@HighFlyer96]

Growing up with spring water as tap water (also Swiss) I noticed on the other hand to have gotten spoiled by it's superior taste. When I was on vacation in either France or England, I got offered tap water. Drinking that felt like drinking water from a public pool when it's treated with Chlorine. Even with some bottled brands I've gotten picky.

[@helenebach3440]

For me the most interesting question is, why does everbody drink everything with straws. Most influencers online seem to no longer drink right from a glass or bottle but always sip everything through straws.

[@Rick2010100]

Aprox. 2 months ago a US female (Ashley Summers) drunk herself to death. She was a bit dehydrated and drunk water like crazy to compensate it. This even affected the salt-water level in her blood and caused a sudden death. The human boddy needs a certain degree of salts (Electrolyts) to transport signals, if this level is fallen below a critical level, some vital informations are no longer transported.

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

I finally understand why 'paying for public toilets 'is always mentioned in American culture shock videos about Europe. It must be rather expensive to pay a Euro if you drink water all day long 😅

[@picassomanu185]

And if you add to that the amount of sodas and coffee by the buckets, it's a wonder they manage to get out of their hotels

[@fj8264]

Also: the quality of said tap- and ofc toiletwater (as it stems from the same providing main line!) is to a much higher standard, and, as said by many here already, is not privatized. So, indirectly you pay for the general standard of said tapwater if you use public toilets, and the cleaning teams/ladies of course.

[@mulraf]

Honestly understandable though. Paying for going to the toilet kinda sucks. Should be free. Maybe understandble if it's really just a single toilet out in the middle of nowhere, because otherwise how would that finance itself, but if it's in a station e.g. then DB should just pay for it, if it's in a mall, the people who run the mall should pay for it.

[@harrybruijs2614]

Why are the doors in US public toilets not to the ground

[@charybdis8113]

@@picassomanu185 Why Europeans see Americans as some barbaric swamp monsters? It start to look like hate.

[@LupinoArts]

Now wait a second; i think a better translation for "Leitungswasser" should be "pipe water". We don't drink water that goes down the drain, but that what comes out of the tap. And for good reason: in Germany, "Pipe water" is (allegedly) way stricter regulated and controlled than the raw materials and the processing procedures of the food industries. At least insofar as that tap water is not allowed to be enriched with any sort of supplements, unlike bottled water.

[@imcbocian]

It's same in all EU countries, since such are the EU regulations 🙃

[@nfboogaard]

In the Netherlands they experimented with adding fluoride to the tapwater / pipe water, to improve dental health of its citizens, but it was shut down.

[@imcbocian]

@@nfboogaard there was this idea in Poland too but tin foil hatters started to panic 😉

[@Rsama60]

@@nfboogaard Germany had the same discussion. Fluorides are added to certain tooth paste brands. As a consumer you have a choice. Btw nothing wrong with fluorides in the correct doses. We all intake chlorides (same chemical family) on a daily basis.

[@nfboogaard]

@@Rsama60 I guess the fluoride dosage in our tapwater was too high, there were reports of adverse health developments (increase of migraine, stomach ailments and depression), which rose 5% in the years following the implementation.

[@Noksus]

In Finland it's pretty common to get just tap water even in restaurants. And tap water is definitely the go-to when you're thirsty. But we do love carbonated water. Sodastream is pretty common too, and you can make carbonated water out of tap water super easily.

[@DarkR3ignlol]

Restaurants have a very very high margin on drinks, even Water. Its commonly known here that a restaurant kinda bets on the customer to order one or two drinks and price their food relatively low. A buffet in some chinese restaurants is pretty cheap for what you get, they make their money with the beaverages. So you usually dont get Tapwater in Restaurants. And if you order a "Stilles Wasser" (Without Carbonation), you will almost always get a small bottle with a glass. Wich is easy 3-4€ and costs them maybe 50cents. But we dont go out eating that often, so its fine. At home many people drink Tapwater, or use a Sodastream. Tho it is true many germans absolutely only drink bottled water. My parents drink the same brand of bottled water for maybe 20 years now, and they rarely drink from the tap. I usually drink carbonated tap water.

[@varkonyitibor4409]

I was on a cycle trip in Finland. Public taps: none. Buying still standard 1,5l still mineral water? Impossible. Either 0,5l bottle or 5l balloon. When it is 1,5l bottle it is either carbonated which is not the best when cycling or flavoured that I dont like. Ended up drinking milk instead

[@GugureSux]

@@varkonyitibor4409 You can legit ask any cafe / restaurant / heck even bystander if they could fill up your flask. Most have nothing against that. In a pinch, you could even do it yourself in a toilet. No, you won't get poisoned.

[@Pentti_Hilkuri]

@@varkonyitibor4409 Most supermarkets have a tap to fill up drinking water jugs and bottles.

[@Noksus]

@@DarkR3ignlolWhere is here? What country are you talking about? Germany?

[@IzzyIkigai]

As a German, my favourite level of carbonation is "none". I really will never understand why people like water that hurts their mouth just as much as it does their bank accounts when you can just open the tap and pay 0.002€ per liter. You don't need to come from swabia to think that bottled water being 250 times more expensive is ridiculous..

[@scollyb]

I think another factor is being a tourist. If you are walking around all day you need to drink more but you are probably getting less. Hotels have tiny glasses and no easy way to rehydrate. I'm British, I rarely worry about water at home, but travelling in Europe I always need to buy large bottles of water

[@scollyb]

Just occurred to me, that's probably worse for Americans who often aren't used to walking around all day

[@thodan467]

which is easy to do, gas stations, grocery stores, supermarkets

[@squidcaps4308]

When i lived in Helsinki centre, i was always dehydrated when out in the town but being close to home meant that i didn't need to carry a water bottle. That is one difference, tourists drink outside, the locals drink it indoors, out of view.

[@Tokru86]

Hotels have baths in every room where you can get unlimited amounts of tap water.

[@thodan467]

@@Tokru86 I was never in an hotel with a bath in every room, the bath was often another room if not down the floor.

[@KeesBoons]

I'm Dutch, but I drink tap water all the time. Never had a taste for sparkling water. The USA seems to be even more impressible by marketing than we are here in Europe. Trends always seem to be more extreme My mother had kidney failure and had to life with dialysis and the often accompanying moisture restriction, so the topic of hydration was something that came up a lot with her specialists. What it always came down to was that it depends on your other intakes. If you use a lot of salt or potassium (also salt sort of ;o)) the body needs more water to keep the body healthy, but if you eat and drink "normally" the need for water is not that high. Drinkable water is a resource, just as oil and iron, and seems to become less readily available again, mainly due to pollution. Looking at the more wasteful US society in general, I sometimes wonder how long it will last. I would think with such large areas in the US where water is not readily available there would be more awareness, but that does not show. One thing that you didn't bring up, but really annoys me is the large amounts of drinkable water being wasted on the lawns in places where these shouldn't exist. Why?

[@deirdrevergados971]

I absolutely agree about wasting water on lawns....there ought to be a law against it.

[@cockatooinsunglasses7492]

I am an American living in the state of New Mexico. The reason for large lawns is largely due to status. The United States is a _very_ materialistic and class oriented society. Also, Home Owners Associations can control what your yard and house looks like, even if you own your house! There was a proposition in Carlsbad, New Mexico to ban green lawns, but was struct down by popular consensus of the city's population at the time. Also, for drinking water consumption, if you live in New Mexico or Arizona, you will need that large amount of water in the summer time believe me! " Arizona~the place where your tires can melt just by driving to the grocery store as it approaches 44°C at mid-day. "

[@AlexusMaximusDE]

I don't think people in the US are more significantly more easily manipulated by marketing. It's just that they have so little regulation around advertising that the general population is just constantly lied to, both implicitly and explicitly.

[@ronald3836]

@@cockatooinsunglasses7492 As far as I understand, in Arizona (and probably NM too) the tap water is heavily subsidized to keep the cost down. As a result, people waste it to maintain big lawns. Socialism in action 🙂

[@ronald3836]

@@AlexusMaximusDE In this case it seems campaigns for drinking bottled water instead of perfectly fine (and often identically sourced) tap water have been more successful in Europe (at least in the Netherlands and Germany).

