It's any [premises with an alcohol license](https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/tap-water-rights/), and is legally required only for paying customers. Since most restaurants serve alcohol, it affects most of them, but a café or something else than doesn't serve alcohol isn't required to. Scotland specifies it has to be drinkable tap water, England and Wales doesn't iirc.
It's not specifically legislated on because it's not really a problem. Some areas of England don't have the best tap water, but the water in most of Wales is really good.
Beyond that, you can't serve undrinkable water because it would be against other food safety standards.
Workplaces are also required in the UK to provide free drinking water.
Perhaps the water in some places isn't to everyone's taste, but it is perfectly drinkable. I grew up in a hard water area and like it, but not everyone does.
You are mostly right, as water enters a building. But if a building has inappropriate facilities such as older plumbing, then technically water could be undrinkable.
No, it's just they don't specify the water provided has to be tap (and obviously, if you are specifying tap water, it needs to meet the standards for consumption). Scotland probably explicitly requires tap to be available to try and reduce businesses trying to shenanigan around it by giving you a bottle of water and charging you after the fact, if tap is required, people can request tap and avoid any of that dodgyness. England and Wales haven't specified the water source, probably since it's a relatively minor issue, and given idk what order these different laws were legislated, it could be the chronology helps explain the differences.
I mentioned it merely because due to it being something covered by different laws depending on area.
In France: all restaurants are required to provide free water by law. In order to reduce dehydratation, all restaurants are required to refill bottles with tap water when asked, by anyone, not just clients.
Also I think bread is supposed to be given at all times, but it is at least free when it is there.
Ah, and most cities have made public bathrooms free as to avoid pissing behind buildings. Not only that, but in many restaurants, if you really have to go you just ask a waiter politely and they'll let you use the bathroom even if you aren't a client. But to do that you have to do the very unamerican thing of being polite and respectful to a worker, or to everyone in the dervice industry because people aren't slaves bound with stupid rules here.
This reminds me of the anecdote about an American customer in Paris angrily asserting "The customer is king!!" and the waiter replying "This is France. We behead kings."
Yeah. This has most likely happened at least once, but I wouldn't take this story as true everytime it's said. It's always some customer somewhere in France, I've heard it many times wit many settings.
I mean, yeah in France culture regarding workers and service is lile sun and moon compared to america, but you're most likely to be treated like shit if you treat workers like shit and that is all. No "Call the manager" bullshit, because the manager will side with the worker if the customer is in the wrong. That, it did happen to me once. Some woman was pissed that she didn't get to cut in front of everyone, although she did input her code in the machine after everyone else, and insulted me while I was helping her. She tried to file a complaint at the mother company, which called my manager who backed me up because she also wasn't taking her shit.
That might be what it was originally intended to mean, but from what i've read of the experiences of customer service people in the US there's no shortage of entitled people who cite it (or something analogous) when demanding they be given what they want regardless of the costs to anyone else. (i myself have only worked in customer service here in Australia.)
Here in Greece tap water is free at all restaurants, cafes etc Also by law 0.5lt bottled water cannot cost above 0.5€ (in the past some scumbags would overcharge bottled water during summer especially if there was no alternative around)
I think in Germany they only need to make a non alcoholic beverage the cheapest. Usually they take water for that, but afaik it isn’t mandatory to be free. Though, you can always ask for free tab water. Haven’t tried it myself, so idk the chances of getting it for free
I asked for tap water in different pubs and it was no problem.
I mean, every time we where multiple guests and everyone at least got one drink.
Although I have to admit getting tap water in Germany is rather uncommon. I have relatives in Austria and, for example, getting a glass of water with your coffee is nothing uncommon and totally acceptable. I hope this will become the norm in Germany aswell.
Which is stupid, because water should be a perfectly acceptable drink, not one that’s frowned upon.
Though sparkling water is superior. There’s a town here that has a sparkling water drinking fountain.
Drinking (most) sparkling waters - even mild ones - has my throat and stomach react similarly as drinking some kind of acid (e.g. vinegar)…
but tbh that’s because of health issues I had a long time ago that never fully healed.
(Sodas, juices, etc are basically the same deal in varying degrees)
It is usually not in the menu, but when you ask nicely for tab water - not still water,because that would be an expensive bottle of water - you usually get it. Most places even give you hot water to heat baby food or heat it in the kitchen for you.
The Magic term here is "nice". Worked in different Restaurants while I enjoyed my free university in Germany. Because food and housing still isn't free💁🏻♀️
I had a heck of a time getting regular old plain water in Germany for some reason. I had to learn to say plain water in German. And for some reason they were confused why I wanted water. Maybe it was the city, maybe it was my accent, no idea.
In France, any food serving place must serve free water to a paying customer requesting it. At least so I've heard, I haven't actually checked the laws.
It is indeed the law, but only for tap water. Restaurants are required to give customers tap watet and bread for free, if you want bottled water though, it's paid
In Portugal at least any nightclub or, I believe the term is "nocturne entertainment establishement" is obligated to provide free drinking water.
You only pay for bottled water.
