the WATER topic

[tommy]

I've been tempted to default to a full-text search of all topics all dates, and maybe we'll do that on the next upgrade.

nah.

[Rachel Perlow]

It definitely needs to default to Any Date.

[201]

Supposedly, the water in El Paso contains a kind of natural lithium.  And therefore, it's said, the residents are remarkedly laid back and mellow.

I understand there is not a particularly big market for bottled water. 

I lived in El Paso for three years and the only thing I noticed about the water was how much it tasted of chlorine. As for laid back and mellow residents there, my stay was during the height of El Paso's street gang problems so I didn't notice too much mellowness. Maybe they added the lithium to get rid of the gangs, because El Paso seemed much improved when I visited last summer.

Anyway, I generally drink tap water wherever I am unless it either tastes very bad (as in Paramus, NJ), looks very brown (as in my cousin's old $450/month apartment in Manhattan), or comes from a lake (as in my family's cabin in Maine). The first case can usually be solved with a filter, the second would require bottled water, and the third means a short trip through the woods to a natural spring. Of course, some members of my family are just too damn lazy to do that so they pick up bottled water along with their groceries. The funny thing is that they buy Poland Spring which comes from a source that's only about 45 minutes away from our own spring. Go figure.

[awbrig]

Fiji is the best bottled water out there right now. It is so soft and clean...try it you'll thanks me for it

[mixmaster b]

Are humans developing the mentality that unless something is attractively packaged/marketed it can't be any good?

I think you have that exactly right, Saffy.

I also struggle with the concept of fizzy water, or naturally carbonated as the marketeers insist on calling it. I mean, what is that ? Naturally carbonated ? Everyone knows that they're artificially injecting carbon dioxide into the stuff, even if it did naturally have some CO2 in it before they started. When was the last time you saw a fizzy mountain stream ? Fizziness is an appetite suppressant and causes flatulence. So why on earth would anyone want to drink fizzy water with a meal ? My guess is again that it's marketing that has created the demand, that it's considered elegant

I drink sparkling water because I like the way it tastes. I think most people who drink it do it for that reason. I don't care if the carbonation is fake or real, as long as it fizzes! (I don't have problems with the flatulence, and if it is an appetite supressant--hooray )

I spent some time in Italy growing up, and they open sparkling and flat water for every meal. I got to like it very much, and it is definitely healthier than soda!

There is a big difference between seltzer and mineral water. To me, seltzer has big, strong bubbles that can be a bit much--I like it with a sandwich or burger but not with a nice meal. The same goes for Perrier--I don't like the strength of the carbonation and would not order it.

My FAVE is Ferelle (Or is it Ferarelle?) an Italian brand. It has a nice, softly fizzy quality. I order it anytime I see it on a menu because it is hard to get here. The same goes for Badoit. My standby is Pelegrino, though I will drink about anything. (Even Perrier is OK on ice. )

The small bottle (8 oz?) is a complete waste of time, except for maybe at a bar. But in NYC if someone asks for club soda they usually get it from the soda spigot, right?

I am surprised by some of the comments about small bottles. As I said earlier, we would prefer not to carry small bottles due to space limitations and the markup is not as high. The entire purpose of our restaurant offering it is for the one diner at a table who may want bottled water but not a large bottle. A small bottle is just over 16 ounces or 1/2 liter.

I agree on the very small Pelligrinos. Too much money for not enough water. These are the little, 8 oz bottles with the screwtop. I think it is preferable to have the choice of a small/medium bottle (12-16 oz) or a larger size. Forget the 8 oz.

Having the water listed on the menu would be my preference, and $5-$6 is okay for the big bottle, but more is just a rip.

Also, I HATE it when the waiters question you on water. Water means tap water. Bottled or sparkling will be requested if desired. And I am with the others who don't like the lime or lemon in/on the glass. I like it plain!

No comment from me on bottled flat water. I am not too picky about tap--though I know enough to appreciate it when I go to NYC.

Please let us know what you decide to offer!

[KyleW]

Generally speaking, my research is geared to those going to an upscale establishment and spending at least $50/pp and a place where entrees start at close to $20 or higher.  Here goes...

I would rather spend my money on food. Because I live in the city, tap has always been fine for me.

where's your restaurant? I'll come eat!

[tommy]

And I am with the others who don't like the lime or lemon in/on the glass.  I like it plain!

i'm with you. i don't like lemon or lime in my flat water, or in my diet soda for that matter. however, i do appreciate a wedge in sparkling water.

[hollywood]

Badoit, Sole, Olympia. $5-6 tops for a big bottle.

[SobaAddict70]

In the film, "The Player", Robert Altman has an in-joke which only comes across to people who are inveterate food geeks or people who nitpick films and shows for fun ( ). As many as 32 varieties of WATER appear in the film, from boutique mineral waters to fizzy pop spring water to le water du jour at meals, etc.

What's your favorite water, and why?

Flat or fizzy? Artesian or distilled?

Sparkling, flavored, or on tap?

Fruit-flavored, caffeine-jolted, or spiked with energy giving herbs and other esoterica?