[@Kommunisator]

As a German, an addition to the "no tap water in restaurants"-thingy: Restaurants here often earn more on the drinks offered than on the food. There has been a price fight, especially in places where they have to make lots of money in only a few opening hours (p.ex. serving meals to office workers mostly in the middle of the day - some restaurants only open from 11am to 3pm). The food is often a bit more salty than is the norm, so people drink more, and drinks are providing the extra income. That is also the reason why McD and BK do not offer free refills in Germany, they also make most of their money on the drinks. Even more so, since they can offer soft drinks from the tap (mixed on site from concentrate, water and gas instead of offering small bottles where they would earn less like smaller outlets have to). Also, maybe I missed it, but there's a law here that bottled water has to be brought to the customer in a restaurant in a sealed bottle and it has to be opened in front of the customer, so that he knows what he is getting (since some restaurants refilled the expensive mineral water bottles in the back room with carbonated tap water and brought them to the customer already opened). This also leads to people thinking they are getting ripped off if this is not the case and some happily pay more for "fresh and secure" water because they do not trust the kitchens (otoh: why do they eat there if they don't ?).

[@berlinorama]

This is a good point, restaurants definitely make most of their money on drinks, hence the tiny glasses of water that many offer if you ask for tap water.

[@Jay_Johnson]

They mix it on site from concentrate? That explains why every coke I’ve had at a Burger King tastes like it’s flat and watered down.

[@Kommunisator]

@@Jay_Johnson Correct.That is they way worldwide with all larger chains, the taps you see there have big jugs of concentrate and a water connection as well as a gas bottle. Now the mixing ratio is normally provided by the manufacturer, but some outlets choose to tamper with it in order to make more revenue. Even Ikea is not excempt to this. (and on the other hand many people do not notice because drinks are flavored according to regional preferences. Ever tried drinking Fanta in Ireland? Thats pure sugar with syrup and sweetener added on top!)

[@andreasu.3546]

@@Jay_Johnson I remember soft drinks in a McDonalds in Washington D.C. tasting like they were based on water right out of the local swimming pool.

[@mrnice81]

This! My grandparents had a Pub/Eckkneipe and were quite famous for their Hausmanskost (home-cooking-style-food) in their area, they said 'the food brings in the customers, but the drinks bring in the profits.'

[@BenvanBroekhuijsen]

In Europe you usually drink bottled water in a restaurant when it is the only drink you have. If you however drink coffee or alcohol and ask for a glass of water next to it, it usually is tap water for free. This has more to do with that we find it strange to charge for tap water, but bottled water can be charged as a normal drink.

[@leob4403]

It's not like that in Sweden. They will always serve tap water for free if you ask for it

[@gregoryclark8217]

There is a TikTok trend called "water tok", where people get those stupidly large jugs with straws, and then add loads of different flavouring powders and syrups. It really annoys me, because when you add those flavourings, it's not water. It's basically what the UK calls "squash", a drink made by diluting a concentrate of some sort.

[@daintydalmatian]

American water

[@heronimousbrapson863]

I'm 71 now, but when I was a kid, soda in North America came in reusable glass bottles or metal cans. Milk was often home delivered in glass bottles, and milk sold in grocery stores was in cartons made of paper and parrafin wax. I don't recall seeing my first plastic beverage bottle until the 1970's.

[@ajs41]

Here in England many people still have milk delivered to their house in glass bottles every day. We do.

[@redjoker365]

@@ajs41We got rid of it in the US because too many kids started looking like the milkman

[@MrNickelbrille]

@@ajs41 I'd love that service here in Germany. We had it, but we almost gave up on it completely

[@emmao6578]

@@MrNickelbrille I think ajs41 is one of the lucky ones in this regard, I do know of various places that still have a milkman but it's certainly not that common anymore. There are also some farm shops or refill shops popping up that offer a similar option but you have to got to them so not quite as convenient unless you live close.

[@cjay2]

@@redjoker365 "started looking like the milkman"? What the _ does that mean? Am I missing something culturally important here?

[@Raider_MXD]

Being served chlorinated tap water and drinks with ice cubes made from that in US restaurants was a culture shock for me due to the awful taste. It felt like drinking from a swimming pool.

[@peterbohren3637]

it‘s even worse without the icecubes

[@ReyOfLight]

Oh yes! Even 20 years later, I'm still traumatized from taking a sip of water at a restaurant between San Diego and Los Angeles! It really tasted like they'd taken a glass of water from the swimming pool at the hotel I was staying at. Absolutely disgusting!

[@SW-gf6zl]

Two additional points to the "pool water taste": 1) My daughter was on a high school exchange in the U.S. and found the tap water disgusting due to the strong chlorination. 2) In my childhood, the tap water in my home town (northern Bavaria) was also chlorinated (which I always disliked because it reminded me of the public swimming pool ["Freibad"]) because we had a garrison of several thousand U.S. troops in town for whom the tap water otherwise wouldn't have been drinkable; in more recent years, with the number of G.I.s being reduced, the chlorination eventually was dropped.

[@arnolsi]

I asked for soda without ice and the bartender looked at me as I was totaly crazy. But I'm special I like lukewarm and stale coke light. Anyway I think the ice is good for the profit. It's often ice with only a little from the ordered drink and you have to pay sky rocking prices for that.

[@embreis2257]

in Germany, if water companies have to chlorinate their tap water, something went wrong and they are fighting a [temporary] problem like bacteria in some pipes somewhere along the network. they try to fix the problem asap to stop the chlorination because nobody wants to drink tap water with the taste from swim halls.

[@angelica3518]

My body tells me when I need water, by beeing thirsty. Then I give it what it wants. If I crave salt, I eat somethung salty. I does often not need a lot so no need to over consume. And so on. Never force your body if it does not "ask" you for something.

[@madrooky1398]

Then you are lucky if that works for you. I can totally forget about drinking enough and only notice when my body starts suffering, by getting tired for no reason or headache.

[@angelica3518]

@@madrooky1398 stress and some difficult days absolutley makes one ignore the signals, but headache and low energy are harder signals from your body, telling you it needs something. Be kind to yourself and hopefully you will hear it before you get those more severe signals.

[@angelica3518]

@@madrooky1398 you are not getting tired for no reason. You get tired for a reason. Low blood sugar most likely 🙂👍

[@cjoor]

​@@madrooky1398That's not 'lucky', that's human bodies working the way they were designed.

[@madrooky1398]

@@cjoor If we start cherry picking wording than "design" is a poor choice of words. 😆 And I remain by my choice, because you are lucky if everything turns out out to be working as intended, designed or evolved does not matter.^^

[@RikkeMyE]

From Denmark: Here its just like, we dont spend money buying waterbottles - we are getting the reusable ones and refill it and carry it in out bags… Thats why you cant buy bottled water everywhere, there is no sales in it 😂

[@RoVa65]

As a German who has lived in the US for a couple of years, the US tap water would be deem undrinkable due to the high level of chlorination used. That extends to sodas offered at fast food restaurants preparing the drinks with Sirup and tap water at the fountain. We even refused Ice in the sodas for that reason. I never got me head around the obsession with drinking and expecting tap water in the restaurants.

[@richardacevedo280]

I lived in Germany for 10 years, and 5 in the UK. Water is a God given right, it should not be denied. In flights water is mandatory for a good reason. You can't be forced to buy a bottle. It is provided to you. Also, the choice of bottled water is expensive, and restaurants make a hefty profit from it. It should be an option to order perrier for example and not an expectation. I have lived in many parts of the world, not just traveled. Germany has a long way to sand its corners in this regard, and end its vindictivness about this subject. I generally add an extra tip when my waiter follows intructions and serves me tap water.

[@2unknown2111]

buddy refused ice in sodas lmaooo

[@torstenp42]

@@richardacevedo280 Wow, you sound personally insulted about that germany has regulations to keep drinking water clean and not to have to pollute it with chlorine and stuff? And yes, that costs a bit.

[@JaniceHope]

I did the exact same think. I refused that completely unnecessary ice in already cooled drinks (usually juice) ... I had a very bad time in the usa with food and water.

[@Oroberus]

This, most american tap water wouldn't get approval for human consumption in europe *g*

[@Demonsteel87]

Bottled water is definitely not the standard in Sweden, we almost always take tap water at restaurants. There definitely are people that drink fizzy water at restaurants, and it's always an option, but most people usually go for tap.

[@ZapAndersson]

Tho drinking tap water in a restaurant is very "low class" in Sweden. You might have that together with a glass of wine, but nobody ever drinks JUST that.

[@warcanon9546]

@@ZapAndersson Oh I beg to differ. Nothing wrong with just having water with your food instead of something else to drink. (edited) [I know a woman whom enjoy the meal with water and] she still enjoys her meals at the restaurants, the kind where you have a waiter bring you the food to the table. Not posh places but I would not call them cheap either.

[@Pschokid]

​@@ZapAnderssondrinking tap water is standard if you go out during lunch or by the designated driver during dinner in my experience.

[@gunnarmedin4104]

In my opinion it has nothing at all to do with class, but drinking mineral water like Loka or Ramlösa from bottle or can must be much more common in restaurants in Sweden than tap water.