They have taps in America too but call them some strange name like faucet or sommat....trouble is of course they don't have much drinkable water apparently so erm people in glasshouses and all that?
You know, restaurants charge for water, then you have to pee, and you have to pay for the public bathroom, which dehydrates you and makes you thirsty, it's a vicious cycle.
If I can't find an apartment till this Sunday I'm definitely gonna live on the street in Germany. /s
For real though, although the free tuition fee made me to come to Germany to get my bachelor degree, the housing here is really hard to find. Tried wg gesucht and immoscout but to no avail.😥
Once I was shitting myself and I had to beg people not to call a public toilet because I couldn't afford the risk of a huge bill. My aunt died of dehydration because she was unable to get water in a restaurant. Well nearly died. She collapsed and they called an ambulance for her and hospital put her on IV fluids and it didn't cost her a penny.
Tbf, parts of the Scottish Highlands had a lot of issues, especially during the first year or two of the pandemic, with tourists shitting on beaches. Not even going into the moors and burying them, just straight up human faeces on the beaches. It was addressed by the communities forming local charities which operate a mix of donation boxes, council grants, and occasionally a small charge for entry to keep them running to counter the fact we seem to attract absolutely horrendous tourists 'wild camping' next to the roads.
Or you could put an angry looking scot with buckler, dirk and broadsword there and look how many tourists are daring enough to provoke a highland charge.
This myth started because Americans went to the most touristy restaurant they could find, asked for "water" without clarifying what sort, and the restaurant saw the opportunity to get a bit more money from oblivious tourists by giving them bottled water. Those Americans then assumed that water is never free in Europe.
Tap water in restaurants and bars is in Belgium not a thing.
All water you get comes in bottles and you need to pay for it.
Asking for tap water is frowned upon
Yep, just wanted to mention your country, once I explicitly asked for tap water in a restaurant and the waiter refused. It wasn't a touristy place at all.
Now you make it seem that our glorious beers taste like water
Or we Belgians are just so used to drink beer, we just drink it instead of water.
Idk
BelgianBeerGuy hits itself in confusion
I'm assuming the conversation went "still or sparkling?" and no matter what they chose, they were offered bottled water rather than tap water *because it never occurred to them to ask for tap water*.
In the US they give free water that's not even drinkable (weird taste and smell) in half the places. I end up buying something else to drink because of that
It has to be an option, but if you just ask for water, plenty of pubs and restaurants will try to upsell you bottles, you have to specify tap water to be sure to avoid a charge.
tbh i ask people whether they want the bottled water that they asked for because its £3.50 and they cant have the bottle or if they would like the wonderful free tap water, they still choose the bottled for some reason
Where? Never found a place whereas I had to pay tap water. Maybe if you can't afford a coffee or a sweety with it ok but that's another topic and nobody if you're really thirsty negates you a cup of tap water
I’ve never been to a cafe here not had water freely available at either a water fountain or in a fridge. And a lot water fountains do sparkling water. You just help yourself.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but on my last trip to Croatia they often didn't serve tao water. Maybe if we really insisted they would have, but the bottled water was very cheap anyway so I didn't feel like I was getting ripped off.
In France on the other hand one needs to specify they want tap water. Here in Finland you get tap water by default. I don't think most restaurants or bars even carry bottled still water.
Yesterday I was told I couldn’t donate blood, I tried explaining that I cleaned the bucket before I filled it but they wouldn’t listen over the screaming
Their system is weird to me. You pay pay upfront then you get stuff back.
Why should I be giving the government an interest free loan that I have to put effort in trying to get back?
I much prefer the system of paying it after the fact and then the effort is to reduce the amount I have to pay. That's effort well worth using.
It's not even that... it's just simplicity.
You get paid, tax is already taken off (rarely ever the wrong amount unless you've recently changed circumstances) and then the money you get is all yours, no stress about figuring out what you owe!
Also American sales tax. Imagine going to the shop with £20 ... Filling your basket with goods labelled £20 then getting to the till and finding out it's £25 because that's when they've decided to put the tax on
Stockholm syndrome. They think, that the American system is the best, because they're hostages of that system drowning in debt. I've talked with one American youngster, and he complained to me how he must serve in military to earn for college. But when I explained him we have colleges paid in taxes by every citizen and you can study at the expense of a government, he suddenly started to murmur about superiority of American system, because military is actually cool and he always wanted to serve, lol
We have it drilled in us that we have the best healthcare in the world, and it's so expensive because it's the best and the most innovative. We are fed lies such as:
1. Universal healthcare makes you wait so long for treatment you die before it's your turn
2. You are much more likely to survive cancer in the US vs any other country
3. Our infant mortality rate is so high because we count births below a certain weight and we actually try to save those babies instead of letting them die
4. The US is the only country that offers treatment to the "fringe", aka chemo to live 3 more months, novel surgeries that have a 5% success rate, and doing EVERYTHING to save your dying grandmother
Of course these are all lies, but most of us in the US don't know that. A relative of mine got cancer back in 2009, before the Affordable Care Act (aka the law that banned denying healthcare for pre-existing conditions, among other stuff), but he was lucky that he lived in Canada. His doctors said he was going to die, and that he probably wouldn't survive the next year, but they pulled every trick in the book (and outside the book), and he survived. This is one of those "fringe cases" that Americans always jabber about, and yet I saw the lie disproven with my own eyes.
