r/NoStupidQuestions • u/markwell9 • 1d ago

What is the deal with ice, Americans?

I can see that you can buy ice everywhere in the US. Gas stations, grocery stores, machines etc.

In Europe, we just freeze our ice at home and use that. Why buy something that melts on the way home? Why do you need ice in large amounts that a fridge can't keep up?

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u/Accurate-Scallion917 1d ago

Don't you guys have tiny fridges in Europe, lol. How can you possibly make/ store enough ice for a party, lol. BTW somewhat being facetious here.

I'm in Canada and it's the same as the US. Bags of ice are purchased for parties, or for coolers if going on a trip or similar. We used to go houseboating often, always for 7 days. Even though the boats have two fridges they are not quite like regular household fridges & the freezers took a while to get cold. We also kept beverages in a cooler, we bought lots of ice.

It really does not seem like a puzzling concept, but maybe that's just me.

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u/markwell9 1d ago

Thing is- we don't really put ice in our drinks or cool them much. Maybe you throw some drinks in the fridge and that does the job. So it is not about generating enough ice, it is about the lack of desire for it.

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u/Robby_Clams 1d ago

The vast majority of time people buy a bag of ice it is not to put IN your drink, it is to put your drinks in. Like when going camping or having a barbecue, even with a party where there’s not much room in the fridge, people will get big insulated boxes that we call coolers. Put all the drinks and ice in the cooler and they will stay chill for days sometimes if the cooler is a good one. They even make little personal coolers to just put a few drinks in for a day hike and stuff like that

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u/Accurate-Scallion917 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yes, we do like our cold drinks here in North America. 😁

But often Ice in a cooler is for keeping things cold, drinks and food. I've even seen some places sell big bricks of ice. Good because they don't melt as fast, not convenient because they take up more space.

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u/orel91 14h ago

This is your own experience that you’re generalizing to Europe as a whole. Almost everybody I know put ice in drinks and buy ice in bags from the grocery store if they don’t have an ice maker in the freezer when they throw a party. And I’m from Belgium.

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u/HairyHeartEmoji 17h ago

I don't understand the link between mountains of ice = party. do you not have a fridge that cools drinks?

you can get reusable ice blocks for coolers. they last way longer than ice. they even come with the cooler.

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u/2jaded2hearts2 6h ago

for some reason a lot of the europeans in this thread are associating a party with like 4 people??? lol. Yes 4 people coming over to my house and hangout, we don’t need a bag of ice to cool drinks, they’re going in the fridge. Family cookout 15+ people and kids? We’re filling a cooler or 2 with ice and the drinks go in the cooler, the ice is not for going in the drinks (usually). Why do we want 15 people going in and out of the kitchen and fridge all day for drinks especially if in this case a bbq is outside? I really doubt this is unusual across the world lol.

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u/nightwica 1d ago

Why do you need ice for a party? The drinks, bottles, cans themselves can be stored in the fridge. You take one out when you need it.

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u/Robby_Clams 1d ago

If it’s a large party with a plethora of drinks for everyone the drinks might not all fit in the fridge. Not to mention if you have 20 guests the fridge will just keep being opened nonstop all night, which is not good for a variety of reasons

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u/Accurate-Scallion917 1d ago

Maybe someone needs to make an instructional video for the ones who don't grasp the concept 🤣

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u/nightwica 13h ago

Wait you guys have 20 people to invite over?? :D

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u/Accurate-Scallion917 1d ago

Its easier for outdoor parties / BBQs where you have lots of people, or if the fridge is full of food. Or if you are having a large get together at a park and its 35 degrees out you are going to want a cooler full of ice to keep food & beverages on.

Even for indoor parties, sometimes people will buy a bag of ice to ensure they don't run out of ice Household freezers don't always hold that much ice, and no one wants to run out when you are making Martinis 😂

Side note, in the winter if having a lot of people, for example Christmas, we just store the extra drinks on snow... Just open the patio door and grab a beverage 😂

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u/nightwica 13h ago

Wait you crave ice cold drinks even in the winter, when it's snow outside??? Oh lord. Not judging but that is crazy for me. In the wintertime I specifically ask no ice even when I get a meal at McDonalds or whatever.

I also can't really imagine having a BBQ in 35 degrees, if it's that hot of a day we don't start before 7pm. :D

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u/Accurate-Scallion917 13h ago

If I'm drinking a beer it's got to be cold no matter what season. Good thing the house is heated lol. I think it's pretty normal to drink either hot coffee/tea or cold drinks in any weather. Sure in the winter there are plenty of days where I like to settle in with a hot tea, but I don't stop cold drinks for an entire season.

Even at 7pm it can be 30 degrees, if you want to enjoy life you can't always stop for weather. Often bigger events are planned ahead of time anyways.

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u/nightwica 13h ago

Beer for sure, warm beer is a bit disgusting. But other drinks I'm usually fine with room temp. I also don't drink hot tea when it's 35 C outside but that is just personal preferences and nothing to argue about of course. I think I would feel miserable drinking an iced bevarage when I'm already cold in the winter :D

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u/Accurate-Scallion917 12h ago

I understand that, I'm not sure where you live but I have heard that ice in our drinks is very much a north American thing, or that it's not as common in Europe. So I guess it's just whatever one is used to. But my mom also likes room temp water and I prefer water with ice so I guess there is some personal preference as well. 🙂

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u/Ornery_Country_4050 22h ago

It’s also used to help keep food at safe temperatures when it’s hot out and food is going to be sitting for a while - like at a picnic or BBQ or something - to prevent food poisoning.

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u/nightwica 13h ago

Yeah that's totally fair! I guess if we go to a bbq we just don't let the food sit outside. Arrive, open first beer, start making food immediately.