Fun with maps

[Olli]

There are studies showing that in Helsinki, for example, tap water is much cleaner and more microbe-free than most bottled waters. Hence, here at least would be nonsensical indeed to buy bottled water. And I would certainly also not recommend drinking just Coke for health reasons!

[BillVol]

Seems like when we lived in Chile in the '70s, everybody there drank the tap water. I don't remember bottled water. So...our parents told us to drink up. They said we'd probably get sick and in fact we all got sick at first, but our systems got used to it.

BTW, doesn't it seem like those water maps could represent a multitude of things (different statistical data)?

[tandfman]

There are studies showing that in Helsinki, for example, tap water is much cleaner and more microbe-free than most bottled waters.

It really isn't a question of how microbe-free the water is, it's what your body is used to. bambam's comment about what TWA recommended to its personnel, and BillVol's experience in Chile confirm this. Every public water source has different microbes, and every local filtration system probably filters out slightly different things. When I'm someplace I haven't been before, domestic or foreign, I simply don't take chances. I assume that bottled water is ok. I don't recall ever having had a problem following that practice.

[Pego]

My wife used to be an international stewardess for TWA (back when they were still called stewardesses). TWA recommended never drink the water in other countries, not that it was necesarily bad, but that the US flight attendant systems weren't used to it and might react to bugs in the water that the local populace had no problem with. They actually recommended that the safest thing to drink in any country was Coca-Cola because of its filtration practices with the water.

It's not just the bugs, but all sorts of differences in mineral and organic content of water in all sorts of localities. That is why we have beer.

[bambam1729]

There are studies showing that in Helsinki, for example, tap water is much cleaner and more microbe-free than most bottled waters. Hence, here at least would be nonsensical indeed to buy bottled water. And I would certainly also not recommend drinking just Coke for health reasons!

Actually they've done study in multiple countries and tap water usually comes out better. There are laws about cleanliness of it but no governance on bottled water.

[Olli]

It really isn't a question of how microbe-free the water is, it's what your body is used to. bambam's comment about what TWA recommended to its personnel, and BillVol's experience in Chile confirm this. Every public water source has different microbes, and every local filtration system probably filters out slightly different things. When I'm someplace I haven't been before, domestic or foreign, I simply don't take chances. I assume that bottled water is ok. I don't recall ever having had a problem following that practice.

Do as you wish, but it is hard to see your point. Do you mean tap water in places like Helsinki has too few microbes for what you are used to? My point was you are taking less chances by drinking Helsinki tap water than drinking almost anything.

And you cannot compare countries like Chile to countries like Finland in this respect. Even the map cited above shows that.

[Olli]

It's not just the bugs, but all sorts of differences in mineral and organic content of water in all sorts of localities. That is why we have beer.

??? You mean there are no differences in beer in those respects?

[Pego]

??? You mean there are no differences in beer in those respects?

You got me there .

[Merner521]

It's not just the bugs, but all sorts of differences in mineral and organic content of water in all sorts of localities. That is why we have beer.

??? You mean there are no differences in beer in those respects?

Many of the popular beer styles that we enjoy are the result of the interactions of water composition and available ingredients available at certain localities (influenced by local tastes, of course). Examples of this might be the pale ales that Burton-on-Trent became known for, or the lagers produced in what is now the Czech Republic. Once more became known to brewers about water science, they were able to add minerals to their own brewing liquor (water) to mimic the water that made certain styles work.

To the point about beer being safer to drink that water, since wort (unfermented beer) is almost always boiled prior to fermentation, so any microorganisms are killed. In addition to the beer's acidity, the alcohol content in beer is a natural preservative as well.

[tandfman]

Countries with and without McDonald's:

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aPGLUWNUFc8/UqeccsCbCUI/AAAAAAABcg4/XPBq4VyeWoc/s1600/maps_change_world_photos5.jpg

[Atticus]

Countries with and without McDonald's:

No Iran, Iraq, Afghganistan?

No Greenland or Balkans or Outer Mongolia?!

Ha!

[Olli]

I wonder what counts as "country" for those who made this map. For example, Indonesia is partly red, partly blue. Same for Malaysia.

[Pego]

No Iran, Iraq, Afghganistan?

I wonder if the dietary laws prohibiting mixing meat and dairy have something to do with it.

[BillVol]

The McDonald's in Cuba must be at Gitmo

[exdrake]

The McDonald's in Cuba must be at Gitmo *

I thought we renounced torture.