to drink or not to....

what is the deal with bottled water already? I have a lot of mixed feelings about the issue of purchasing water in bottles for 500 times (yes, 500 times, that is no exaggeration) the cost of water coming out of your faucet. I understand the convenience argument - that sometimes you just want some water instead of a soft drink and you're on the road or not in close proximity to a drinking fountain (do they even still have those?? I haven't seen a working one in a really long time, except at the gym).

On a regular basis? In your home? Ship it across the world (shipping water to the US from New Zealand?? come on!), for what? Is that one bottle of water somehow going to reshape your life, your health, or your well-being? Of course not! And, in fact, it probably has a detrimental effect on your life. Why? Think about all the energy that needs to be consumed to bottle it, package it, ship it and then throw it in the trash. All that additional air pollution, right into your lungs (and mine too - get that bottle of water away from me, it's almost as bad as second hand smoke).

I was in a restaurant in London a few months ago, and then recently in Philadelphia, PA. In both restaurants the waiter came to our table and asked if we would like water for the table - of course we do. He then left us with a water menu and advised that a water sommelier would be over shortly. The first was in London. I was a little confused by this (who am I kidding I have never heard of such ridiculousness in my life!) but played along since I was a tourist. Also, I must say that my curiosity got the best of me and I really wanted to see what this was all about. All hype. In Philadelphia, my curiosity sated, I opted for tap water. "Tap water??" the waiter asked incredulously. Yes, the stuff that comes out of the river, into the treatment plant, and passes all the regulations for clean and potable water. I know, a crazy idea.... but I like living on the edge.

Think about it. We can spend $2 on a 24 oz bottle of water (that's $5.33 per gallon for us math geeks, double that of the national average for gasoline) OR we can spend 0.01 cents per gallon by drawing it from our tap. You say it doesn't taste as good. USE BRITA. Stop the madness.

*k*