[@hjge1012]

Sweden is also number last when it comes to bottled water consumption per capita. You guys consume like 10L of bottled water per capita per year. Meanwhile in Italy they consume 200L and in Germany like 170L. All Scandinavian countries consume very little bottled water. Same goes for the Netherlands. The Baltics, the UK and Ireland are also down there and are quite a bit below the average. The European average is 118L. The US consumes even more bottled water than they do in Italy, with 211L per capita per year. So for every bottle of water a Swede buys, an American buys 21.

[@abracadabralix]

i remember my first time in germany i was on a trip with other french kids and we had so much trouble trying to get non carbonated water one time i tried getting an apple juice because i was tired of trying to ask for flat water in my broken german (i was 12), i felt so betrayed when i got sparkling apple juice it was hilarious

[@reinhard8053]

In Austria it's the other way around today. If I want a juice with water I have to tell them I want sparkling water or I certainly will get flat water. And even then it happens that they get it wrong.

[@BoogieBoogsForever]

Good story. I feel for your 12 year old, disappointed self.

[@stevthethief]

The first time I went to the netherlands and bought a bottle of Ice Tea it was quite a shock to find out it was sparkling aswell. Now I love it 🤣

[@uhoffmann29]

In Germany, Leitungswasser (tap water = directly from the pipe) is the most regulated and safe type of food we have. But when I grew up, we didn't drink it just like that. Bottled carbonated water was the norm and only in the last couple of years, people around me have started to drink more tap water. I personally love it, because here in the Harz region, we have excellent water that even tastes really good 🙂

[@hellebachmann8260]

Kind of funny. As your neighbor from Denmark, we almost never drink sparkled water 😅. I remember trips to Germany in my childhood with only the sparkled water. As a child I hated it, today I sometimes but it 😉

[@fj8264]

@@hellebachmann8260 I seem to remember a story of my 92 year old grandpa who, to make a long story short, is very much of the opinion that carbonated water was very much considered "rich, cultured and advanced" in the 50's and 60's and thus became a major hit in many mid-income german households instead of drinking "boring" ol' tapwater.

[@hellebachmann8260]

@@fj8264 I Think it was because water was the only option for them. In my youth in the 80' we only got soda on fridays. I remember it as so special 😅

[@fj8264]

@@hellebachmann8260 Same here. Coca Cola was "Teufelszeug". Still, I distinctly remember Gramps saying that "that bubbly water was (initially) great for impressing friends with wealth in the 50's, and later on just "better than still water". I personally prefer still water and tea over anything else.

[@swanpride]

It is regulated where it is prepared for home use, but you never know about the quality of the pipes. Especially in very old houses there is a very real danger of lead in the water, and if if that isn't the case, there can still be issues with the pipes.

[@donnchadhban]

I live in Scotland in an area that has recently become practically overrun with short-stop American tourists; seemingly drawn by the untrue rumour that this was where the ultra-English Harry Potter books were written. What really astonishes us is how the Americans keep going into shops to purchase multiple plastic bottles. Yes, that's right; they buy many plastic bottles. These bottles happen to be full of water, but they might as well be full of air, because the water in them comes from precisely the same source as the water in our taps. If we get thirsty for water, we just drink it from the tap. It's free of charge and doesn't require millions of non-degradable plastic bottles.

[@moonasha]

what are they supposed to do? go to a tap and fill their pockets with water? fuckin euros man, every time

[@martinakovarikova8000]

@@moonasha As a European, I have reusable bottles, which can be filled from the tap. Easy. I use them for my whole day hikes as well. And yes I use them when travelling round Europe too! Saves money, environment.

[@donnchadhban]

Refill the same bottle. @@moonasha

[@ogrimbothesour2976]

@@moonasha go to a tap and fill a bottle with free water you absolute goof lmao

[@Quetzietse]

Yeah, Americans don't seem to get this: it isn't about 'us' and water, it is about 'them' and bottles. That they have to carry literally everywhere like some protective charm. Typical 'You don't do the thing the same way that I do so you must not do the thing at all' kind of culturally ignorant thinking.

[@wimschoenmakers5463]

Most Europeans even never used their cup holders in their cars or even seen anyone using them.

[@MartijnPennings]

I still don't get the tiktok from the beginning: wtf does that woman mean with "we finally found water" and "Europeans don't believe in water"?? Like.... turn on any tap that you come across and there's drinkable water? Especially in southern European countries almost every store has a fridge full of cold water?

[@sluggo206]

I assume they meant it's hard to get free tap water in restaurants, and they don't see it on other tables in the restaurant or see Europeans carrying water bottles.

[@DioBrando-qr6ye]

If she was in Italy we have a lot of water fountains in our big cities

[@lisa_vxng]

@@DioBrando-qr6ye THIS omg like it looked they were in some older (ha) italian city so theres literally health-regulated fountains all over?? but then again, expecting americans to read or understand that might be too much

[@ZapAndersson]

Whoah.. As a Swede, even the German intake seemed a LOT. I drink when I'm thirsty. I never ever carry around water unless maybe in the form of coffee ☕

[@chantekka]

Well in sweden coffe is the alternative to water 😉

[@Carewolf]

That is the thing. You get 90% of your needed water intake from solid food.

[@TullaRask]

Norwegian here, we often carry water in our own bottles in summertime, we take it from the tap. At the same time in summer the shops are frequently empty. That's about a couple of weeks here in Oslo.

[@TullaRask]

When it comes to coffee people here say you need to drink more water if you've had a cup. Something about coffee tying up water in your body.

[@Engy_Wuck]

@@TullaRask which is a myth. Sure, caffeine has a diuretic effect - but so has water itself... and you take in more water in each cup than the caffeine in it forces your body to get out.

[@JR-zm5uw]

I think at least in Germany the relationship to tap water has changed over the years, especially since the invention of the soda stream, which will make your tap water sparkle. People nowadays drink more tap water I think. The reason it’s frowned upon in restaurants is because they make money with the drinks here. So if everybody just ordered free tap water, it would be bad for them financially. Asking only for tap water and no other drinks basically comes off a bit cheap, while if you ordered other drinks, they will usually be happy to also give a glass of tap water. I just travelled to the US and while free refills and tap water were great, the prices were also crazy in comparison. So I think it’s kind of included in the price to have unlimited water, while here it isn’t.

[@arnolsi]

Is Germany the main market for Soda Stream? It seams as it's not very popular in other countries. We had the first ca. 35 years ago.

[@orbiradio2465]

@@arnolsi Don't know. But it helped, that the German courts decided, that other companies are allowed to refill the cylinder. Now you get the refill at many places and at half the price than the US.

[@weeardguy]

@@orbiradio2465 Ah that can be a difference. To be honest I don't know about any ruling in The Netherlands concerning refilling the cylinder, but I doubt we have such a court-ruling in place: I bet the Dutch like to get their pockets emptied with such a device (which, indeed, is not new, 'Soda Club' machines existed in the nineties here, but just never caught up. I think Sodastream just benefits from a 'going green' movement, besides aggresively campaigning the product, while I can't remember ever seeing a commercial for a comparable machine in the nineties.

[@dracuella]

@@arnolsi SodaStream is wildly popular in Denmark, too, and we love fizzy water just as much as our German neighbours. We actually call it Danskvand (Danish water) as if we own it xD My mother got us a SodaStream 40 years ago and we could have one cola or orange soda once a week with our Saturday sweets and rented VHS film. Aah, those were the days ^_^ PS: I just googled and SodaStream came to Denmark in 1973! A pair of English tourists had one with them which inspired a Danish retailer to market them here in Denmark. That was before I was born xD

[@Case_]

I mean it's not like Sodastream invented home water carbonation. Soda carbonation bottles were commonplace decades before the modern Sodastream became a thing.

[@Suomatti]

I live in Germany and only drink tap water. It's like someone else wrote here: Restaurants (the real ones, not fast food) are for special occasions, so the rest of my food I prepare at home or at work. At a restaurant I drink other beverages. At work I have tap water too. The quality of tap water in Germany is amazing. I visited other countries in Europe and it almost always tastes like chlorine elsewhere. I think they don't even notice there anymore, but it is not drinkable, if you're used to have good tap water at home. We have exstremely strict regulations when it comes to our drinking water.

[@rogerwilco2]

I think in a lot of places, unless they have chlorinated tap water, people drink mostly tap water at home and at work, or some derivative of it like coffee, tea, lemonade, soda stream. Chlorinated tap water seems to be mostly Southern Europe and ever there it is getting better and better.

[@pt99fr22]

The trend in Germany is very much going towards drinking more tap water, especially as water carbonators like sodastream are getting more popular. It's much easier to carrry just a cartridge every couple weeks than a crate every week.

