Blame It On The Rain

I grew up in an era where drinking water was a simple thing. You went over to the kitchen sink, turned on the water - and away you went. If you had a 'fancy' refrigerator, then you can tap the source there by applying cup pressure to the water dispenser. Either way - water was gratis.

Old School vs. New
Back in the day I had heard rumors about some product, and maybe even seen it up close once.it was this oddity called "Perrier". Perrier was bottled water that was served in fancy restaurants and sold in the Beverly Hills 7-11. It was French product, though probably bottled in Bayonne, NJ. This sounded like the most ludicrous idea ever. Who on earth is going to pay for water? It's like paying for air. The bottled water industry will never take off. It will be a fad or dud - like the pet rock.
Well, it's 20 years later - and boy id I get this one wrong. Bottled water, spring water, natural water and flavored water is now a zillion dollar business. Everywhere I go, everywhere I look someone is sucking down yesterday's rain in a plastic bottle. This is driving me crazy.

As I remain a hold-out to the water industry, and refuse to join society's quest to find the fastest way possible to waste money, I certainly don't mind that everyone else drinks bottled water. It does not bother me at all.

More For Less? (Actually Less for More)
Once can probably blog forever on the topic of liquid pricing (the price one pays to buy liquid). I'll try to focus on water only here. In some parts of the nation, more specifically places like arenas, theme parks, theaters, etc., a half-liter single serve bottled water could run you $3. I'd bet the ranch that the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Queens charges even more than that. $3 for something that costs more to bottle and deliver than the product itself. Where I take issue is that if you go to your local "Price club" (or sometimes even the supermarket), you can often buy 24 bottles of the same exact product for close to the same exact price (~ $3). How can 24 of something be sold for the same price as one of something? The whole world's off it's rocker. I guess there's something to be said for convenience.

Bad News for You
Some folk exclusively drink bottled water - and refuse to touch tap water with a 10-foot pole. If you're one of them - I'm going to debrief you on something you probably already know. Every time you use a product called "Ice" it comes from the same place that tap water does. So, the next time you order a "Gin and squirt", "Grey Goose and cranberry" or "Bull Shot" - remember, you are partially drinking some of the finest local water around! This goes doubly for anyone who orders a fountain soft drink at your favorite eating establishment. Soft drinks by default or mostly water (and trust me - it ain't imported), and when you add ice then you are pretty much drinking "Sugar tap water".

HHmm...This blog has given me an idea. I wonder how the world will warm up to the idea of buying "Natural Spring Ice". Twice the cost of regular ice, except our bag has a picture of a moose in the sunset on it. Maybe this idea is 20 years ahead of time, just like "Perrier".