51–60 of 200 posts
When I first came to US, I didn't mind drinking public fountain. But one day, I walked by one and a dog was drinking from it, licking all over it in the process. From that day onward, I stopped. Still, I have to wonder: is that reasonable of me? And otherwise, is it expected to let your pet sharing the same water source with human?
I've always found it kind of funny that in "capitalist" US, there is free water all over the place. It's one of my favorite things to drink good, clean water for free in Portland after getting off a long flight from Europe. In "socialist" Europe, you're pretty much stuck with expensive bottled water in places like airports, unless you have a cup or something and don't mind drinking from the bathroom faucets. OTOH, on…
>unless you have a cup or something and don't mind drinking from the bathroom faucets. To my understanding, this is no different than using the tap from your kitchen sink. It still comes from pipes and tap water is tap water. It's mostly a mental thing.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Portland, Oregon has them all over: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benson_Bubbler
Indeed! I haven't seen a "normal" drinking fountain in Portland in ages. That said, I have seen homeless people do unspeakable things with them, so my trust is rattled.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are water fountains in every airport in Europe (and pretty much the world, it's regulatory) they are usually located in or near the restrooms. Not to mention that pretty much every restaurant will give you tap water for free.
I was flatly told "no" when I asked for tap water at a restaurant in Italy. The waitress seemed a little disgusted I would ask, too. I've heard some peoples have an aversion to tap water even if it's become safe these days, so I guess it was that, or maybe some kind of miscommunication. Maybe she just thought it has a bad taste, but it can't have been bad enough that I'd prefer paying 2-3 euros for bottled water.
I've always found it kind of funny that in "capitalist" US, there is free water all over the place. It's one of my favorite things to drink good, clean water for free in Portland after getting off a long flight from Europe. In "socialist" Europe, you're pretty much stuck with expensive bottled water in places like airports, unless you have a cup or something and don't mind drinking from the bathroom faucets. OTOH, on…
There are water fountains in every airport in Europe (and pretty much the world, it's regulatory) they are usually located in or near the restrooms. Not to mention that pretty much every restaurant will give you tap water for free.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
>unless you have a cup or something and don't mind drinking from the bathroom faucets. To my understanding, this is no different than using the tap from your kitchen sink. It still comes from pipes and tap water is tap water. It's mostly a mental thing.
To be fair, you're forgetting that in public restrooms, not only is there more airborne fecal matter and bacteria (which means it statistically settles on surfaces at a higher rate), but that there is often contact between unwashed hands and the faucet's aerator. The latter is even (and especially) true for automatic sinks which have short spouts and the sensor is placed vertically too close to them. This causes/forc…
[0] http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-da...
I've always found it kind of funny that in "capitalist" US, there is free water all over the place. It's one of my favorite things to drink good, clean water for free in Portland after getting off a long flight from Europe. In "socialist" Europe, you're pretty much stuck with expensive bottled water in places like airports, unless you have a cup or something and don't mind drinking from the bathroom faucets. OTOH, on…
There are water fountains in every airport in Europe (and pretty much the world, it's regulatory) they are usually located in or near the restrooms. Not to mention that pretty much every restaurant will give you tap water for free.
This was not close to my experience and I spoke the country's native language. (Large Western EU country.)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Portland, Oregon has them all over: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benson_Bubbler
Indeed! I haven't seen a "normal" drinking fountain in Portland in ages. That said, I have seen homeless people do unspeakable things with them, so my trust is rattled.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was flatly told "no" when I asked for tap water at a restaurant in Italy. The waitress seemed a little disgusted I would ask, too. I've heard some peoples have an aversion to tap water even if it's become safe these days, so I guess it was that, or maybe some kind of miscommunication. Maybe she just thought it has a bad taste, but it can't have been bad enough that I'd prefer paying 2-3 euros for bottled water.
It's because they have better margins on drink and she thought you were being cheap.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
To be fair, you're forgetting that in public restrooms, not only is there more airborne fecal matter and bacteria (which means it statistically settles on surfaces at a higher rate), but that there is often contact between unwashed hands and the faucet's aerator. The latter is even (and especially) true for automatic sinks which have short spouts and the sensor is placed vertically too close to them. This causes/forc…
There's fecal matter regardless of where you are. [0] Water coming out of the faucet isn't typically in contact with the exterior of the aerator. The amounts are non-harmful (although possibly still a bit disgusting when you stop to think about it). [0] http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-da...
As to your other point, people are not only touching the external edges of the aerator, but the aerator itself, which water does come in contact with.
Lastly, the bacteria present are not non-harmful, and a solid chunk of feces is not required to cause illness. The only reason why these illnesses don't commonly come from restroom faucets and surfaces is that, even though the bacteria are present in the water while washing your hands, the transfer from water, to hands, to mouth is much more difficult and unlikely, especially after drying your hands. However, if you drop those bacteria directly into a glass of water, which goes directly into your mouth, your risk increases dramatically.