werner@ut-ngp.UUCP (03/19/84)
La cucaracha, la cucaracha, .............. From: saquigley@watmath.UUCP Subject: Re: Wanted: Info on Greece and/or Egypt Wherever you go in the world, there is a no-fail way to recognise americans (and canadians for that matter): they don't drink the water. I don't know what is wrong with american's immune system. Whatever it is, they should probably start wondering about it. Other people drink all sorts of waters without getting sick, it seems that it would be a good idea to get prepared before going on a holiday out of the country. How? I don't know, maybe by slowly incorporating garden dirt in your drinking water.... You got this all wrong. By your way of recognizing Americans you get them confused with Germans, French, Italians, etc, all the good folks who never get such an idea as drinking tab-water, but rather request, vino, soda, beer, etc. Now, you can recognize an American, by the fuzz he makes when, after asking for water, he a) gets the waiter confused who tries to explain that that is not available b) gets upset when he gets soda or mineral water c) gets the water, carefully inspects it, tastes it as if to see if it's poisened. d) starts a discussion with everyone else on the table about the advisability to drink water anywhere but the US. Endless horror-stories and derogatory remarks about the rest of the world are, usually, included. Now, most non-Americans can recognize 'el gringo' by the way he walks, dresses, gestures, etc, and that applies for the little old ladies on tour, the businessmen, and the college-kid with the back-pack. At least in areas where international tourists come in all flavors. But to address the topic in a more serious manner: Your stomach and digestive system is used to the micro-fauna of your place of residence and is accustomed to your style of preparing food. If you have noticed that your stomach gets easily upset, it is recommendable to stay away from tab-water when travelling, as well as green-salads and other stuff, which is cleaned with tab-water and not later boiled. However, if your stomach seems robust, go ahead and eat and drink what the natives have, and you'll not get sick more often than they do. I don't recall ever getting sick doing just that when travelling. Cheers, Werner PS: ah yes, Greece, wished I was there sailing the Aegean Sea .....
wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (03/20/84)
[] That't TAP water, TAP- water. Not tab-water. Tab-water is the junk that comes in a can and contains only one calorie and is usually drunk by people who never need to lose weight. TAP, TAP. A tap is what you turn on to cause the water or other liquid to begin flowing, like in beer tap.