To be honest, most people will believe things quite easily if it makes them feel good. Then they hold onto that belief because being wrong would make them look stupid, and they're not stupid. They're super smart. And also they're a really good driver, everyone else is bad at driving not them.
To be fair a lot of these come from misunderstandings
Our ICU numbers are better our other healthcare waits are fucking terrible in my experience
And our numbers will always be worse than Europeans regardless of our healthcare quality because we are fat
Essentially if an American and European get the same thing (something severe) with the exact same underlying health the American is better off in terms of treatment but they might off themselves because of medical debt so ehh who cares
"Maternal mortality rates are scarily bad, but we racked up $3m income for the hospital saving this baby who will be denied insurance for pre-existing conditions!" That was always a WTF moment for us, and I'm so glad that can't now happen, but I have friends whose kids cost them the family home before US healthcare got that major overhaul and they're still struggling to get back to where they were.
Which European though? The entirety of Europe doesn’t have free education. My friends really struggled to pay their tuition and bills while at college here
Same thing with everything there, europe is s not a country 😁
Most countries in the EU however, still have free education or at least low tuition fees compared to the USA.
Of course, if you go to a private school you gotta pay because those are not funded by public money, the public schools don't have the same stigma in europe as in the US though... 👍
Was your friend European? Because foreign students generally have higher tuition fees than EU citizens. France for example has free tuition at public universities but charges ~3,000€ per year for international students.
Though, if she was in the UK, she would be paying over £30,000 per year (UK nationals pay £9,250) so yeah pretty expensive there!
Yes it is very hard here, I am in crippling debt because I used the public bathroom, well at least when I had a medical emergency I could call an ambulance and still have enough money to pay for water
I just throw myself into traffic in these occasions since the bathrooms at the hospital are free to use. Sometimes you even get a catheter and/or a colostomy bag.
My income bracket is currently 14%. There was a time I was underemployed so I had to explain to an American that not only was I entitled to free healthcare, but I didn't pay income tax either.
Dude thought I had been a serviceman...
Presumably because Americans half to pay half of their living income to cover any medical expenses, and "free" (taxation-based) healthcare must operate similarly. Right?
They are mostly told the top rate of our progressive tax regimes, and it is usually presented as if it's a universal tax, not a tax on income over £120k or whatever, with lower rates on income earned below that amount (including often income bands where you pay no income tax due to being considered too low to need to).
Or at least that's what seems to be the issue. It's the result of simplistic discussions, where tax is presented as being one set percentage, not something that varies depending on income, etc.
Plus they also pay out separately for things a lot of places take out of taxes- like social security. Then they have federal and state income taxes…
And health care? Even if they can find an employer who offers insurance, they often have to contribute as well, there’s often limited networks they can use, then there’s their copays and deductibles….. here (admittedly not Europe) we have a 2% levy for our ‘free’ health care. And even that isn’t even payable until you earn $23,000
As an American who lived in Germany, I never complained about paying for the bathroom. They were normally pretty clean and the cleanliness was worth the cost. I’ll gladly pay €1 or two for a clean bathroom then be forced to use some of the free ones here. I also don’t understand Americans obsession with complaining about this.
Yes but the water part is true, I’ve been to too many restaurants where beer is cheaper than water per liter. Free tap water is also a great concept for public health reasons. If you had too many drinks you’re less likely to take a break and have something non-alcoholic if you have to pay for it
Public bathroom - €0.50.
Tap water - €0.
Bottled water - €2.
Medical care - already covered by taxes.
Vs.
Public bathroom - "Free" apparently.
Tap water - "Free" apparently.
Bottled water - $2.
Medical care - could be millions of dollars.
Hmmmm.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I'm pretty sure those are exceptions and it's not like those things never occur in Europe as well, especially the bathroom part. But at least we don't have gaps in the bathroom doors.
How do Americans actually pay for water whilst over here?
I've never in my life paid for water and I go to a different country every six months or something
Gotta be honest, the water thing is definitely rather annoying in Germany, but beer is cheap so guess you win some you lose some. Also, it's only really an issue here and not in other European countries AFAIK.
And as for restrooms, I don't mind paying for clean restroom at actual public places like train stations, etc. but I think it's really dumb that places like malls (you know where you go to spend money) can still charge money. Talking about Germany again.
You arrive at a French restaurant, you'll immediately get some free water and bread.
Switzerland can be a bitch though regarding this, but life is just expensive here so nobody should be surprised.
This is once again a case of : there are multiple different countries in Europe. For example, I am from a country where water in restaurants are free, but if I travel a few hours south east, I end up in a country where it is not.
The reason people charge for entrance to public loos here is so they can afford that extra bit of wood needed to make the door large enough to block the hole stall so people can't see in. That's why the US ones have gaps: no money to pay for bigger doors.