Evian, Poland Spring, Deer Park, or America's Choice?

What do you think of a "water sommelier"? (I'm totally serious. Hey, if there are "tea sommeliers", one catering to water can't be far behind.)

Is Perrier all that it's hyped up to be? blah blah blah...

Discuss.

SA

[awbrig]

[elyse]

Tap.

[Allura]

Tap. "Pur" filtered tap at my current apartment, unforunately, since it's somewhat..orange. I can't drink anything sparkling/carbonated, and I think the fruit flavored ones are extra calories I really don't need & don't particularly like. If I'm given lemon with my water, it'll go in the glass, but that's about it. I'll drink bottled water if I'm on the road or such, but I don't see the point in spending money on it, otherwise. Oh, and I drink a *lot* of water.

[Jason Perlow]

I like Fiji, where avalaible.

We have Poland Spring water cooler bottle delivery at home. Its good.

[Sandra Levine]

Eau de Bloomberg is just fine with me, although it was a tad better when it was Eau de Lindsay. If I need to carry around a bottle, I choose Poland Spring, since it tastes similar. The quality of the water on the Caribbean island, Dominica, is matched by its availability. The whole island is basically a rain forest in the hurricane belt. Bottled attractively and marketed well, I think the water could be a moneymaker.

Edited February 5, 2003 by Sandra Levine (log)

[mikeczyz]

sparkling, please...

mike

Edited February 5, 2003 by mikeczyz (log)

[guajolote]

Bottled water is the biggest scam out there. It is less regulated and tested less than muninciple water systems. Didn't NYC water win a blind taste test against all bottled water a couple of years ago.

[southern girl]

In my past life I dated a winemaker...in order to help "teach" me how to detect subtle tastes...we had a water tasting...all still waters, as he says sparkling/mineral water disturbs your palate when trying to taste wines...I have to admit, I was amazed at the differences in flavors of, yes, bottled waters...try it sometime...it is really interesting.

[Jason Perlow]

For fizzy stuff I like Sole' or Pellegrino. or Fiuggi. The fizzy Poland is good too, but its harder to find around here.

Course theres nothing wrong with supermarket brand seltzer either.

[Jason Perlow]

Merged with previous threads.

[Jinmyo]

[sashae]

I drank solely tap (Nalgene bottle for cold portability) when living in NYC, but in Los Angeles.. bleh. Water tastes AWFUL. I drink significantly more bottled water now (Vittel, Spa, Volvic, Glaceau Smartwater) and do chlorine evaporation and a PUR filter at home... still prefer the bottled though.

-s

[Nick]

I'm curious about what kind of water eGulleteers drink when they are home?  Do you get bottled water delivered or maybe buy it at the grocery, or drink tap water or use tap w/ a filter?  If you drink bottled water at home, do you prefer sparkling/frizzante or natural?  Also for those that drink bottled water, does it have more to do with you like the taste of bottled water better, or do you have health concerns about your city water?  Has Sept. 11 changed anyone's water drinking habits at all?  Right now, I drink maybe 1/3 if the time sparkling bottled water (usually from Costco), 2/3 of the time tap water w/ Home Depot filter.  For the first couple of months after Sept. 11, I drank only store bought (natural) water, but as time has passed I have gone back to my pre-Sept 11 water drinking habits.  So, what kind of water do you drink at home, and why?

I drink water from my well. It is a drilled well, but only 55' deep. In the Spring the water usually runs out over the top of the well casing. It's a beautiful sight to see your water so plentiful that it rises a foot and a half above ground level and runs over.

It's also good water and in addition to an electric pump I have a hand pump, by which means I can, with a few strokes, get fresh, cold water right from the ground. There's nothing that matches it for refreshment on a hot summer day.

[tommy]

It's also good water and in addition to an electric pump I have a hand pump, by which means I can, with a few strokes, get fresh, cold water right from the ground. There's nothing that matches it for refreshment on a hot summer day.

and there's nothing quite like the chill that mother nature throws on water. to the bone, so to speak.

there's a natural spring near Edison, NJ, of all places. i'm not sure if anyone tests the water anymore, but people line up to fill their jugs. if i'm in the area, i'll stop by for a refill on a bottle, much to mrs. tommy's chagrin. ahhhhh.

[Nick]

there's a natural spring near Edison, NJ, of all places.  i'm not sure if anyone tests the water anymore, but people line up to fill their jugs.  if i'm in the area, i'll stop by for a refill on a bottle, much to mrs. tommy's chagrin.  ahhhhh.

A natural spring that runs cold and clear, and has good water beats what I have now. I had such a spring years ago on a different piece of land. It was just so beautiful to drink from it on a sweaty, hot summer day. And it the winter, it ran over and would melt the show in it's run-off. It was about the best water I ever had.

But, good water is so hard to come by these days that I'm happy with what I have. It's why I stay where I am.

Edited February 5, 2003 by Nickn (log)

[elyse]

Anybody seen DNA? Something I saw a couple of years ago. It was bottled water with alcohol. Unless my memory fails me.