() – American Helene Sula vividly remembers the first time she discovered that tap water was something different for Europeans.
Sula, from Texas, was at a restaurant in Germany. When the waiter asked her what she wanted to drink, she asked for water.
“They made fun of me and said, ‘You can ask for water. But why would you do it?” remembers Sula.
He remembers looking around and realizing that everyone in the restaurant was enjoying glasses of wine and pints of beer, but not water.
Sula repeated her order for water and the waiter objected. But when the water arrived, it wasn’t the giant glass of tap water, filled with ice, that Sula expected.
Instead, they served him a one-liter bottle of sparkling water, accompanied by a tiny glass and priced at 2 euros.
Sula couldn’t believe it.
“In the US, you sit at the table and they give you a huge glass of ice water, without asking you anything. It doesn’t matter if you are in a luxury restaurant or a casual one, they will give you a huge glass of complimentary water,” Sula explains to Travel.
A few years later, when Sula and her husband moved to Germany, the couple noticed another cultural difference related to water.
Whenever they went on a hike, on a bike, or for a walk around the city, Sula and her husband carried large bottles of water, sometimes even CamelBaks, a kind of water backpack (“To be able to drink water at any time possible,” explains Sula). .
Meanwhile, their European friends often went without water entirely and held off until they went to a bar in the evening, and even then they usually opted for wine. Sula couldn’t believe it.
“I thought maybe Europeans didn’t get as dehydrated as we do,” says Sula, still perplexed after several years living in Europe.
If you’re thinking, “Wait, this is just one person’s opinion and it’s a pretty broad generalization,” you’d be right. After all, in Europe there are many different countries, each with its own culture, eating habits, traditions and water consumption habits.
And, of course, the United States is not a cultural monolith either. Sure, some Americans take pride in their oversized Stanley jars and undertake daily water challenges, but others would always opt for soda if given the choice.
And while many are aware of the environmental impact of plastic bottles, others avoid tap water and keep the fridge stocked with bottled water.
However, Sula is not alone in her observations. American travelers sharing their opinions about the consumption (or lack of consumption) of tap water in Europe has become a trend on social media in recent years.
For example, TikTok user br3nnak3ough, who in the summer of 2023 uploaded a video featuring her friends drinking big bottles of water: “We can find water at the moment because Europeans do not believe in water.”
This video has 10.9 million views and 13,800 comments, both from Americans who agree (“I was so dehydrated when I went lol, the heat + the lack of AC and water/ice was dying…”) and from Europeans who They strongly disagree (“What are you talking about?”).
For his part, Rob Murgatroyd, an American living in Italy, recently uploaded a TikTok in which he commented that the difference between water consumption in the United States and in Italy makes him “it left me amazed” since moving to Florence.
“Where I come from, we are practically programmed to drink water non-stop, as if it were our main job, while here in Italy, seeing someone with a bottle of water is like finding a needle in a haystack,” according to the text that accompanies Murgatroyd’s video.
There are TikToks that marvel at the size of European water glasses, Instagram Reels that chronicle the often fruitless search for a jug of tap water in a European bar, and posts on X that lament having to pay for it. bottled water in restaurants.
Sula, who chronicles her life abroad on the blog Helene in Between, has intervened a couple of times in the great European debate on tap water, including at the end of last year:
“Tap water is not free in (European) restaurants,” Sula stated in a TikTok video in November 2023. “And if they give it to you, it comes in a tiny glass.”
Many comments were derogatory: “It’s free. “They know you very well,” said one.
Others agreed with Sula’s experience and added that, although tap water is usually available, bottled mineral water or bottled filtered water is more common in many European countries.
“I think it’s a very interesting conversation,” Sula says. “The world can seem very small sometimes, because we’re all online and it’s such a global society now… so I think it’s interesting to have these conversations, to talk about the differences.”
To get a sense of what’s really going on beyond anecdotal evidence, Travel called Stavros A. Kavouras, professor of nutrition at Arizona State University. Kavouras is director of the university’s Hydration Sciences Laboratory, which focuses on the impact of hydration on health and performance.