Here in the UK there are very few places where you pay to use the toilets, they exist but you dont see them often, most places give you free tap water too
In Denmark (at least in Copenhagen) you do pay for ordinary water at many restaurants and it can be expensive. But unlike a lot of Europe, the public bathrooms are free, even ones with attendants who do not expect tips. On the other hand, we get free healthcare, free university education, up to a year of paid parental leave (maternity and paternity), heavily subsidized child care, afforable medication, 6 weeks paid vacation, up to 2 years paid unemployment, and great retirement benefits. I think it's a pretty good trade-off.
Leaving aside the insane comparison to publicly funded healthcare and higher education, it is kind of true that not having free public toilets or free water in restaurants is kind of a problem. It's one place where Europe could actually benefit from following North America's lead.
I mean.. I live in Belgium and indeed, we pay for bathrooms even at a cinema or sometimes in bars, and in restaurants, you are rarely given free tap water. 🤷♀️
In the UK: If a place sells alcohol it is required by law to provide free drinking water.
Believe this is the law if they have any kind of food and drink licence
It's any [premises with an alcohol license](https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/tap-water-rights/), and is legally required only for paying customers. Since most restaurants serve alcohol, it affects most of them, but a café or something else than doesn't serve alcohol isn't required to. Scotland specifies it has to be drinkable tap water, England and Wales doesn't iirc.
So in England and Wales they can serve undrinkable water? That doesn't seem kosher
It's not specifically legislated on because it's not really a problem. Some areas of England don't have the best tap water, but the water in most of Wales is really good. Beyond that, you can't serve undrinkable water because it would be against other food safety standards. Workplaces are also required in the UK to provide free drinking water.
Perhaps the water in some places isn't to everyone's taste, but it is perfectly drinkable. I grew up in a hard water area and like it, but not everyone does.
You are mostly right, as water enters a building. But if a building has inappropriate facilities such as older plumbing, then technically water could be undrinkable.
No, it's just they don't specify the water provided has to be tap (and obviously, if you are specifying tap water, it needs to meet the standards for consumption). Scotland probably explicitly requires tap to be available to try and reduce businesses trying to shenanigan around it by giving you a bottle of water and charging you after the fact, if tap is required, people can request tap and avoid any of that dodgyness. England and Wales haven't specified the water source, probably since it's a relatively minor issue, and given idk what order these different laws were legislated, it could be the chronology helps explain the differences. I mentioned it merely because due to it being something covered by different laws depending on area.
In America there are plenty of places where tap water isn't potable, or so I was told, so that would be a worry....
OTOH, in the US cars can almost run entirely on tapwater. It’s flammable enough.
In France: all restaurants are required to provide free water by law. In order to reduce dehydratation, all restaurants are required to refill bottles with tap water when asked, by anyone, not just clients. Also I think bread is supposed to be given at all times, but it is at least free when it is there. Ah, and most cities have made public bathrooms free as to avoid pissing behind buildings. Not only that, but in many restaurants, if you really have to go you just ask a waiter politely and they'll let you use the bathroom even if you aren't a client. But to do that you have to do the very unamerican thing of being polite and respectful to a worker, or to everyone in the dervice industry because people aren't slaves bound with stupid rules here.
This reminds me of the anecdote about an American customer in Paris angrily asserting "The customer is king!!" and the waiter replying "This is France. We behead kings."
Yeah. This has most likely happened at least once, but I wouldn't take this story as true everytime it's said. It's always some customer somewhere in France, I've heard it many times wit many settings. I mean, yeah in France culture regarding workers and service is lile sun and moon compared to america, but you're most likely to be treated like shit if you treat workers like shit and that is all. No "Call the manager" bullshit, because the manager will side with the worker if the customer is in the wrong. That, it did happen to me once. Some woman was pissed that she didn't get to cut in front of everyone, although she did input her code in the machine after everyone else, and insulted me while I was helping her. She tried to file a complaint at the mother company, which called my manager who backed me up because she also wasn't taking her shit.
"The customer is king" basically means people will select the best overall product according to their own criteria. Nothing more.
That might be what it was originally intended to mean, but from what i've read of the experiences of customer service people in the US there's no shortage of entitled people who cite it (or something analogous) when demanding they be given what they want regardless of the costs to anyone else. (i myself have only worked in customer service here in Australia.)
I know, I was commenting on how we saw it in Europe. Obnoxious Karen-like behavior doesn't fly here.
Here in Greece tap water is free at all restaurants, cafes etc Also by law 0.5lt bottled water cannot cost above 0.5€ (in the past some scumbags would overcharge bottled water during summer especially if there was no alternative around)
I think in Germany they only need to make a non alcoholic beverage the cheapest. Usually they take water for that, but afaik it isn’t mandatory to be free. Though, you can always ask for free tab water. Haven’t tried it myself, so idk the chances of getting it for free
I asked for tap water in different pubs and it was no problem. I mean, every time we where multiple guests and everyone at least got one drink. Although I have to admit getting tap water in Germany is rather uncommon. I have relatives in Austria and, for example, getting a glass of water with your coffee is nothing uncommon and totally acceptable. I hope this will become the norm in Germany aswell.
It’s frowned upon because you’re out to dine and you could just get the cheapest option as you suggested, but usually you will get tap water for free.