[@leob4403]

I use sodastream all the time, here's a word of advice, don't bring those sodastream bottles in your backpack or training bag or whatever, they will leak water and ruin books, electronics and stuff like that

[@susanhochstrasser4975]

Hey Ashton, great video but I think you should have mentioned the bottled water in Europe is usually a mineral water with different amount of electrolytes (Magnesium, sodium, iron, calcium etc..) You can chose the water depending on what minerals you want more of and of course for the taste. Did you know there are Water Sommeliers?

[@orcaflotta7867]

"Did you know there are Water Sommeliers?" I bet your question made some Murican heads 'splode.

[@Spectification]

This. Drinking only mineral water is also a health hazard. A buddy of mine was drinking mineral water almost exclusively for 2 years and guess what, Kidney stones at 27 years old...

[@AV-we6wo]

I don't know what specific circumstances led to the problems of your friend, but your claim that 'drinking only mineral water is a health hazard' is so generalising that it's outright misinformation.

[@Spectification]

@@AV-we6wo Its hazardous as in drinking too much water at the same time is hazardous. There was a dare on an Army base, two guys drank too much water too quickly and passed out. They had to be put on IV fluids. As with anything, do too much and literally everything is a health hazard... I never said drinking mineral water is a hazard, but if you are drinking ONLY mineral water, there could be nasty side effects, like kidney stones.

[@robopecha]

most people in germany drink mineral water exclusively all their lives. people should stop spreading bs. there is nothing wrong with it. it is not like doing anything excessively. it is normal.

[@CM-ey7nq]

European here. When I was younger, I hardly drank any water at all. Despite being very physically active. I drank when I was thirsty, which was rare. The older I get, though, the more water I seem to need. Thankfully I have very nice tap water, might buy some bottled water with or without taste added now and then.

[@Pystro]

Might just be because adolescents eat more than adults, and you can satisfy a part of your water intake from food too.

[@leob4403]

​@@Pystrono, it's because young people think they are Immortal and don't care about health

[@hannayoung9657]

In Sweden, we drink tap water at home, it not something you ask for at restaurants , so water bought in store is fizzy and most often flavoured. We are told drinking too much can cause brain swelling and incontinence . We do use plastic bottles but we hand them back to the store and get a bit of money for it.

[@warcanon9546]

Just a little note on the money for bottles, whoever bought the bottle pays a deposit on it and that money gets paid back when the bottle is returned. The bottle can be returned at any place where they accept bottles, not just the one you bought it from.

[@gunnarmedin4104]

Yes, drinking extremely much water can cause the brain to swell which in turn can lead to terrible headache and death.

[@janihyvarinen73]

In Finland, I do ask for tap water at a restaurant too. Finnish tap water is generally good or excellent quality, and bottled water costs an arm and a leg. It simply doesn’t make sense to go for bottled water, and I don’t think even waiters give you a funny look nowadays. It might have been different 20-30 years ago but restaurants have become much more casual places than they used to be, and nothing would ruin the casual atmosphere faster than a waiter giving you a condescending look. So if you want tap water, you get tap water, and if you are happy, then the waiter is happy and the restaurant thrives.

[@seppokarjalainen2409]

I always ask for just "water" In restaurants In Finland. In 30 years I have never been offered bottled water. I am always served great tasting tap water.

[@atropabelladonna]

@@warcanon9546 Same in germany, even for plastic bottles

[@svr5423]

Europeans do drink tap water. Directly from the tap, with bubbles from the tap, cooled from the tap or as coffee and tea. However, Service in Europe sucks and therefore we don't get free tap water in restaurants. But then again, we don't play 50% tip (or whatever is the current rate in the US). Edit: I don't care about recommendations, those don't take into account the circumstances. I can guestimate quite good how much water I need. It's easily visible in the urine. Also "glasses of water" are not an official unit. We measure in Volume (liters). A glass can typically range from 4cl (shotglass) to 1l (Masskrug).

[@leob4403]

In northern Europe you get tap water for free at restaurants, I live in Sweden and get it for free all the time

[@manuelabad8682]

In Spain yo can get free tap water, normally if you are in a cafe or having some bears and you want water you just ask for a glass of water but if for example you are eating in a restaurant normally you ask for a botle of water to have with your meal because is common for many in the same table to have a glass of water after finishing eating.

[@hazelforest1543]

7:33 In the UK it's the law, in order to get an alcohol license for a restaurant or bar you need to serve free potable water. America really isn't that weird, and most people get tap water here. Although there is a water asile in the supermarket where you can get fizzy water, although most the time that people buy bottled water is probably either at a petrol station or because they don't have a container.

[@thombaz]

Every proper European know that water belongs in the espresso machine, not in the human body.

[@Frohds14]

I think one reason Americans habitually drink more is the AC. In air-conditioned rooms, the humidity is often extremely low, turning you into dried fruit. I notice this in my car in the summer. We used to take at least two breaks on the way to our vacation place to pee. Today no one has to anymore. Then there is the food. If I eat your soggy sandwich bread or pancakes, I'll need either gallons of syrup or three cups of coffee. My standard German breakfast includes fruits like apples, pears, kiwi berrys, melon... or tomatoes or dairy products such as yoghurt and Quark in the morning, lettuce for lunch and raw vegetables for Abendbrot. I eat significantly less salt and sugar and protein, things that put a lot of strain on the kidneys. Another reason might be, that Gwyneth Paltrow isn't that popular here, as are all the Hollywood ladies who talk about stay hydrated here and avoid to feel hungry with water there. Most people I know who run around with a tap water filled bottle are people on a diet.

[@frankmitchell3594]

I agree with your comment on home AC dehumidifying the room air.

[@norwegianblue2017]

Try living in the southern US without AC and see how long that lasts.

[@Pidalin]

They use poor AC units, real AC is not only about making temperature lower, it should be also able to change humidity (increase or decrease as you need), but most of today AC units are fake AC without all features which AC should have.

[@orbiradio2465]

@@norwegianblue2017 Temperature is a factor for water consumption.

[@johnp139]

The air is only dry in the southwest, and that’s not due to air conditioning. In the southeast, the air conditioning has to be set low in order to reduce the high humidity.

[@lardyman2]

If you told me the first video i would start my day with was about the difference in the water intake between Americans and Europeans i wouldnt have believed it, but here we are. 😂

[@TypeAshton]

And I'm glad to have you watching. 😆😉

[@NathanEllisBodi-bf5zo]

The Internet seems to show you things that you didn't think you needed, and, quite correctly, may not. Lol

[@chipsthedog1]

It's amazing what we watch, my first video this morning was a 40 minute documentary about people addicted to Bingo in America. As a Brit who has never played Bingo I'm not even sure why I clicked on it but I'm glad I did I ended up watching the whole thing and now I am here watching another interesting video I never even thought about before today.

[@nanorider426]

I live in Denmark. Bottled water is very rare in our country. Yes, it can be found but we don't usually drink it. Our tap water tastes far better and we pay for that in our consumption of water in our house. Why buy something that we have for free?

[@johnp139]

What if you AREN’T IN YOUR HOME????

[@thirstwithoutborders995]

I think the obsession with Sprudel is a very German thing. Where I live in Austria and even when I visit my German in-laws, tap water is the go to and certainly not reserved for cleaning. Sprudel is just considered "the better water" as in if you go out to eat, you would have a fancier drink than tap water, since it doesn't happen often and it would seem cheap to invite people and serve them tap water. Much like wine, as you said, we show our class with water. Also, if you order coffee it is usually served with water, under the assumption they coffee dehydrates and ordering a large glass of tapwater with the coffee on a hot day is pretty normal. Those Americans just don't see people drink as much water, because of the recommendations being different and we listen to our bodies, that just need less because of sugar and sodium and they don't get a glimpse of home life. We even tell our kids to not overdo it with the salt and sweets, "otherwise you will be thirsty at night".

[@svr5423]

Yeah, German's love "Sprudel". Few people like still water. Here in Switzerland, both are common. But in my experience, more people will be happy with still water. Fun fact: We now have taps that can serve chilled, carbonated and boiling (for tea) water. No need for extra devices!

[@jgr7487]

8:28 it's the norm in Germany, but not in France, where asking for a jar of tap water is quite common to accompany the wine bottle.

[@TurdBoi666]

😂😂

[@musicofnote1]

Cultural differences. Go to a French restaurant and you can get a carafe of cooled tap water and/or mineral water. Forgot all about, living in Switzerland since 1977. I tend to drink a lot of water, of course we have a Sodastream machine that infuses tap water with bubbles - makes it carbonated. What I generally don't drink is commercial carbonated drinks or fruit juices. Mainly because of the sugar - I've got diabetes Type 2, so sugar is poison for me.

[@peterjackson4763]

I too have type 2 diabetes Sugar isn't poison to us. We need some. I keep some sugary sweets in my house in case I have an hypo. I do drink some fruits juices and carbonated drinks (no sugar or at least no added sugar).

