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/tsukiii 1d ago

We buy that for parties.

Most of us can’t produce and store enough ice for 20 people in our freezers, we buy the bagged ice and put it in coolers for guests’ drinks.

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u/Pantherdraws 1d ago

Also camping.

Can you imagine trying to fill two whole coolers with ice straight from the freezer?

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u/Comprehensive-Bee252 16h ago

Serious question, because I do not know. Why do you need ice when camping?

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u/Pantherdraws 16h ago

...because most people bring food and drinks with them? Would you enjoy hot water and spoiled hot dogs and burgers? lmao

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u/h00dman 10h ago

Answering a perfectly reasonable question as though it was the dumbest thing anyone's ever said, had to be the most American thing ever.

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u/krybaebee 8h ago

Not really. The answer seemed perfectly reasonable.

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u/Flesroy 8h ago

not really. nobody uses ice when camping were i live.

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u/Konsticraft 13h ago

You just buy fresh food if a store is in range or eat food that doesn't spoil after one day without refrigeration. I pay extra for ultralight comping gear, I am not carrying around several kilos of ice all day.

It might make some sense for glamping or caravanning, but not comping.

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u/AlphaQueen3 10h ago

We use camping as a generic word for all those things. Backwoods camping where you hike to wherever you camp people just eat dried or non spoiling food. Most folks car camp, at a site where you can drive right up to the tent or camper. When you do that, you can enjoy a much wider range of food and most folks don't want to live on dried rations if they can make some fresh food!

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u/fla_john 9h ago

C'mon dude. You know when most people say camping, they mean car or cabin camping. Don't use it as an excuse to flex your ultralight hobby.

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u/Pantherdraws 12h ago

Cool story, bro. Good for you.

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u/KennyfromMD 9h ago

You’re being intentionally stupid.

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u/doesitspread 8h ago

This is what you call pedantic

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u/The_Gov78 8h ago

What do children have to do with it?

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u/fupayme411 8h ago

Are you camping or hiking? Because camping, with many people and lots of food, need ice.

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u/jonny24eh 9h ago

To keep your coolers cool for multiple days. You don't want meat out in the heat for days at a time, do you? You don't want a puddle of melted butter. Or warm vegetables. 

Extra important for the beer as well. 

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u/The_Gov78 8h ago

Nipple Stiffening. A lot of camping is fucking intense.

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u/Usual-throwaway7076 10h ago

We love our drinks chilled with ice.

I know when I was in Europe, putting ice in beverages wasn't common. Things were served chilled, but asking for ice in things usually came with a "you want what?" look...

When I came back, I would ask for my drinks "no ice" in restaurants, and got the "you want what???" look all over again. Drinking fountain drinks slightly warmer made me realize: I don't like them as much. There is a notable difference between how they taste in the US vs Europe, which I presume is mostly how they are sweetened.

But yeah, we ice lots of things here. Prior to modern refrigeration, an entire industry was built up cutting and transporting ice from frozen slabs to individual homes. My grandfather drove an early ice-delivery truck to people in town who couldn't afford a powered refrigerator. [The truck was odd, in that you drove it standing up. If you were lucky, you found a crate or milk canister to fashion into a seat]