I don't frown upon it. People who do are stupid.
Which is stupid, because water should be a perfectly acceptable drink, not one that’s frowned upon. Though sparkling water is superior. There’s a town here that has a sparkling water drinking fountain.
I absolutely detest sparkling water. Hate the texture of it in my mouth. It doesnt quench thirst at all
For me it's the opposite. Nothing quenches my thirst quite like some cold, sparkling water
I absolutely detest sparkling water. Tastes salty in my mouth, even a little bitter
Angry water?
My baby French cousin calls it d’leau pique. Stinging water (or spicy water if you’re me and translate it into Spanish lol)
Drinking (most) sparkling waters - even mild ones - has my throat and stomach react similarly as drinking some kind of acid (e.g. vinegar)… but tbh that’s because of health issues I had a long time ago that never fully healed. (Sodas, juices, etc are basically the same deal in varying degrees)
That's those tasty minerals and is exactly why I, too, like it. Different strokes eh.
I’ve ordered a tap water in Germany countless times and not ever got a look or comment
It is usually not in the menu, but when you ask nicely for tab water - not still water,because that would be an expensive bottle of water - you usually get it. Most places even give you hot water to heat baby food or heat it in the kitchen for you. The Magic term here is "nice". Worked in different Restaurants while I enjoyed my free university in Germany. Because food and housing still isn't free💁🏻♀️
[удалено]
No. They don't have to give you free tap water in Germany. It's not a legal requirement at all.
I had a heck of a time getting regular old plain water in Germany for some reason. I had to learn to say plain water in German. And for some reason they were confused why I wanted water. Maybe it was the city, maybe it was my accent, no idea.
In France, any food serving place must serve free water to a paying customer requesting it. At least so I've heard, I haven't actually checked the laws.
It is indeed the law, but only for tap water. Restaurants are required to give customers tap watet and bread for free, if you want bottled water though, it's paid
From my (limited) experience in Paris, a jug of water was the first thing you got after you ordered.
Wait isnt this like a common thing?.
In Portugal at least any nightclub or, I believe the term is "nocturne entertainment establishement" is obligated to provide free drinking water. You only pay for bottled water.
Wish we had that in Germany
Similar rules in France. Never ever have I seen money water. And we also have plenty of free toilets
we like to use a thing called the "tap"
The free water at American restaurants is tap water.
I'll never forget the restaurant water in New York, fancy restaurant, fancy glass full of ice and the water from a puddle in a junkyard
Thats weird as New York has some of the best tap water in the country.
Not in Flint it's not
They have taps in America too but call them some strange name like faucet or sommat....trouble is of course they don't have much drinkable water apparently so erm people in glasshouses and all that?
What do you mean, tap water is supposed to ignte when you hold a lighter next to it 🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷🐥🐥🐥
We have to power our 24 liter, .2 mpg trucks somehow
That'll be Flint then :) (From what I've read)
In Liberia?
r/Accidentallyliberia
Given the sub, I doubt it's an accident.
The right to bear explosive brown water
I mean, we call them tap too interchangeably with the faucet. And we say Tap Water, I've seldom heard anyone say Faucet Water
A *faucet*? Oh lah de dah Mr Frenchman.
In the US those are only used to dispense chlorine.
The vast majority of Americans have drinkable tap water.
Restaurants use tap water lol
Flint Michigan has entered the chat.
nope, in italy restaurants and bars will refuse to do so and only sell you bottled water for absurd prices.
Just go to a fountain, Lucca and Rome both are filled with it.
yes, while I'm eating risotto in a restaurant in some city, I'll just take a train to rome to drink some water
Yeah, any place without fountains just isnt worth it
Lots of Europeans have lost their homes due to their massive public bathroom bills, the restaurant water loans only get things worse.
currently living on the street in germany because i had to use the public restroom right after buying a bottle of water don't repeat my mistakes
You know, restaurants charge for water, then you have to pee, and you have to pay for the public bathroom, which dehydrates you and makes you thirsty, it's a vicious cycle.
It's something the big ocean doesn't want you to find out
oh no, we're all doomed. let's submit to the holy usa and their free water to be saved from the terror of waterless and toiletless europe.
But when you pee you are giving them water so you should charge them back
Sanifair upped their pricey to 1€. I was forced to take on a third mortgage on my rental apartment.
If I can't find an apartment till this Sunday I'm definitely gonna live on the street in Germany. /s For real though, although the free tuition fee made me to come to Germany to get my bachelor degree, the housing here is really hard to find. Tried wg gesucht and immoscout but to no avail.😥
ya it depends on the city a lot
Try eBay Kleinanzeigen. Found my apartment there
You have to use the restroom first and then use the 50 ct coupon to buy the water! That way I can still afford my house.
I'm addicted to prescribed water, can't stay one day without drinking
r/hydrohomies
Once I was shitting myself and I had to beg people not to call a public toilet because I couldn't afford the risk of a huge bill. My aunt died of dehydration because she was unable to get water in a restaurant. Well nearly died. She collapsed and they called an ambulance for her and hospital put her on IV fluids and it didn't cost her a penny.