Kavouras is also a Greek who has lived in the United States for 20 years, so he is well equipped to comment on transatlantic culture clashes.
First of all, Kavouras highlights the myriad differences between the countries that make up the European continent. He highlights, for example, the contrast between “Northern European foods versus French, Italian, Greek cuisine and dietary preferences.”
“I don’t like generalizations,” says Kavouras, who says that while it’s tempting to make a Europe versus the United States dichotomy, it doesn’t usually hold up.
Kavouras also points out that Americans who visit Europe (and post about it on the Internet) do not represent the majority of the US population.
“It’s not your average American,” Kavouras says. “The population that comes to Europe is more educated, richer, of higher socioeconomic level…”. This is relevant, Kavouras says, because there is data suggesting that Americans of lower socioeconomic status drink less water.
But after establishing these parameters and caveats, Kavouras agrees that there are some potential differences between the US and Europe when it comes to “what people drink, what they like, and how hydrated they are.”
“For example, if you go to Germany and ask for water, they give you sparkling water. That’s the norm,” says Kavouras. “So if you served tap water in Germany, to all human beings, people would say, ‘Oh, I don’t drink this water.’ So why would you do it?”
Kavouras also points out that paying a few euros more for a one-liter bottle of water at dinner is more accepted in Europe than in the United States. Although Americans may be shocked, it’s something many Europeans wouldn’t hesitate to do, Kavouras says.
The expert suggests that Americans disturbed by the extra cost could see it as “the equivalent of the guaranteed 17 to 25 percent American tip payout today in the United States.” (The tipping culture in Europe is quite different, and usually involves much smaller percentages.)
As to whether Europeans are generally more dehydrated than Americans, Kavouras says it’s interesting that there is a difference between dietary guidelines for water intake in the United States and Europe.
“In the United States, the guidelines They are 2.7 liters for women and 3.7 liters per day for men. And in Europe, the equivalent figures are 2.0 and 2.5”, he states. “So these are the guidelines – it doesn’t mean this is what people drink – but it is what is recommended.”
And as for American TikTokers joking about tap water served in tiny “shot glasses” in Europe, Kavouras suggests this could be part of a more general difference between the United States and the rest of the world.
“You know the stereotype: in the United States everything is bigger: cars, houses, everything is bigger, portions in restaurants… etc. I think it may be a bit like that,” says Kavouras, adding that the same goes for “the water containers that the Americans carry.”
Kavouras is always amused when he sees his colleagues arrive at work with “a little barrel of water, as if there were no water in the building.”
In Kavouras’ opinion, giant water containers are “unnecessary.” That said, Kavouras advises that everyone find a way to ensure good hydration throughout the day, whether you’re working in an American office or strolling through a European city.
“Water is an essential component of any healthy diet. Therefore, hydrating properly is very important, especially in summer,” he says.
If you’re an American tourist traveling to Europe this summer and you’re concerned about the water situation, Kavouras advises you, first and foremost, to take all the viral social media posts with a grain of salt.
It is worth researching the specific destination you are going to and finding out what the norm is there, rather than assuming that all countries in Europe are the same. Familiarize yourself with the words used in your destination’s language for sparkling, still, and tap water to ensure you order the one you prefer.
And if you don’t want to drink bottled water in restaurants, Kavouras suggests staying hydrated by stocking up at the supermarket: “Bottled water isn’t as expensive if you plan a little and buy the water at the supermarket, compared to always buying it at restaurants. ”.
And Kavouras’s last piece of advice? Pack a reusable water bottle in your suitcase and take it with you throughout your vacation, not just on the road.
“In most European cities, tap water is potable, safe and safe to drink,” says Kavouras.
Many European cities have fountains throughout the city where people can stop and hydrate. Hotels, cafes and restaurants usually fill your bottle if you ask.
“Bring an empty water bottle, it doesn’t really need to be a gallon,” says Kavouras. “Just carry a normal-sized water bottle so you can refill it whenever you have the chance.”
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