Refusing to Serve Tap Water

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  1. #31

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    I personally believe that the whole 'bottled water' thing is one of the biggest scams run on consumers in the last couple of decades. Bottled water is often more expensive than petrol (a liquid with a vastly more complex refining and distribution process). Surely there's something a little strange about this?

    Conversations with with someone I knew from Thames Water stopped me from worrying about rusty pipes, and London plumbing is far worse than what I've seen in most other countries. Bacteria? We've been living with bacteria ever since we evolved- without them, we'd be all dead.

    Anyway- I should stop ranting and get back to the original point. I think the name and shame idea is a good one- I certainly wouldn't knowingly eat at a place that tried to force me to buy bottled water. Fortuately, it's not something that I've yet come across.


  2. #32

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    Quote Originally Posted by sunniefaith:
    What about ice in coke or iced tea then? Can you get sick from the ice?
    Ice is made out of water...

  3. #33

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    Don't drink the water, there's blood in the water.

    Don't eat the ice, there's bacteria in the ice.

    Don't drink soda, there's cancer in the soda.

    Don't eat the meat, there's cancer in the meat.

    Don't eat the vegetables, there's pesticides on the vegetables.

    Don't breathe the air, there's toxins in the air.


    Don't open your eyes, mortality is standing right in front of you.


  4. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by Krad:
    Don't drink the water, there's blood in the water.

    Don't eat the ice, there's bacteria in the ice.

    Don't drink soda, there's cancer in the soda.

    Don't eat the meat, there's cancer in the meat.

    Don't eat the vegetables, there's pesticides on the vegetables.

    Don't breathe the air, there's toxins in the air.


    Don't open your eyes, mortality is standing right in front of you.
    Perfect response.

  5. #35

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    I asked the building people in my building and they said it was fine, but I will be a little bit tentative about drinking it - will take it slowly.

    I think the water in Singapore is meant to be safe but when I was there for about a week I got sick and I suspected it was from the water (not the food), as it's just different to what my stomach is used to back at home (I have a sensitive stomach )

    Re the price of bottled water - yeah, it's weird. A few years ago there was no bottled water in Australia but now it is everywhere, even though the tap water is perfectly fine. I guess the costs come from the packaging, marketing and labor. As for why people buy it where normal water is fine, it's probably just a convenience thing for those who aren't organised enough to carry tap water in normal bottles?!

    Last edited by muse07; 16-04-2007 at 01:51 PM.

  6. #36

    hi guys!

    i'm afraid u reli can't drink water directly from the tap in HK!!
    we the locals always boil the water first...n we'll let it cool down naturally n never put ice in it to facilitate the process...
    or of course we put the hot boiling water in a thermo if we want it otherwise....

    but for making tea we always heat up another pot of boiling water instead of using the kept-warm water from the flask...

    also...ice cubes r always made with the boiled water (the cooled down one of course...that's wut we call "cold boiled water" in cantonese...while the unboiled tap water is called "raw water")

    more, we still use "raw water" for washing veggie bcoz in chinese cuisine we never eat uncooked vegetable (again it's called "raw vegetable")...so it doesnt matter which water we r using to wash it since all the veggie is cooked eventually...the washing process is just for putting away the mud n the worms....

    but i know that some "gweilo" restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe they still serve tap water just simply bcoz they don't care...


  7. #37

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    In my experience at Ruth's, they will ask if you would like the sparkling or still water, but if you just ask for regular, they will bring you the non-bottled stuff.

    YMMV.

    Quote Originally Posted by PDLM:
    Unfortunately, no they aren't. I have had this discussion previously with the Food & Environmental Health Department and with the Consumer Council, but there didn't seem to be much interest in taking up the issue.

    Perhaps we should simply start a "name and shame" thread here so that these places might get the message that they are losing significant business as a result:

    Two places that I would enjoy otherwise but won't be going to again because they refuse tap water:

    Ole (the Spanish place on Ice House Street)
    Ruth's Chris

  8. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by ellaella:
    hi guys!

    i'm afraid u reli can't drink water directly from the tap in HK!!
    we the locals always boil the water first......./snip/......still serve tap water just simply bcoz they don't care...
    The irony of some of the habits versus the overwhelming desire to boil water makes me laugh.

  9. #39

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    Quote Originally Posted by ellaella:
    hi guys!

    i'm afraid u reli can't drink water directly from the tap in HK!!

    but i know that some "gweilo" restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe they still serve tap water just simply bcoz they don't care...

    If you "can't" drink the tap water wouldn't it be illegal to serve it at a restaurant?

  10. #40

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    Yes - restaurants aren't obliged to serve tap water, but they are obliged to ensure that everything they do serve is fit for consumption.