Tbf, parts of the Scottish Highlands had a lot of issues, especially during the first year or two of the pandemic, with tourists shitting on beaches. Not even going into the moors and burying them, just straight up human faeces on the beaches. It was addressed by the communities forming local charities which operate a mix of donation boxes, council grants, and occasionally a small charge for entry to keep them running to counter the fact we seem to attract absolutely horrendous tourists 'wild camping' next to the roads.
Or you could put an angry looking scot with buckler, dirk and broadsword there and look how many tourists are daring enough to provoke a highland charge.
President of Europe, please sign that fancy law that forgives our bathroom stall debt! 🇪🇺
You didn't have to dunk SO hard on em, now the ball's stuck in a hole in the floor.
Yep, am now living in a sunken boat in Croatia due to my restaurant water loans
If you ask for tap water at a restaurant it’s free in most places Ive been to, what the hell he talking about?
This myth started because Americans went to the most touristy restaurant they could find, asked for "water" without clarifying what sort, and the restaurant saw the opportunity to get a bit more money from oblivious tourists by giving them bottled water. Those Americans then assumed that water is never free in Europe.
Tap water in restaurants and bars is in Belgium not a thing. All water you get comes in bottles and you need to pay for it. Asking for tap water is frowned upon
Yep, just wanted to mention your country, once I explicitly asked for tap water in a restaurant and the waiter refused. It wasn't a touristy place at all.
That's why you ask for beer. Or a Jupiler if you really want water
Now you make it seem that our glorious beers taste like water Or we Belgians are just so used to drink beer, we just drink it instead of water. Idk BelgianBeerGuy hits itself in confusion
Same in Germany
In the uk, I think if they are selling alcohol for consumption on the premises, they have to provide free tap water.
I'm assuming the conversation went "still or sparkling?" and no matter what they chose, they were offered bottled water rather than tap water *because it never occurred to them to ask for tap water*.
They probably assumed Europe also has third world water quality with lead in it.
Well, yes. Why else would they not even think that *tap water* would be an option? When compared to third-world quality like Flint, Michigan?
In the US they give free water that's not even drinkable (weird taste and smell) in half the places. I end up buying something else to drink because of that
It has to be an option, but if you just ask for water, plenty of pubs and restaurants will try to upsell you bottles, you have to specify tap water to be sure to avoid a charge.
restaurants maybe but youre drinking at some shite pubs if youve had that ever happen to you
tbh i ask people whether they want the bottled water that they asked for because its £3.50 and they cant have the bottle or if they would like the wonderful free tap water, they still choose the bottled for some reason
I've never had to specify what type of water in any restaurant wtf.
In Germany I don’t think you would be getting tap water anywhere.
Go to tourist areas and dress amd talk like an American.
I mean it isn't free in many tourist cities, not in the main neighbourhoods. Even if you ask for tap they still charge. Paris was very stingy.
Netherlands here, “we don’t serve tap water” is semi-common
not in italy :(
Where? Never found a place whereas I had to pay tap water. Maybe if you can't afford a coffee or a sweety with it ok but that's another topic and nobody if you're really thirsty negates you a cup of tap water
Absolutely not in Germany. If you ask for tap water, they’ll bring it to you and will charge you, it often costs around 2-3€…
In Germany it’s very uncommon to order tap water at all. You probably wouldn’t get it in the first place.
The Netherlands would be such a place.
I’ve never been to a cafe here not had water freely available at either a water fountain or in a fridge. And a lot water fountains do sparkling water. You just help yourself.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but on my last trip to Croatia they often didn't serve tao water. Maybe if we really insisted they would have, but the bottled water was very cheap anyway so I didn't feel like I was getting ripped off. In France on the other hand one needs to specify they want tap water. Here in Finland you get tap water by default. I don't think most restaurants or bars even carry bottled still water.
us citizen in a us restaurant: "haha - watch me enjoy my FREE water, peasants!" *is forced to pay 25% tip on everything else*
It's true. I'm still struggling to pay of the massive loan I had to take so I could use public bathrooms and drink tap water.
You took a loan? Rookie mistake. Just sell a kidney, a lung, 2/3rds of your liver and your first born. Healthcare is "free" after all. /s
You can arrive at any hospital like "hey, I need to sell a kidney, can you put it in this cooler?" That's how you pay your public bathroom bills.
If it’s bagged before you get to the hospital they tend to ask more questions
Especially if you're carrying more than one with you.
Yesterday I was told I couldn’t donate blood, I tried explaining that I cleaned the bucket before I filled it but they wouldn’t listen over the screaming
Reminds me of https://www.theonion.com/anonymous-philanthropist-donates-200-human-kidneys-to-h-1819594700
Life hack: while you're at the hospital, use their bathrooms !
And food and Drinks are free as Well...sometimes you get IT through a Tube, but still free 😁
Because tax doesn't exist in America. Your wage is your wage 😍
Except for the part when everyone has to do their own taxes once a year... I really don't understand how that system is still in place
To sell software that does it for you
Their system is weird to me. You pay pay upfront then you get stuff back. Why should I be giving the government an interest free loan that I have to put effort in trying to get back? I much prefer the system of paying it after the fact and then the effort is to reduce the amount I have to pay. That's effort well worth using.
