drinks

[cos]

The English drink tea.

One of my cousins, with Majorca's standard ice tea

The French drink wine.
The Finns drink vodka. (Oh yeah, so do the Russians, though not as much :)

Sure, they drink other things, but some places have their endemic drink of choice. In Italy, it's espresso everywhere. When I ordered tea at some restaurants, they gave me strange looks. In Kenya, passion fruit juice is their parallel to our orange juice - the standard juice you can assume will be available.

I'm not sure what Spain's drink is, but on Majorca at least, the ice tea niche is rather odd: Wherever I ordered ice tea, it was always the same. At a fancy hotel's restaurant, or an even fancier one, at a sidewalk cafe or a streetside bar, an expensive restaurant, anywhere - they always gave me a glass bottle of Nestea, and a glass with ice. Always the same Nestea logo, and exactly the same tea. Well, except for one place: they gave me a can of Nestea (same logo, same stuff) and a glass with ice. Apparently, there is no other ice tea on that island.

I'd always associated Germany with beer. But now that I've been to Germany, or at least one part of it, I think it's actually sparkling water. At restaurants and at people's homes, sparkling water is what they pour by default. If you want just water, you have to ask for "still water". Beer is something they might offer, or ask if you want, but plain sparkling water is what they assume you want without asking.

Got any others to add to the list?

Comments

[antimony.livejournal.com]

I wonder what it is *here*, to those not from here. Maybe it's just the ubiquitous (though less so now than years ago) ice water you get no matter what else you ask for. Maybe it varies enough by region that there's a variety of assumptions. Root beer is "that weird thing" but it's not common enough.

When I came back from Italy and France in high school, I asked for an espresso machine, but what it turned out I really wanted was coffee made like the regular coffee there -- some of the same flavor notes, very strong but drinkable in full-size cups, and bitter without being burnt. I buy espresso beans, grind them drip, and put extra in the basket. Which is probably exactly the same thing.

[cos]

Years ago, I was hanging out with some geeks at an IETF meeting who were discussing what "American culture" is, and one of them, who had travelled the US extensively, was arguing that there was no such thing because we have so much variation in this huge country. But he'd never been outside the US, so when someone else said "ice water" his jaw almost dropped, because he hadn't considered it - because of course people have ice water everywhere, in his experience :) So yes, ice water. Also orange juice and apple juice, but ice water above all.

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

Yeah, America's drink is totally ice water. Stil ice water.

[annodomini.livejournal.com]

Man, America needs a better default drink.

And iced drinks in general I think are more uniquely American. Most other places don't put ice in drinks, such as water, soda, and the like.

Then there's every country's weird food, that is oddly popular in that country and most other people find repulsive. You know, like natto in Japan, vegemite in Australia, haggis in Scotland. Surprisingly, America's is peanut butter. Lots of people from outside the US find the idea of peanut butter disgusting, apparently.

[cos]

Although I'd never even heard of peanut butter until we moved to the US when I was a few months short of 7 years old, none of my family found it disgusting, nor have I ever encountered anyone in my memory who has mentioned that people generally find it disgusting. So this makes me curious: where have you heard that?

[477150n.livejournal.com]

I've definitely talked to a few Germans who think peanut butter is gross. ("Almost as bad as root beer," someone once told me.)

[cos]

Did anyone try to give them a bottle of Moxie? :)

[estheruth.livejournal.com]

Moxie is the best! What are you saying about Moxie?

[cos]

I'm implying the Germans wouldn't like it :)

[nurrynur.livejournal.com]

maybe they would! I don't like root beer, but will drink Moxie.

[477150n.livejournal.com]

Huh, I've never heard of Moxie... googling reveals it to be a New England thing. Though, interestingly, I do know what it means to say someone "has moxie," which wikipedia says comes from advertising of the soda.

[elfy.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of germans - including myself - who don't dislike peanut butter or find it gross. Actually I find it quite tasty, even if I don't eat it regularly. Marmite is gross! But why peanut butter? It's also available in every supermarket ... if so many people would find it gross, I don't think you'd get it here that easily. For example, you can't find Marmite anywhere ;)

About drinks: I'm still amused that you don't have Schwipp-Schwapp or Mezzo-Mix in the US.