131–140 of 200 posts
Here in Germany, water is the best protected good that we have - maybe apart from beer :o) - and that is as it should be. It usually tastes good and I use it all the time (stopped buying bottled water long ago). In a bar or restaurant, tap water has to be free. They don't like that and try to sell you more expensive stuff, but the law requires free water. Great, isn't it? I was indeed shocked by the amount of chlorin…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I do like the fact that you can get free water almost everywhere, there was often a large can and cups on the bar, free to take. Here a tap water is sometimes as expensive as a beer (in a bar obviously). Wow in most of Europe this would not be legal. Are you sure your local laws allow this?
How can selling water at a commercial establishment be illegal? Bottled water industry would be out of business, as some of them are known to resell tap water too. I'm from Europe too, by the way, and don't see the big deal. I'd say around here it's pretty split - around a half of places will offer free water, and a half will offer it for money (not for beer prices though).
Ofc I would expect it to vary by country. In general though everywhere here will try and sell you bottled water but give you tap water on request.
Edit: God dammit i need to refresh tabs before I reply.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
How can selling water at a commercial establishment be illegal? Bottled water industry would be out of business, as some of them are known to resell tap water too. I'm from Europe too, by the way, and don't see the big deal. I'd say around here it's pretty split - around a half of places will offer free water, and a half will offer it for money (not for beer prices though).
IIRC in the UK it is a requirement of alcohol licensing laws that tap water be available for free to customers (this is second hand from someone who was getting their license some years ago). Ofc I would expect it to vary by country. In general though everywhere here will try and sell you bottled water but give you tap water on request. Edit: God dammit i need to refresh tabs before I reply.
I grew up in LA, where water is scarce, and valued. Water fountains are around, but they have valves, which break, stick, or otherwise cause problems. When I lived in Chicago, I was shocked to see that their water fountains have no valves: They run full flow 24x7. Given the weather (frozen pipes) and the water resources available to Chicago (Lake Michigan), it makes sense for them to do it this way, but I had a lot o…
Other kinds of fountains have valves though, like the ones which provide sparkling water. And I can guarantee people are using them, in the evening there's frequently a line of people waiting to fill their bottles.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
How can selling water at a commercial establishment be illegal? Bottled water industry would be out of business, as some of them are known to resell tap water too. I'm from Europe too, by the way, and don't see the big deal. I'd say around here it's pretty split - around a half of places will offer free water, and a half will offer it for money (not for beer prices though).
Not sure if it's illegal here, but in South Africa restaurants are expected to serve you tap water if you ask for it. Doing otherwise would be rude, and most waiters (even at pubs) will clarify if you want 'bottled or tap' and 'with ice and lemon.' I have noticed a strange phenomenon in Europe too, please forgive me if I'm generalising as I'm aware it's a big place, but people there seem like they won't do something…
And how much are you expected to tip these people?
I always drink tap water here in the Netherlands, in the US where I have been (Houston, New Orleans, Boston, Long Beach) the water just tastes like it came from a swimming pool. So much chlorine, I couldn't drink it. In San Fransisco it was relatively ok though, still a faint chlorine taste but drinkable. I understand the difficulty of maintaining such a large water distribution net but I certainly switch to bottled…
> I do like the fact that you can get free water almost everywhere, there was often a large can and cups on the bar, free to take. Here a tap water is sometimes as expensive as a beer (in a bar obviously). Wow in most of Europe this would not be legal. Are you sure your local laws allow this?
It's completely ridiculous to buy bottled water here. We've got the best tap water in the world.
I grew up in LA, where water is scarce, and valued. Water fountains are around, but they have valves, which break, stick, or otherwise cause problems. When I lived in Chicago, I was shocked to see that their water fountains have no valves: They run full flow 24x7. Given the weather (frozen pipes) and the water resources available to Chicago (Lake Michigan), it makes sense for them to do it this way, but I had a lot o…
Ditto rome. It just comes out of the wall in places.
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Public bathrooms in NE, BE, FR, GB are paid per use and far between. My mom has stories of jumping under the stalls if they didn't have the shilling, sixpence or whatever it was in the 60's. In LA, it's mostly systematic hatred targeting minorities and homeless people from completely necessary bodily functions... which is dumb to deny, because they'll do it 'round back for spite... the owner could so just be cool and…
In UK train stations this is so that they can pay for attendants in the lavatories. When I was growing up this wasn't the case and they were the hangout of some, ahem, undesirable folk. You most definitely wouldn't have sent a child down on their own. They'd end up with an audience...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I do like the fact that you can get free water almost everywhere, there was often a large can and cups on the bar, free to take. Here a tap water is sometimes as expensive as a beer (in a bar obviously). Wow in most of Europe this would not be legal. Are you sure your local laws allow this?
I was under the impression is was also illegal in Netherland, but some googling suggested it might not be illegal and there's some debate around it. My experience is that tap water is always free, but not everybody likes serving free water and some try to get you expensive bottled water instead. It's completely ridiculous to buy bottled water here. We've got the best tap water in the world.
> a ban on dispensing alcohol directly into customers' mouths
Lame.