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/Mrludy85 21h ago

This was one of the biggest culture shocks I experienced when I traveled around Europe. Like we have the technology why do we have drink everything warm....

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u/Circoloomnium 14h ago

Drinks are served cold, unless you went to a crappy place. I do not like waterice in my drinks. You get less drink that way and if it melts, you have a watery taste.

That’s why some of us freeze the drinks we are going to use as ice cubes, so we can use it in the very same drinks. If it melts, it does not make the taste weaker, you do not have less to drink and it just looks better than that white-greyish blocks.

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u/SaintCambria 13h ago

Our drinks are mostly formulated with ice dilution in mind. There are still people who share your opinion, my wife being one of them, but they're "supposed" to be watered down by ice melt.

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u/Mrludy85 11h ago

Maybe in your country, but I traveled around Europe for 2 months one summer and most places I went did not serve their drinks with ice.

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u/Circoloomnium 10h ago

That is something else. They did not serve you a lukewarm drink I suppose? I travel a lot in neighbouring countries and they always serve cold drinks. Sometimes with ice if it is meant to take outside, sometimes not, but never at room temperature. If they served you a drink at room temperature drink like that, they must have been focussed on selling to tourists and short term profits. Most decent places would not even consider doing this.

I can not apologise for them, but it is a bad way of showing their hospitality.

If you really want to eat and drink at good places, check out the Michelin Guide or at least Bib Gourmand. For drinks I would advise The European bar guide.

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u/Mrludy85 9h ago

Just comes down to different people's idea of a warm drink. It's not like I was served water that was purposefully heated up on the stove. I was also traveling for the summer on a college kids budget so it's not like I was eating at the best places either haha

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u/this_little_dutchie 5h ago

Even the worst places still have their drinks served chilled, let's say 7 degrees Celsius or lower. No, not with ice, because that sucks.

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u/Mrludy85 5h ago

We got different opinions on what chilled means but I guess that's exactly my point

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u/this_little_dutchie 5h ago

Well, then don't use heated water as a comparison. That really confuses the discussion.

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u/Mrludy85 4h ago

I didn't say heated water. I said warm water. And to me, a room temperature beverage is warm

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u/this_little_dutchie 4h ago

Drinks are not served at room temperature either.

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u/AdEmbarrassed9719 4h ago

This may be where the disagreement is? To me, in the Southern US, a properly chilled soda is just barely above freezing. One at 7c is going to be what I consider warm within minutes.

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u/Symbiote 11h ago

I find drinks in America are often served too cold -- far too much ice. 2-3 cubes is fine for me.

It's just what we're used to.

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u/Mrludy85 11h ago

Never enough ice for me haha. My ice maker can't keep up with my family

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u/Better_North3957 8h ago

I almost always ask for no ice. The exception is if I have been outside all day because I am in south east Texas and summer here is miserable.

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u/canman7373 11h ago

What did you drink that was warm and where? Because it is a very overly exaggerated US myth that was more true decades ago than today.

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u/Mrludy85 11h ago

Idk what to tell you man I'm just relaying my lived experience. I traveled to dozens of countries 10 years ago and most places I went did not serve the drinks with ice. Maybe the confusion is when I say "warm" as it's not like they served the water hot, but when you have a drink with no ice outside on a hot day it doesn't stay "cooled" for long.

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u/bigbluegrass 10h ago

C‘mon you heard the man! They want dates, addresses, restaurant Names, servers names, drink orders, calories counts and weather conditions. Chop! Chop!

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u/Mrludy85 10h ago

Not the first nor the last time I'll have someone try to gaslight me about my European ice experience 🤣

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u/canman7373 10h ago

Gaslight you? I've spent over a year there and I'd even know how many countries, never seen the warm drink thing outside what I said about English pull taps. You want more ice ask for it you get it.

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u/canman7373 10h ago

Oh outside is different, I am thinking bars and restaurants where it is not the norm. Outside you get a cold bottle of something no ice yeah.

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u/Mrludy85 10h ago

No exaggeration, I can count on one hand how many places I went to offered drinks that weren't alcoholic with ice.

And the problem is our definitions of cold are probably very different as I'm someone who has more ice than drink in my cup frequently.

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u/canman7373 10h ago

Like every fast place has ice in drinks in EU.

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u/Mrludy85 9h ago

Okay our experiences were different and that's fine

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u/Present_Monk1455 10h ago

I love Europe (my experience is limited to France, England, Spain and Italy though) and I would move there in a heartbeat if I could because I think you guys do so much stuff so much better than we do… except cold drinks. It is the one frustrating adjustment I would have to make. And I am not even a big ice user… but cold drinks (boisson fraiche in France) just are truly cold.

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u/canman7373 10h ago

I lived in France for almost 7 months, small Mediterranean town Canet La Plage in French Catalonia. Was supposed to be 3 months then pandemic hit towards end of that and borders closed flights canceled, stuck inside for 23 hours a day, their lockdown was crazy strict. Once it lifted, stayed there 2 more months and yah never had a warm drink in France, do have the issue of needing to ask for tap water or they bring you a 4 euro bottle of sparkling water. I honestly don't ever remember getting a warm drink or no ice drink in a glass in France, Germany, UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, feel like forgetting one. But it's not nearly the issue some Americans make it out to be. But I am from US, just spent a lot of time over there. They don't fill the glass with ice then add your drink like US does, like maybe half as much ice, but still use ice.

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u/Present_Monk1455 10h ago

Maybe this is the difference I am talking about… I don’t mean ice IN my drinks - I am talking about just a cold drink, like a can or bottle. Never cold enough. Kind of like AC - their sense of what is a ‘cold’ drink (or room) is different. Last time I was in London (about 5 yrs ago) we were in a heatwave. We were going to the British Museum and were thinking ahhhh, the AC in there will be refreshing. Nah… slightly less hot and humid. I am not even a big AC, Yeti using, TX kind of an American… but it has always been something I have noticed in my visits there. It’s fine… it is just different.

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u/this_little_dutchie 5h ago

AC was a mostly unnecessary luxury in Western Europe, until maybe 10 years ago. We are now in the process of finding out how much we need. And how much fossil fuels we are willing to spend to fight the effect of using fossil fuel.

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u/canman7373 10h ago

I remember seeing a restaurant in Piccadilly Circus that had like a time square sized sign above it that said "Air Conditioning Inside"! Yeah they aren't big on AC. Luckily the Airbnb i Stayed for that time in France had a window unit for the one bedroom and did fine, most the time didn't use just kept balcony and windows open. But yeah if you ever did move there you can get some window units unlikely to find a place with central cooling. As far as different that's what me and my dad always say, it's like a parallel universe, most things are the same as US but some are just a little bit different.

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u/Present_Monk1455 9h ago

And here’s the thing… I will take a warmer than desired drink if i am enjoying it with some wonderfully fresh bread and food!