[@Kater9277]

If only the human body developed a mechanism to alert the conscious mind to its need to increase fluid uptake... I'm never gonna understand why (healthy, non-elderly) people feel the need to guzzle water for no reason other than some imaginary daily quota. You're not going to forget about being thirsty, like you might about being hungry. Thirst is such a basic need that your body WILL constantly alert you to this. Drink when you're thirsty, if you're not thirsty, you don't need to drink.

[@PotsdamSenior]

I agree. But for many this would probably need some re-training of their body. Drink when you are thirsty, eat when you are hungry, rest when you are tired. And stop once you no longer are. **My** body at least even tells me exactly **what** it needs. Sometimes it wants cucumber salad, other times a piece of cake or whatever. Probably for a reason, so I eat what I'm told to eat. Same with drinks. Tap water? Peppermint tea? Apple juice? Coffee? My body will tell me.

[@o21211671]

I agree 100%. Good marketing. By the way, one can also drink too much! For Water, as for all substances, applies: too much of it is poison. Drinking too much water (at once), might unbalance the body's metabolism and mineral household. This can lead to water poisoning: The water greatly dilutes the blood and the salt balance is disrupted. As a result, more fluid is transported into the cells than out of them. This can lead to cardiac arrhythmias, hurt the kidneys and, in the worst case, leads to cerebral edema.

[@asmodon]

Right, thirst is usually enough. Exceptions are only when you are in the middle of a sports competition and the thirst signal comes too late, or you are a very old person who lost its sense of thirst.

[@Member_zero]

@@PotsdamSenior My body is always telling me, it wants cake, and never that it needs cucumber salad. I think the only logical explanation is, that my body craves nutrients and vitamins contained in a cake. So it I obey it.

[@mackereltabbie]

One exception: some healthy but non-neurotypical people have trouble telling how their body is doing, up to and including thirst or physical injury

[@charlybravo1354]

"...doesn't seem like a lot of water." - Simple fix: Use cups and bottles which are sufficiently big enough.

[@holz_name]

Leitungswasser aka tap water have zero negative connotations here in Europe. Literally it translated to pipe water. It have high quality controls and is perfectly safe to drink. The reason you don't get tap water in restaurants is because it's free and thus not fancy. In Europe going to a restaurant is a form of entertainment, it's about being fancy.

[@cw7886]

So much mistakes in this video: Europeans don't prefer bottled water, they prefer tap water. Fizzy water is popular only in a few countries like Germany/Austria. Europeans drink way less soda than Americans. American tap water is just so bad you don't drink it, unless in Western Europe. Etc.

[@wernerruf7761]

7 gallons per day, that is 26.5 liters of water. The nut at 6:28 has a strong death wish! This amount of water would wash so many electrolytes out of the body that it would no longer be able to function. Just 5, 7 or even 10 liters can lead to considerable damage and even death. This is because the large amounts of fluid in the body also increase the water content in the blood - so the blood becomes thinner. This in turn leads to a drop in the salt content of the blood. However, she is probably not able to drink that much.

[@leob4403]

If you work outside on a hot summer's day you can easily drink 5 liters in a day

[@harveyts3]

That’s parody she is making fun of our tendency to drink water.

[@WorldTravelerCooking]

One important thing is that sugar consumption may also increase water consumption in other ways. Glucose is osmotic and so has to be polymerized for storage in the form of glycogen. Glycogen requires about 3-4 grams of water to store per gram of glycogen. I think there is a lot we still don't understand about it yet.

[@Biga101011]

Our water usage is high in the US. However we should not conflate our high usage directly with the amount we drink. Most of our water waste goes to lawns, washing cars, long showers and non efficient appliances. We also have a lot of irrigation for crops in regions that otherwise could not sustain them which increases usage, but is not necessarily wasteful. The amount we drink, or even tossing a bit of leftover water from a jug has no appreciative effect on our total usage. Although our large water usage could be an indirect result of our drinking. That is to say that in the US unlimited clean affordable tap water is one of the most basic things we expect everyone to have access to. Therefore everyone has the ability to waste that water for whatever they see fit. And if the prices go up, we use the fact that people need water to drink as an excuse to increase supply even though very little of it is actually being used for drinking.

[@demobin]

As a person who has lived in Europe my entire life, I miss tap water by default in restaurants.

[@zka77]

Drinking more than 1.5-2l per day is totally unnecessary unless you are sweating it out (hot weather or exercise). These XXXL water barrels are ridicolous :D

[@svr5423]

At Uluru, I consumed around 7l of water per day, and that was in spring :).

[@leob4403]

That depends on your size, I'm a big guy and drink about 3 liters a day with meals alone. If I sweat and exercise, that's an additional 1-2 liters

[@dominic.h.3363]

I don't carry my water bottled with me for the same reason I don't carry around a canister with my oxygen supply. The thing is everywhere, why would I need to bring my own?

[@piccalillipit9211]

*EVERY VILLAGE HAS AN ARTESIAN WELL* here in Bulgaria - but they all taste different so people will drive 20km to the best one to fill up the 20L bottles for the week The one that supplies my building is very heavily mineralised so I put it through a water filter to soften it to my taste. Our water filters come in different colours to denote the level of removal they achieve, cos you still want some minerals in it for the taste. So I use a pink filter - medium.

[@annepoitrineau5650]

Wow, thank you that was really interesting!

[@FitLovejoy]

The difference is also due to the laws. In Germany, it's not legally required to provide free water, so you will often be refused tap water in bars and restaurants. The only requirement is that (literally) one non-alcoholic drink is cheaper than any alcoholic drink. It's not unusual that you will get 500ml of beer for 3.90 and 200ml of water for 3.80. It's insanely expensive. People I know who want to drink water carry it themselves and drink it outside of bars and restaurants (because you're not allowed to consume anything that you don't buy in these places - exception: food in beer gardens in Bavaria)

[@missrebeccasm]

I'm european and while I agree generally you don't need to drink in excess but drinking more water can help flush out excess fluids which cause swelling, most people drink too little especially during hot weather if it's not something you are used to, which can cause swollen feet for me . The recommendation I see most often is 1,5litres per day(8 glasses) but personally I need 2,5litres.

[@Aine197]

I am a German who has been told by her doctor to be careful not to drink TOO MUCH water per day. I‘ve always had a rather high water intake, even as a child. This is good for a lot of things, for example the kidneys. BUT it also flushes out minerals from the body, so I have to keep taking supplements for several of them.

[@Drew-Dastardly]

My mum has been hospitalised for both hypo-natremia and hyper-natremia in the past. It is not funny. She was unconscious and I thought she had a stroke. Definitely do not drink stupid amounts of water or then after being hospitalised go the other way and end up in hospital again.

[@Soguwe]

German tap water isn't just safe to drink. It has quality control that is better than some bottled waters. The german infrastructure for Trinkwasser is crazy sophisticated, because there is a heavy distinction between Brauchwasser(water safe for use in flushing toilets, showering and the likes) and Trinkwasser Even crazier, most people don't have a separate line for Brauchwasser to their house, so we're flushing our toilets with a waterquality some places in the world kill for. That all for a prize of about 2€ per cubic meter.

[@ReisskIaue]

When I read the first sentence I was quite sceptical because it soundet like: Deutsches Leitungswasser zu trinken ist einfach nicht sicher. But in the context of the rest of your post it is clear what you want to say, to which I totally agree.

[@MarioFanGamer659]

​@@ReisskIaue Das wäre eher "German tap water just isn't safe to drink" d.h. andere Reihenfolge. Das, was im OP steht, wäre eher mit "Deutsches Leitungswasser ist nicht nur zum Trinken sicher" zu übersetzen

[@michaelgrabner8977]

@@ReisskIaue Well then you have misunderstood the sentence completely...because he wrote "German tab water isn´t just save to drink" which does not mean "Deutsches Leitungswasser zu trinken ist einfach nicht sicher" but it means literally the opposite "Deutsches Leitungswasser ist nicht nur sicher zu trinken" when literally translated into German but keeping English word order = in German word order "Deutsches Leitungswasser zu trinken ist nicht nur sicher" (Gefolgt mit der Begründung, weil die Qualitätskontrolle besser ist als für in Flaschen abgefülltes Wasser) Wobei man das sowieso nicht miteinander vergleichen kann, weil Flaschenwasser wird ja direkt aus der Quelle abgefüllt und Leitungswasser wird aus mehreren Quellen kilometerweit durch Leitungen gepumpt und in Zisternen zwischengelagert, bevor es in die Haushalte weitergepumpt wird, da wird natürlich dann Leitungswasser - mehrmals - geprüft, weil das Wasser auf ihren weiten Weg verunreinigt werden könnte weil es mehrere Stationen durchläuft und weil man es zwischenlagert und wel mehrerer Quellen im Spiel sind = hat viele Faktoren die zu Verunreinigungen führen können, was bei einer Direktabfüllung aus einer Quelle nicht notwendig ist. Das heißt aber nicht, dass weil man Leitungswasser öfter prüfen MUSS, dass es deswegen "besser geprüft" ist.. "Quantität" ist nun mal nicht das gleiche wie "Qualität" Quellen für die Flaschenabfüllung werden nämlich auch regelmäßig geprüft und zwar genauso oft wie die Quellen für das Leitungswasser.

