Comments on: Water, No Ice

By: ek aur desi

ek aur desi — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:34:01 +0000

I always ask the waiter for ‘water without ice’. :)) But I was told to ask for ‘water with no ice’. My friend told me that people out here do not follow the first phrase. Is it so?

By: A curious server

A curious server — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:55:44 +0000

From a server’s point of view, we are not trying to stereotype people who order water with no ice, we just want to know if there is any significance to it. alas, the answer to the question is not as glamorous as i thought. But i must assure you that I wouldn’t assume that because you are Indian that you don’t want ice in your glass

By: bliss

bliss — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:02:38 +0000

i am not Indian but i don’t like ice in water either. my mother taught me at a fairly young age that cold water is like a shock to the system and therefore, no good. now, i cannot drink cold water and don’t like it any way. i hope more people will get water, no ice. it saves a lot of space in the freezer to not make ice. LOL

By: Rajesh Kumar

Rajesh Kumar — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:31:27 +0000

And deviating from the focus, let me state the Vidya’s book is perhaps my six year old daughter’s favourite bedtime reading.I was doing a calculation yesterday, I must have read it aloud almost eighty to ninety times so far in last six months. Am quite prepared to take a quiz on the ‘The Milkman’s Cow’ actually! Geetaji, that was such an apt gift for Tanya.Yeh-Dil-Maange-More.

By: Dutch craig

Dutch craig — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 06:44:11 +0000

Although your article make sense most of the times its not true always. I mean not all the indians who order water without ice are INDIANS (your way). I do sometime order water. Its not about the money .. I already would have had enough coke that day and I dont wanna drink another one. My wife is an american and she orders water most of the times ..she is kinda strict about her diet. Do you call her indian ?? You dont have right to generalize people based on their habits.

The true american way of life is “live as you like”. It seems you still didnt get it ( since you are writing blogs on others !)

By: Basab

Basab — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 01:53:48 +0000

Siddharth, thanks for the reminder. The photo is someone else’s, under Creative Commons. Here’s the link http://www.flickr.com/photos/malias/45580483/

Anshuman and Shefaly, as I understand it, the reason for warm country- hot food paradox as well as rare vs well done food is that in tropical countries like India, food deterirorates much faster. Cooking therefore was necessary. This also explains why spices were necessary - to preserve the food longer.

Shefaly, we have also gone back and forth between bottled water and tap water. Currently, we are on bottled water that is cleaned through reverse osmosis. We gave a thumbs down to spring water, at least for now. But we are fickle, when it comes to the way we like our water.

By: Shefaly

Shefaly — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 14:40:29 +0000

I think plenty of Americans, other westerners as well as others, who see the futility of ordering (and paying for) supposedly cleaner bottled water, only to be contaminated with ice from sources not necessarily known for the traceability of the water used, wisely ask for water without ice.

I think what the waiters gawk at is not water-no-ice but tap water in general, as they make no money on it. In a culture, where tips are a % of the bill and water makes no contribution to that bill, naturally this is to be frowned upon.

Much data proves that in Europe, tap water is cleaner than spring water, not to mention more ‘green’ (no reference to algae, just the materials and energy used in bottling, transporting and then disposing/ recycling).

I also ask for fruit juices without ice, which usually means twice as much juice.

But the best gag on ’spec-ed out’ food orders that are words spoken by a friend on his first visit to a frou-frou restaurant in Paris: ‘I would like steak tartare, well done please!’.

By: Anshuman Jaiswal

Anshuman Jaiswal — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 20:58:32 +0000

Intersting…..

While American fast food lunches are generally cold and top of it you have chilled pop with ice as you have pointed out… I could not fathom why inspite of living in such cold places, people are used to having cold lunches……while Indians living in hot country love to eat hot food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got one of answers that you love to eat hot food in hot regions as it helps you cool down as you perspire more!!!!

By: Sudhi

Sudhi — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 18:25:48 +0000

Interesting!Hamburger without meat?? Makes me feel nostalgic!
I remember,had to be contented with two desi equivalent of ‘buns’ being a vegetarian!

By: Surya

Surya — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 09:26:54 +0000

WAAter please, this post is not funny. I remember the years of Self-consciousness :(. Is that the way to lead a life? Being in a group of desis is better,You yap and yap and dont get time to reflect. Ordering a drink makes splitting the bill difficult.
Should I be poli..correct and not say about emigres first gen and later who both have a problem communicating; one a oxford desi and the other a not yet homogenised mexican.
The other faux pas is going and sitting at whichever seat suits me in the restaurant.
Some funny tit bits:
- My friend had a tip calculating software on his cell-phone
- Some waiters think all desis are dot com millionaires and want to talk about their startup circa 2003 @ Uncle Julios Dallas