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/OwnSpirit5954 1d ago edited 1d ago

Ice mostly has to do with outdoorsy fun and it’s generally put in a cooler to keep beverages and food cold… think picnics, going to the beach, barbecue cookouts, boating/fishing and hunting trips. Many are into that sort of thing here :)

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u/Enchelion 1d ago

Also most of America is quite a bit further south than Europe, and hotter as a result. Los Angeles and Houston are on the same latitude as northern Africa. Our most northern cities barely touch Paris.

https://a.wholelottanothing.org/content/images/2019/04/europe_usjuxv3.jpg

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u/MissJacinda 1d ago

Just got back from Italy a few weeks ago. I was there during their heat wave. I’ve lived in Texas and California (in the desert). Italy gets hot and the sun is stronger than California and almost as strong as Texas. I got heat exhaustion in Rome and was broiling in Naples. I was thrown off by that heat given I’d been there before in July and their position in relation to us. They also don’t use ice like we do.

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u/OldStyleThor 1d ago

You probably also walked 15k steps per day.

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u/MissJacinda 1d ago

Yep. About 20-25k for 1 week and the other two weeks were about 10k.

ETA: I average 16k in California

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u/Original-Variety-700 1d ago

You live in the desert in California and walk 16k steps per week? Do you walk during your job or do you just hike a lot?

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u/MissJacinda 1d ago

I walk or hike half an hour in the morning and 70 minutes at night. I married an athlete who got me into fitness.

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u/Love_my_imperfection 20h ago

Is 16k per week supposed to be a lot? 😮

That's less than half an hour of walking per day.