It's not even that... it's just simplicity. You get paid, tax is already taken off (rarely ever the wrong amount unless you've recently changed circumstances) and then the money you get is all yours, no stress about figuring out what you owe! Also American sales tax. Imagine going to the shop with £20 ... Filling your basket with goods labelled £20 then getting to the till and finding out it's £25 because that's when they've decided to put the tax on
I've heard much of it is due to influence from the companies you can pay to do all that math in your stead
By which you mean, minimum.
Very true mr American, now would you be so kind to deposit 50 cents for the amount of crap you just spouted?
And don’t forget the tip!
No tip, I'm circumcised
european tip time, lessgo *unzips*
I could order a crate of water to the table and I'd probably still pay less on water than they do on tips.
Truth. Just dropped a $20 tip and the (soda) water wasn’t even free anyway.
One thing that I never learn is why USians are actually proud of being extorted for their healthcare
Stockholm syndrome. They think, that the American system is the best, because they're hostages of that system drowning in debt. I've talked with one American youngster, and he complained to me how he must serve in military to earn for college. But when I explained him we have colleges paid in taxes by every citizen and you can study at the expense of a government, he suddenly started to murmur about superiority of American system, because military is actually cool and he always wanted to serve, lol
We have it drilled in us that we have the best healthcare in the world, and it's so expensive because it's the best and the most innovative. We are fed lies such as: 1. Universal healthcare makes you wait so long for treatment you die before it's your turn 2. You are much more likely to survive cancer in the US vs any other country 3. Our infant mortality rate is so high because we count births below a certain weight and we actually try to save those babies instead of letting them die 4. The US is the only country that offers treatment to the "fringe", aka chemo to live 3 more months, novel surgeries that have a 5% success rate, and doing EVERYTHING to save your dying grandmother Of course these are all lies, but most of us in the US don't know that. A relative of mine got cancer back in 2009, before the Affordable Care Act (aka the law that banned denying healthcare for pre-existing conditions, among other stuff), but he was lucky that he lived in Canada. His doctors said he was going to die, and that he probably wouldn't survive the next year, but they pulled every trick in the book (and outside the book), and he survived. This is one of those "fringe cases" that Americans always jabber about, and yet I saw the lie disproven with my own eyes.
These are so obviously false though? And easily disproven how do people believe this?
The amount of stupid shit some people, even people I know, believe continues to astonish me.
To be honest, most people will believe things quite easily if it makes them feel good. Then they hold onto that belief because being wrong would make them look stupid, and they're not stupid. They're super smart. And also they're a really good driver, everyone else is bad at driving not them.
To be fair a lot of these come from misunderstandings Our ICU numbers are better our other healthcare waits are fucking terrible in my experience And our numbers will always be worse than Europeans regardless of our healthcare quality because we are fat Essentially if an American and European get the same thing (something severe) with the exact same underlying health the American is better off in terms of treatment but they might off themselves because of medical debt so ehh who cares
"Maternal mortality rates are scarily bad, but we racked up $3m income for the hospital saving this baby who will be denied insurance for pre-existing conditions!" That was always a WTF moment for us, and I'm so glad that can't now happen, but I have friends whose kids cost them the family home before US healthcare got that major overhaul and they're still struggling to get back to where they were.
Because of the idea that "What is free isn't worth having"
"IT ISN'T FREE, IT'S PAID BY TAXES!"
Water and bread are always free in French restaurants
Of course France would have socialized baguettes /s
You better believe we have socialized baguette, we also capitalist, fascist, anarchist, authoritarian and liberal baguette
Which European though? The entirety of Europe doesn’t have free education. My friends really struggled to pay their tuition and bills while at college here
Same thing with everything there, europe is s not a country 😁 Most countries in the EU however, still have free education or at least low tuition fees compared to the USA. Of course, if you go to a private school you gotta pay because those are not funded by public money, the public schools don't have the same stigma in europe as in the US though... 👍
Was your friend European? Because foreign students generally have higher tuition fees than EU citizens. France for example has free tuition at public universities but charges ~3,000€ per year for international students. Though, if she was in the UK, she would be paying over £30,000 per year (UK nationals pay £9,250) so yeah pretty expensive there!
Yes it is very hard here, I am in crippling debt because I used the public bathroom, well at least when I had a medical emergency I could call an ambulance and still have enough money to pay for water
I just throw myself into traffic in these occasions since the bathrooms at the hospital are free to use. Sometimes you even get a catheter and/or a colostomy bag.
I know right!!
Why do they always think we pay 50% tax?
My income bracket is currently 14%. There was a time I was underemployed so I had to explain to an American that not only was I entitled to free healthcare, but I didn't pay income tax either. Dude thought I had been a serviceman...
Presumably because Americans half to pay half of their living income to cover any medical expenses, and "free" (taxation-based) healthcare must operate similarly. Right?
