Whether your are sitting at a cafe on the banks of the Seine trying to enjoy a drink, or in need of some cold refreshment after a long day of hiking in the Amazon, nothing quite says “you’re not in America anymore” than the lack of ice overseas.
But putting up with room-tempature refreshments is something Americans never need to worry about when we are stateside.
- We get a full cup of it with our soft drink at McDonalds or the stadium.
- Its sheer abundance in pitchers of ice water at restaurants causes waiters to spill water when refilling our glass.
- Our freezers dispense it into glasses without forcing us to go through the trouble of even opening the door.
- And we even have enough of it to put it in our coffee.
So next time you’re trying in vain to refresh yourself with a glass of lukewarm water overseas, remember in America we have ice in our drinks.
God Bless America!
How could #1 not be Free Refills?!
I demand a recount!
See, what surprises me the most is that the great ice-cube nation USA does not offer me (yet) the possibility to put some of these babies in my Budweiser Light…
Do you think the reason is that they might alter its unique and pronounced taste? Do you think it’d make it taste too much like water?…
Thought of your blog went I got home and wanted some cold water to drink. My tap water is very lukewarm and my fridge doesn’t have an automatic ice maker. Being an American, I forget to refill my ice cube trays.
It’s like I’m in some European nightmare right now!
I successfully separated pingbacks and comments! Woot Woot!
What’s the value of a Free Refill if it’s going to be lukewarm?
Free Refill Technology is the holy grail of Americanness. It is coming, but we are not ready yet.
I think the reason is that in America, unlike Europe, we serve our beers sufficiently cold as to not need outside cooling.
The only time I’ve ever thought of putting ice in my beer was in the UK, where, of course, ice is very limited.