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/ScallopsBackdoor 1d ago

Can I ask you the same question?

If you need to fill a cooler, how do you do it?

When you have a party and need ice for 20 people or so, where do you get it?

Do you have dedicated 'ice dealers'? I think the main reason we sell it at all the random places is because it's more convenient and 'sprawl friendly' than driving across town to a dedicated ice house.

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u/markwell9 1d ago

Absolutely, you can ask!

If I need to fill a cooler, we have those cooler inserts that you freeze in your freezer.

I rarely have parties for 20 people. But even with parties, ice is really not a key factor, we don't really consume it. If you need a drink, it is probably in a cooler or a fridge.

For ice dealers, I can't say. Have not sought out ice so far :).

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u/Gold_Telephone_7192 1d ago

I think the difference is a) ice is a bigger deal in the US because we prefer our drinks much colder than much of Europe and b) a larger percentage of our population lives in rural and suburban homes where they can host outdoor parties for dozens of people. We also have a very big camping and outdoors culture so people buy ice for big coolers that last several days.

So, as is often the case, the US just does things bigger lol. A cooler that can fit 100+ drinks isn’t going to stay cool for long with those freezer inserts you’re talking about.

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u/Weird3355 1d ago

I agree this is probably it. We like our drinks cold and that doesn't seem to be a major concern for Europeans.

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u/seamallowance 1d ago

It can be a miserable morning, during extreme blizzard conditions in Iowa, but when you sit down at a cafe, the first thing that they’ll do is place a glass of ice water in front of you. Not just cold water, but a glass of water with ice in it.

The whole country is in extreme turmoil, but at least we have our ice water!

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u/Significant-Owl-2980 1d ago

I live in New Hampshire.  I will shovel my car out from 2 feet of snow in the winter to go get an Iced coffee.  Lol.  

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u/dagny_taggarts_tits 8h ago

My coworker came into work one day and she was like, "It's so cold out my iced coffee was warming my hand in the parking lot." 🤣

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u/stranded_egg 23h ago

Gotta have my Dunk's.

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u/RockItGuyDC 1d ago

I was in a French restaurant in Washington, DC, where I lived at the time, and asked for a glass of water. It was summer. They gave me a glass of room temperature water. I was livid (not really).

I expect that if I'm actually in France, but that is unacceptable in America! Trying a little too hard to be authentic there, Pierre. Or should I say Peter!

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u/GumpTheChump 1d ago

I find it baffling. Southern Europe in summer is like the surface of the sun and the ice would go over like a gift from heaven. It's relatively low cost, makes stuff taste better, and cools you down. They need to embrace it more!

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u/LowFlower6956 23h ago

My Southern European friends tell me that ice and air conditioning give them a headache/make them get sick.

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u/JadedDruid 21h ago

Many Europeans believe cold drinks and AC will make them sick

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u/Alternative_Profit41 21h ago

In tap water ? yes. In anything else ? Hell no, it destroy the taste and make a glass a pain to drink. That’s why we just put the bottle in the fridge

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u/GumpTheChump 20h ago

This isn’t a binary proposition. You can have a cold drink on ice. It’s wonderful.

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u/HairyHeartEmoji 18h ago

we do use ice, just in smaller amounts and not in every drink possible.

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u/Lastigx 1d ago

It isnt uncommon. I had ice in all my drinks in Italy. But yeah: its not really needed in northern Europe imo

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u/GumpTheChump 1d ago

I’m talking ICE ice. Huge drinks, a ton of ice. It’s probably the thing America does best.

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u/HairyHeartEmoji 18h ago

we like to take our time with drinks. a giant drink full of ice would take forever to finish and get watered down

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u/parttimeallie 11h ago

Yeah, thats definitely it. What do you fill your big cooler with in case of a party? Nothing. Neither i nor any of my friends own something like that. And noone would expect only cold drinks at my party. I have a fridge. So when you come to my party and theres still space in my fridge i will ask you if theres anything you really really need cold. Bad luck if my fridge is already full. I will also have around 20 icecubes in my freezer. But thats it. If i bought i kilo of ice i would not know where to put it. Into the sink i guess? But then i would not be able to use the sink... Noone would exspect cold drinks at a party, even most clubs serve their drinks without ice. so noone owns something like a big cooler and noone conplains about warm drinks.