[@ronald3836]

And still there are people in Germany who filter all their tap water before drinking it. I knew someone who filtered her water and then added magnesium. When I googled, I found that filtering mainly removed the magnesium that was in the tap water originally.

[@Soguwe]

@@ronald3836 I actually filter my tap water for my kettle There's varying amounts of lime in the water. It's not in any way dangerous, it actually adds to the subtle taste, but it can build up in the kettle over time, and cleaning it is annoying

[@ileana8360]

An additional factor might be, that in Europe we do not tend to eat as much processed food, fast food or take-out/delivery. Cooking FRESH at home is most of the time not as salty or full of unnecessary sugar and flavour enhancer.

[@vaudevillian7]

I found that Americans are much more likely to consume bottled water than Europeans, remember seeing people filling massive bottles at Kroger in Indiana because the tap water was so awful. It really was too.

[@cristi724]

I haven't been to the US so maybe my perception is skewed, but whenever I try a US food recipe for something, it's incredibly salty or sweet. Some of the stuff sold in supermarkets branded as "American style" is just impossible for me to eat. Eating like this your whole life surely influences your water intake habits. Eating foods with high water content, like fruits and vegetables, makes me barely need any water through the day.

[@heraldreichel1971]

This is remarkably different from my personal experience. The first time I was on the west coast that wasn't Canada (i.e. LA), I was shocked about the water quality. After a shower I needed a bottle of (bottled) water just to get that chlorinated stuff off my skin before I got dressed. There is some imperfect water to be had around the world, but this was much worse than the worst overtreated swimming pool water I had ever experienced literally anywhere. That was the stuff they called "water" from the tap. I completely understood and could empathize with people who only drank water from the cooler. I would have bathed in and showered with bottled water only, had my budget not been too limited.

[@ebahapo]

In many places in the U.S., especially in the Californian desert, the water is rather hard, that is, alkaline. What you experienced is that hard water doesn’t rinse the soap well.

[@heraldreichel1971]

@@ebahapo Thanks for explaining. I believed they pumped all that water ~600km from the Colorado river through a desert to LA and made it reasonably safe for human consumption by adding a lot of chlorine. That doesn't sound reasonable. If somebody watered an orchard or even a lawn with that stuff, it would die. Your hypothesis of high pH sounds much more tenable.

[@SLLabsKamilion]

Hate to tell you this, but bottled water here comes from the tap unless you're importing some fijian special drip. Go ahead, check your bottle. "Bottled by Coca Cola", I'd bet, with the same tapwater.

[@Skyl3t0n]

@@ebahapo Nah we have hard water in germany as well. Especially near the alps. Nothing you can do about that, that's the rocky ground. Water tastes phenomenal though. It's like you are drinking straight from a fresh mountain source. No overtreated bs

[@dg-hughes]

I'm from PEI located in the south-east coast part of Canada aka The Maritimes. I once visited a friend in Scranton, Pa. when I took a shower I think I got a tan it was so yellow. It's similar to Sydney, Cape Breton both places are historically coal and steel towns both have terrible water, sulphurous, smelly, horrible.

[@letachja]

I live in Switzerland and we call our tap water "Hahnenwasser" which is the literal translation of tap water. I drink plenty of it during the day but it´s nothing I´d order in a restaurant. It would feel weird to visit a restaurant and order something I could just get from the tap at home as well. Besides that I know that a lot of restaurants need to sell drinks as well to survive. So having a glass of wine or a beer (instead of tap water) with dinner not only enhances the culinary experience, it´s also a way of supporting my favourite restaurants.

[@The1979gregor]

Hi Ashton, Germany is rather unique with their Getrankemarkt and everyone buying crates of sparkling water in glass. Here in the UK it's almost impossible to find glass bottles, with an expression of the premium water brands being sold in glass or cans. Also, sparkling water is not popular here, majority prefer still and a lot of people just go for tap water. Again, I don't think the UK can represent more typical European water consumption just like Germany can't. Originally I'm from Poland and if I drink water it will be either sparkling or still but always with lemon juice

[@oyuyuy]

What is this nonsense? Water is always offered at restaurants in Europe and the tap water is universally known to be MUCH better in Europe than in America. We don't buy much bottled still water specifically because the tap water is already so good, it makes no sense to pay extra for the same quality water. Carbonated water is a different thing, that's why it's worth buying on a bottle.

[@theredscourge]

Friendly reminder that water is not destroyed when you drink it and pee it into the sewer - it is treated and released back into the lake or river. The amount of chemical that they use to treat it depends on how impure it is, so if you use twice as much water to do the same amount of cleaning, it will need the same amount of chemical to treat it as if you used half as much. By being a bit wasteful with your water use, you're costing your municipality a marginal amount more money than if you try hard to avoid wasting water.

[@chevrex]

I’m a 61-year-old American living in France. At restaurants here, we know to ask for *une carafe d’eau* which will be tap water. While many people will ask for water in a bottle, most tourists do not know how to ask for tap water, thus paying for a high margin addition to their meal. (We make a joke in asking for *de l’eau neuvième*, making the tap water of the 9th arrondissement of Paris sound extra fancy.) I mention my age as I too remember when we did not need a bottle of water with us constantly. In some ways it is smart to have a bottle of water handy during that 1 hour train trip to quell a coughing fit but I travel regularly from home to a location 1h45 away without taking a single sip. As an architect, I did also notice that the rise of carrying a bottle of water around was accompanied by the general disappearance of bubblers or hard-plumbed water drinking fountains in pubic buildings. In Paris and other locations in France safe drinking water is available to all in public parks and on the street. Kids will use the hydrants in parks after some raucous play. Folks without a home have a ready source of water on the street. And because Parisians are not immune to the rise in carrying about a reusable bottle, I’ve seen a few dispensers of sparkling water in newer parks. 😂 And that glass filling thing at American restaurants, particularly with ice water? That makes me crazy. Just leave a used wine bottle of tap water at my table and I will take what I need. (At the few places where that is done in the US, I imagine the servers are taught to dump that out when the diners leave as it would be “unsanitary” to just give it to the next table.) In France, even the small basket of bread at your table might have just been passed over from the adjacent table where diners just left.

[@rogerwilco2]

I have used "Aqua Municipale" or "de l'eau municipale" or "gemeentepils" (municipal pilsner).

[@th60of]

Trust Ashton to make drinking water interesting! Loved it!

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you!! Glad you found it fun and interesting.

[@LeafHuntress]

@@TypeAshton Dear Ashton, I also liked the video, but i was a bit annoyed when you used the image of greens when you said 'agriculture'. It's animal agriculture, factory farming, that guzzles up all the water.

[@joarvatnaland6904]

In most restaurants here in Norway you can get free tap water (and very good), but they don't actively promote it because they'd rather earn money on you drinking something else. In many countries unfortunately tap water could bring you in trouble if you have not adapted to the local water quality.

[@sandralison7584]

Just like in Germany

[@marceelino]

same in Slovakia.

[@justbecause9645]

She failed to mention that.

[@leob4403]

​@@justbecause9645yeah, some of her videos need a lot more research, she can't just assume it's the same all over Europe as in Germany

[@leob4403]

​@@sandralison7584 so you CAN get free tap water in German restaurants?

[@Rikent]

As a European I kind of agree with the American tourists. Nothing pisses me off more than shops or restaurants either not having normal water or bringing me carbonated water by default when I just ask for water. Maybe I'm just weird, but when I get thirsty nothing can sate it aside from some cold regular water. Carbonated water and sodas just make me more thirsty.

[@Wes-Tyler]

Contrary to your point, a lot of Americans also don't drink much water either. We do drink a lot of liquid though, but pure water - not much. Most of my water intake comes from tea and coffee and juice. Other Americans drink a ton of soft drinks and energy drinks.

The big amount of "hard water" in Europe should have been mentioned, it's a pretty big factor on all of this.

[@RAFMnBgaming]

I'd have thought that a bonus to tap water. We have mineral water in the damn pipes (so long as you live in an area with good geology), why do people pay out the nose for it?