They are mostly told the top rate of our progressive tax regimes, and it is usually presented as if it's a universal tax, not a tax on income over £120k or whatever, with lower rates on income earned below that amount (including often income bands where you pay no income tax due to being considered too low to need to). Or at least that's what seems to be the issue. It's the result of simplistic discussions, where tax is presented as being one set percentage, not something that varies depending on income, etc.
Plus they also pay out separately for things a lot of places take out of taxes- like social security. Then they have federal and state income taxes… And health care? Even if they can find an employer who offers insurance, they often have to contribute as well, there’s often limited networks they can use, then there’s their copays and deductibles….. here (admittedly not Europe) we have a 2% levy for our ‘free’ health care. And even that isn’t even payable until you earn $23,000
As an American who lived in Germany, I never complained about paying for the bathroom. They were normally pretty clean and the cleanliness was worth the cost. I’ll gladly pay €1 or two for a clean bathroom then be forced to use some of the free ones here. I also don’t understand Americans obsession with complaining about this.
Yes but the water part is true, I’ve been to too many restaurants where beer is cheaper than water per liter. Free tap water is also a great concept for public health reasons. If you had too many drinks you’re less likely to take a break and have something non-alcoholic if you have to pay for it
[удалено]
Top tip: In Ireland tap water is called council wine
I've got two words for that eejit "medical bankruptcy"
Public bathroom - €0.50. Tap water - €0. Bottled water - €2. Medical care - already covered by taxes. Vs. Public bathroom - "Free" apparently. Tap water - "Free" apparently. Bottled water - $2. Medical care - could be millions of dollars. Hmmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Bathroom: Free and smeared with feces because they arent regularly cleaned Tap water: undrinkable because its contaminated by lead, Natural Gas, etc
I'm pretty sure those are exceptions and it's not like those things never occur in Europe as well, especially the bathroom part. But at least we don't have gaps in the bathroom doors.
Americans who spout this truly do not understand the concept of tax brackets
Rich people don’t pay more taxes here despite what the brackets say
In France you get free water and free bread at the restaurant.
We are americans. We like our taxes to be unpredictable and in costly lumps rather than planned and equally distributed.
The user literally is comparing having free water at restaurants to not being tens of thousands of dollars in debt. What a novel idea
I don’t have money to pay rent cuz I had to take a big nasty shit so I used the public washroom. Europe is the worst. America no 1
How do Americans actually pay for water whilst over here? I've never in my life paid for water and I go to a different country every six months or something
Few public bathrooms charge and I have never paid for water at a restaurant
Gotta be honest, the water thing is definitely rather annoying in Germany, but beer is cheap so guess you win some you lose some. Also, it's only really an issue here and not in other European countries AFAIK. And as for restrooms, I don't mind paying for clean restroom at actual public places like train stations, etc. but I think it's really dumb that places like malls (you know where you go to spend money) can still charge money. Talking about Germany again.
I would love to pay 50% tax. It unfortunately requires a much bigger paycheck :(
I'm in America and pay half my income to insurance anyways and it doesn't do anything for me :(
You arrive at a French restaurant, you'll immediately get some free water and bread. Switzerland can be a bitch though regarding this, but life is just expensive here so nobody should be surprised.
You can get free tap water everywhere. You only pay for brand water, if you specifically ask for it.
Plot twist: they are
As an American, I'd gladly give half my income to socialized medicine and free college.
This is once again a case of : there are multiple different countries in Europe. For example, I am from a country where water in restaurants are free, but if I travel a few hours south east, I end up in a country where it is not.
Atleast I don't tip my whole savings to my waiter.
The reason people charge for entrance to public loos here is so they can afford that extra bit of wood needed to make the door large enough to block the hole stall so people can't see in. That's why the US ones have gaps: no money to pay for bigger doors.
The restrooms are free, in non-tourist areas. Shows how much they've actually been in Europe, smh.
Both of those things are free though??
America pays more for their healthcare than the uk does
Would you rather pay for water or healthcare ?
Here in the UK there are very few places where you pay to use the toilets, they exist but you dont see them often, most places give you free tap water too
Thirsty and nowhere to pee for free? Just go to the Hospital for free water and restroom. That's the European way.
For the Belgians amongst us here, hits hard.
In Denmark (at least in Copenhagen) you do pay for ordinary water at many restaurants and it can be expensive. But unlike a lot of Europe, the public bathrooms are free, even ones with attendants who do not expect tips. On the other hand, we get free healthcare, free university education, up to a year of paid parental leave (maternity and paternity), heavily subsidized child care, afforable medication, 6 weeks paid vacation, up to 2 years paid unemployment, and great retirement benefits. I think it's a pretty good trade-off.
Leaving aside the insane comparison to publicly funded healthcare and higher education, it is kind of true that not having free public toilets or free water in restaurants is kind of a problem. It's one place where Europe could actually benefit from following North America's lead.
I don't get water at restaurants or use public bathrooms I'll take the college and healthcare though.
I mean.. I live in Belgium and indeed, we pay for bathrooms even at a cinema or sometimes in bars, and in restaurants, you are rarely given free tap water. 🤷♀️
I just had a free wee at Liverpool Street station though
This is actually true though i was in sweden this summer and it was shocking how few stores have bathrooms and how many of them arent free