Bottled water: like or dislike?
[Welcome to Like or Dislike, where you get to share how you really feel about ingredients from the pantry, ingredients I'm thinking about adding to my pantry, other seasonal foods, and favorite cooking gear. The things you like are sure to find their way to the recipes here on The Perfect Pantry, so do tell.]
It's true that the thinnest, most exercise-conscious people carry bottles of water around and sip from them all day long. I never got into the habit of that, but I wish I would. In most parts of the country, you can buy disposable water bottles, like those in the photo; in other places, like San Francisco, there are partial bans on the purchase of disposable bottles. And in Concord, Massachusetts, home of the American Revolution, a revolution of a different sort has resulted in a ban on all sales of bottled water. As an alternative, we have refillable bottles in every style and color. Do you carry bottled water? Do you have your own bottle or do you buy bottles of water while you're out and about?
Bottled water: like or dislike?
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i used to carry a refillable container for my water, but, a couple of years ago, our water municipal sent a letter to their customers stating that the government had mandated adding fluoride to our water; that is when i began buying bottled water....we recycle the bottles, so i don't feel so bad about buying my drinking water by the case....however, i read where some bottled water companies unscrupulously bottle plain city tap water, labeling it as purified, reverse-osmosis, etc. due to liability issues, i imagine, the article never stated what brands/companies were doing that or what the best brands were to buy....the bottled water issue is confusing!
When I am eclipse chasing in underdeveloped countries where clean water is rare, bottled water is a godsend. Here in Washington D.C. (and most everywhere in North America and Western Europe) where the tap water is safe, I am happy to drink it and avoid giving my money to Nestle or Coca Cola for what is essentially the same thing. As for soda, I use tap water and a Soda Stream for cheap, clean, bubbly water.
Dislike. We are trying to cut down our use of plastic, so bottled water is not welcome at our house, at least according to me! Tough sell for my husband, but he is coming around and brought home (partly as a joke) a BOX of water the other day that is labeled "Boxed Water is Better." We carry our own water bottles and fill them from our filtered water tap on the fridge.
I know the plastic bottles are littering our world. Yet, I'm still not in a habit to carry water bottles with me. And when I'm traveling in a car, getting water bottle at a gas station assuages my guilt of using their bathroom but not buying their gas.
No to plastic water bottles, but my husband will buy them when we're out. We are fortunate to have well water (filtered due to the NH gift of radon), and he could 'bottle' as much as he wants!
Drinking water certainly is important, but can be carried too far. A friend collapsed in a road race because of over-hydration - can cause kidney damage, I believe. In addition to water, soups and other watery foods can hydrate - boiling the water can prevent illness from water-borne microbes. (Read The Ghost Map, about the search for the cause of cholera.) Or, tea, anyone?
Here in Arizona, having water with your at all times is a must! So, definitely I'm a strong, "Like." I do both, carry (filtered) water in my own reusable bottles, and I also buy bottled water and recycle the bottles. I'm not big on plastic, but it's a lot lighter to carry around than glass, and metal reusable bottles can leave a metallic taste. I make sure to buy BPA-free plastic bottles, too.
I prefer filtered tap water, but do sometimes use bottled water for car trips.
We live beside a creek and have mountain streams that carry clean water. We filter it into the house and what we drink is from a Berkey water filter that is easy to deal with for us here. It is the kind of filter that works with city water too. Our carry water is that filtered water in either stainless steel containers or BPA free plastic containers (hiking and biking are lighter with the plastic). We do not buy water in plastic bottles as it is not needed and is questionable. If I were to do a major hike, I would buy a portable water filter rather than carry all the water with me, and there are good ones on the market if you look for them for your needs. Plastic bottles are not good, are harming all of us in their manufacture, use and disposal. Look at the facts and decide for yourself.
No to bottled water which was unnecessary in American lives before there was an industry for it.
Dislike. We are wasting the earth's resources bottling and shipping water all over the place.
I try hard to use a refillable cup with ice and water at the gym and at home, but bottled water is always in my fridge. And it's a must for parties. I do feel a bit guilty buying it so often, but I still do it.
Total dislike. I wish they were illegal.