[@PragerFenster]

Hi Aston! Interesting observations. I was born in Germany in 1958. During my school days, we would drink a glass or cup of hot or cold chocolate for breakfast and occasionally we would buy another small pack of milk or cold chocolate at school later in the morning. When I came home for lunch, the rule was "No drinks to go with your food, otherwise it will dilute your gastric acid and you won't be able to digest your food well." We NEVER drank tap water, let alone offer it to a guest, although its quality was tightly monitored by the water utilities. If you happened to live in a house which still had lead pipes, it would have been a different story, but awareness of that only grew much later. I think after all the deprivations of WW2, Germans were heavily talked into indulging on consumption of bottled water as an indication of abundance and luxory. And it was always carbonated water ("classic"). I learnt that I liked flat water much better when I started traveling a lot. And I could relate to Americans going "Yuck, this tastes sooo salty"! when they tried carbonated water even up to the 1980ies or 1990ies. But now most Americans I know prefer carbonated drinks, and so do my somewhat older relatives and friends in Germany. The younger ones, though, and the women un particular, prefer flat water. And as for the quantities of water I consume nowadays, I learnt to drink much more while staying in the US. Up to the age of around 25, the amount of water I consumed per day was shockingly low.

[@AnD-1999]

Thanks for clearing that up! The salt/ sugar in all food in the US was definitely a reason to drink more... I was also really shocked in the US about all the plastic plates, cups and even cutlery f.i. in hotels even during breakfast. It actually made me upset to be so wasteful. I've not had that feeling anywhere I've travelled...

[@heinzklinckwort2958]

Vielen Dank Ashton, wiedermal sehr einleuchtend!! Auf vieles kommt es drauf an, was der Wasserbedarf im Menschen betrifft. Vorher lebte ich in Mexiko. Es wird die Nahrung sehr anders vorbereitet, mit viel mehr Salz und pikant . Kann mich noch daran erinnern, dass der Wasserkonsum um vieles höher war, scharf, salziger … Dagegen hier in F wird normalerweise nicht so salzig gegessen, noch so scharf, ergo ist der Wasserkonsum viel geringer .. mit dem Tees, den Säften, mit den « Aperitifs », die Suppe, den Glass Wein (oder Gläser ..) und dem Wasser im Bistro sowieso angeboten wird, werden die 1,5 Liter am Tag leicht erreicht .. Tschüssing .. 👋🏻

[@kriskris998]

When you are younger you should drink mostly beer 🍻. After you pass 30 it’s better to slowly switched to something non alcoholic, like water or natural juices

[@piccalillipit9211]

*I HAVE PLUMBED IN MINERAL WATER* here in Bulgaria - the normal water is totally drinkable but my apartment block has an artesian well so I have 2 water meters. The strange thing is - the washing machine is plumbed into the mineral water supply!?!?!?!? I think this comes from the era not that long ago when people would wash their clothes in the village well. Every village here has a well in the centre where mineral water is free and people used to make use of the free water for water-intensive things like washing clothes before automatic machines were common. So people expected to wash their clothes in mineral water... This is my best guess.

[@angelica3518]

I live in sweden, we have fantastic tap water. I may buy some sparkling water with flavour a few times a month. But I would never buy flat water here.

[@houghi3826]

Great video. Weird you did not mention the SodaStream that is a German household item that is used by many and that uses tab water to make their own sparkling water and lemonade. As a European I drink tab water at home. At the restaurant I drink sparkling, because I do not want to pay for flat water I could get for free. I also understand that they ask for money for the service they provide, so not complaining. I remember when everybody just drank water from the tab in Europe. The reason people buy non-sparkling water is marketing. Ask people why they buy it and they say that it is "better" than tab water, without knowing what the difference actually is from and do not know that many of the things they want are already in the tab water and are filtered out for bottled water. There is also the famous case of Coca Cola who stopped selling bottled water when it came to light that what they were selling was basically tab water. And many of the water sold in Europe is just that: Bottled tab water or tab water that went through a filter, removing non of the dangerous stuff (as that is not in it to begin with) yet remove some of the items that are the reason people buy bottled water in the first place. When I am at the office, I also just drink tab water and not the bottled water available. Just bought a cheap 1L bottle and use that. At home I often make sugar free infusions. I have always 5 different tastes at home. I drink 2-4 liters per day, depending on the situation. Also because I like the taste of the infusion. So this time I side with the Mericans, but for different reasons. Just drink tab water if you want non-sparking water. It is fine.

[@MrToradragon]

Sometimes bottled water can be better than tap water. I live in a city that takes half of it's water from wells in karst and despite all filtration we still get flakes of limescale (or something like that) and due to this in some parts the water is not ideal for drinking, unless you brew a tea or coffee. So I get why people would buy water for other reasons than commercials.

[@TheAgalmic]

It's tap water, not tab.

[@Macs-l2k]

In Portugal it is illegal to charge for tap water. Restaurants, coffee shops, bars, hotels, are mandatory to have tap water and sanitized non-disposable cups available to customers.

[@robopecha]

i know nobody using a sodastream. for most people it is not about sparkling or not, it is about tap or not.

[@sluggo206]

Does that SodaStream create carbon emissions? When I (American) looked into a machine to make sparkling water at home, they all required a canister of pressurized carbon dioxide, which would then be released to the atmosphere, and the canister was probably disposable. I think it would be possible to have a machine that injects air into the water to make it bubbly short-term, but none of the machines I saw did that.

[@Tjalve70]

6:27 Did that girl say "Be sure to drink at least SEVEN GALLONS a day"? I usually drink about 1 liter (or quart) of water per day. Up to maybe 1.5-2 liters during a warm summer day. The most I have drank was when I drove a non-A/C car through Sahara, with temperatures up to 45C or 110F. Then I drank 5 liters per day. I'm not sure if any human could survive drinking 7 gallons of water per day. And even 7 quarts seems to be very much.

[@MaraMara89]

Drinking a lot of plain/tap water do nothing for your body. Tap water don't have enough micro/macronutrients, so if you are a tourist in hot country (like Italy in summer) you need to drink some "spiked" water. I easily get magnesium deficiency, so I choose water with extra magnesium. Also: Europeans drink a lot of water, but also a lot of other drinks (coffee, teas, juices etc). We eat soups, fruit and veggies - which also have water... not forgetting about summer essentials: ice creams and sorbets ;) Fun fact: Most hydrating drink is ... milk. Water is not that great as it goes quicker through your organism and you pee most of it (so any nourishment have less time to stick).

[@herrbonk3635]

2:05 "Cups" and "oz" are both fantasy units...

[@oakstrong1]

If you ever did baking you would know that cup is actually an official measure. 1 US cup = US 8 fluid oz, roughly 0.24 L Imperial cup = 10 imperial fluid oz, roughly 0.28 L

[@herrbonk3635]

@@oakstrong1 Would I? How do you mean? I'm Swedish, and in case you really didn't know this, us europeans don't use american units. No matter we are baking or not. We use deciliter, milliliter and such. (And gram, hekto, kilo, of course.)

[@davidebacchi9030]

Just use grams. Those are basically the same as milliliters and are fine for everything in cooking. A scale is everything you need. Ok milk may be little denser than water and spirits less. But cooking being cooking such small differences matters only in high pastry recipes.

[@bmwknappen]

This water drinking has become a fashion thing, even here in Sweden. I work at a medium sized office, and you see people (predominantly female) who cant leave their room for a meeting without their water bottle! We are totally confident in our body to decide when we are hungry, but not when we need water! If the weather is hot or if you are exercising of course you drink more water, but this constant water intake is just weird!

[@swanpride]

That's because they are articles claiming that if you wait to drink until you are thirsty, you aren't drinking enough. Yeah, I know, weird notion.

[@Lorentari]

The more "bottled water" is very German though, Ashton. I'm a Dane and went to München and my whole family were confused when we asked for water and they brought out a steel capped glass bottle of "premium water" (whatever tf that is). Also, Germany will charge for water at restaurants which is wild.. In Danish grocery stores you will find one, maybe two, brands of bottled water costing 15 DKK (€2) per half liter - and you will never find larger bottles unless you want sparkling water

[@saladspinner3200]

Belgium is no stranger to it either. Even though we have perfectly drinkable tap-water, we still used to buy bottled water in the supermarket by the m³. Free water at restaurants is unheard of, in some cases they might bring you a single glass of it out of goodwill on hot days. But they're not legally expected to do so. Further more, bottled water is sold at the same price as soda and other beverages which I always considered the most outrageous thing of all. If you ask for a sparking or flat water at restaurants and none of the other people at your table drink it, they'll bring out the small overpriced 22cl.Bottled water is big business in BE and it took Covid and a consecutive energy crisis to finally made us rethink this weird habbit.

