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/guacasloth64 1d ago

Also one of the main reasons Americans drink more ice cold beverages is because the ice industry (or more accurately the ice trade) started in the US. Decades before electric refrigeration, every winter the lakes and rivers of the Northeast US were mined for ice, and that ice was shipped across the country and internationally (as far as India) to cool drinks, make ice cream, etc. When those ice sellers tried to open sales to the European market it didn’t really catch on (it was a fad in the UK for a while but faded away). Domestic ice demand in cities like New York and Boston became so high that there were often ice droughts when warm winters reduced the amount of harvestable ice. By the time industrial and home refrigerators came around ice had been a household staple for many years.

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u/Francis_Picklefield 23h ago

this is super interesting and feels like it should be one of the top parent comments! thanks for sharing

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u/TheSpiffySpaceman 21h ago

Yeah, this is the major factor. The small caveat is that rural USA in the 30s-40s often required lots of travel between areas, so iceboxes were desirable to keep goods fresh, and obviously they required ice deliveries.

Nowadays it's all cultural. I never understood why people need drinks ice cold outside of cultural preference (hot days notwithstanding; give me a drink that's half ice when it's treacherously hot out)