[@leob4403]

​@@saladspinner3200as a Swede this is outrageous to hear. I always drink free tap water at restaurants. I wanted to travel more in places like Germany and Belgium but this puts me off. I am very stubborn however and not afraid of "making a fool of myself". So I would probably bring my own tap water from home then. Do you think they would throw you out of the restaurant for doing that?

[@saladspinner3200]

@@leob4403 bringing your own beverages to a restaurant Will get you very weird looks. They Will ask you to buy something.

[@leob4403]

@@saladspinner3200 I don't care about weird looks though. That's why I wonder if they would actually throw me out of the restaurant. I guess I will have to try sometime

[@98Zai]

The thing that pisses me off is people who take baths every day. That's like 200 liters of literal spring water, it'd cost a fortune if it was Evian or whatever (..it is Evian).

[@johnp139]

That water doesn’t just vanish!!!’

[@98Zai]

​@@johnp139 The water also isn't returned to the aquifer for a very very long time. Maybe if you pumped normal lake water into the tub I wouldn't be so mad about it. To bathe in pristine spring water is such a dang waste. In the end we'll drain the aquifers and have to rely on heavily treated surface water, tell your grandkids to enjoy all that chlorine. Also we don't know what other purposes aquifers serve, we're just draining them hoping for the best.

[@generalrambling7035]

In Germany we don't have service charges and tipping is much less. Thus drinks are far more important to make a profit for a restaurant. Therefore simple water is comparably expensive at a restaurant and we rather order something like a beer, a wine, juice, tea, or so on. At home we mostly drink water though. As tourists don't see us at home, they get the impression we don't drink a lot of water. Regarding 'free' tab water at a restaurant, I would like that but either prices for meals would go up or things like service charges would need to be added. Also please don't forget that local customs vary a lot across Europe. Italians are very different from Germans and those again from French and so on and so forth.

[@johnp139]

I’d rather pay for good service than pay for water.

[@Maxime_K-G]

Growing up in Europe I've also been told by educators to drink stupid amounts of water. And we too have our fair share of tap water absolutists, reusable bottle masochists, and bottled water connoisseurs. That depends way more on the class and country of the particular person than any broad cultural thing. One thing that is cultural though is that restaurants expect you to pay pretty much just to be there. They know that the true costs of their operations are the rent, wages, energy bill, etc., and whether you're drinking bottled water or soda makes no difference. In France, it is part of the culture that tap water is free but in most other countries asking for free water at a restaurant will be met with hostility. Btw, Leitungswasser really does just translate as tap water, I know it's not an exact translation but it also has that very neutral vibe to it.

[@nbartlett6538]

Restaurants in the UK are legally required to provide tap water for free if you ask for it. It's always best to specifically ask for "tap water" otherwise they might choose to interpret "water" as "£20 bottle of Perrier".

[@asherl5902]

​@@nbartlett6538 In Spain it's also like that. It's really strange for someone to ask a bottle, here too you only get it if you forget to add "a glass of" or "sink"; otherwise, you'd rather ask any kind of drink other than just regular but non-free water

[@juliebrooke6099]

I live in England and often ask for tap water in restaurants but not as my only drink. I’ll also be having wine or coffee so the restaurant doesn’t miss out. I never buy still bottled water, even though it’s usually spring water or mineral water, I do buy sparkling water though which I drink instead of sweet,fizzy drinks which I don’t like. The taste of tap water varies around the country but it’s always safe to drink and fortunately tastes pretty good where I live.

[@Llama_charmer]

Same here, i have friends who live relatively close to me who refuse to drink tap water ATALL, as in they live off bottled water. They claim that the government is putting too much fluoride in it. Could be true, might not be, i haven't really looked into it to be truthful. I like the taste of our tap water and drink it all the time.

[@axelfinnur]

In Norway people just drink tap water, you only buy a bottle if you are on the go and get thirsty. Nobody obsesses about being hydrated, I mean most people just drink when they are thirsty I guess, the human body has a way of regulating itself and has for hundred thousands of years without using apps to remind us to drink

[@anniek4681]

My waterintake is more in summer than in winter. I guess in winter it's about a liter, sometimes a bit more. In summer it's between 1,5 and 2 liters. My salt and sugar intake is also low...maybe that's why. I also have a job where going to the bathroom every moment you need to is a bit tricky. So you change the liquid intake during the day. I tend to drink more flueds in the evening when i am at home. I am also not thirsty most of the time. So i guess i dont need that much. I think if i drank as much water as i see americans do i would be sick...i would get nausiated. I dont even want to think about having to do that.

[@jassenjj]

Average usage of water of 310l per person per day! Oh my :) And I believe I use too much water with 2300 per month... In Bulgaria, where we have plenty of cheap water especially in the capital where it is also among the cleanest in the world with 0 limescale.

[@kornirz]

There's another important issue: not all waters are created equal. What matters is mineral content. All these different brands you shown in the German shop apart from being different brands also mean different levels of mineralisation. People here generally know that water low in minerals is of poorer quality. From what I know, bottled water in US is very low in minerals. It's now wonder they drink it so much as it's really hard to quench the thirst with such water.

[@paulhaynes8045]

This is nonsense. There is no evidence at all for the (tiny amounts of) minerals in 'mineral' water being healthy. Indeed the opposite can be true, as waters with mineral content above certain (very low) levels are often not allowed to be used for drinking. And real mineral water (eg from thermal spas) can taste absolutely foul!

[@charlesunderwood6334]

Is this why visitors from the US keep going on about paying to use toilets? I don't think I have ever paid to use a toilet; I go no more often that I go to places which have toilets (cates, pubs, museums) and have never needed one at other times.

[@maxbooth8611]

She means German culture. She is exploring German culture with drinking water, and nowhere else. Costal places in Spain/Italy and I'm sure others drink bottled water because most of their water comes from desalination plants. Some central European nations drink bottled water because it tastes different and there is cultural importance placed on that. Like wow I've tried some Dutch bottled mineral water (blue bottle with like a baby on it?) and it tasted like my body had received all its daily minerals. I'm from UK and we drink bottled water when we forgot to bring a bottle with us. In a restaurant if you want water they will by default give you tap - unless it's a posh restaurant and you'll get a glass bottle of water. There is a similar attitude with drinking water to America (it makes you healthier) but minus the rampant consumerism and wearing your personality in your products - you're unlikely to see these crazy big water bottles outside of a university campus, or Facebook mums posting how much water they drank. Europe is a very large area with cultures and languages that have evolved separately over thousands of years. Polish culture is in no way related to Portuguese culture. It's like saying Mexico is part of America (it is part of the continent), and lumping them in with USA citizens. Like what are you talking about pls. Don't even speak the same language.

[@eypandabear7483]

That blue bottle was probably Spa, which is from the eponymous town in Belgium that the English word “spa” also comes from.

[@joaquinescotoaleman4320]

I can't imagine Spanish and Italian drinking just a little of water, after all half of Spain is a desert.

[@SpanishCebolleta]

Spaniard here, we drink tap water most of the time except maybe in restaurants.

[@JerusnamWien85]

Yup, she’s talking about German/Austrian (maybe Central European?) culture and how they approach water consumption as opposed to Americans. It’s honestly a big shock to many Americans when they visit Vienna or Berlin and get a small glass of tap water at restaurants when they’re used to receiving gigantic water glasses with ice and plastic straws in them. I lived in Vienna and even though consumerism is on the rise there, it’s still not on the same level as in the U.S. Americans also have a habit of carrying gigantic water bottles or Stanley cups when just walking outside! I think a small bottle of water is enough for a long stroll outside, unless you plan on a rough hike.

[@TurdBoi666]

In italy they drink from fountains lmao

[@doodleblockwell2610]

I drink water when I am thirsty. I have never just drank water because I think I should. In addition 99.9% has been tap water. The very idea of 'buying' water just seems ridiculous. And I am still alive.

[@vereybowring]

I'm scottish, growing up in the highlands where the tap water is basically mineral water and is the norm. Also with the climate most of the year you seldom drank large amounts of water (mainly hotter summer days and during/after physical exercise/labour). When I started working in restaurants I couldn't believe how much water USA tourists consumed (to cater to them we had jugs of iced tap water on every table). We often noted they must have spent a great deal of their time in Scotland in the toilet getting rid of it again. I moved south and do not like the flavour of the tap water (highland water has a very clean taste) so I filter it and/or get bottled waters but that's a preference rather than the norm. I used to holiday in Northern Italy and since it is much warmer there I used to almost double my usual water intake, and yes most of it was bottled but that was due to convenience. The only time I feel the need to drink more water is when I have a blood test coming up and some extra water makes it easier for them to extract the sample and any time I'm checked (which in itself is infrequent) I am fine for hydration levels.