riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (03/19/84)
Funny, but in the places I've visited abroad, the n a t i v e s don't
drink the water, either!
That includes Mexico, where the "agua potable" provided in most parts
of the country is NOT potable, and where Montezuma's Revenge is minor
next to the truly awful creep-crawlies you can catch from it. The
families I lived with in Mexico who could afford to do so bought and
drank bottled water.
That also includes Germany, where the water quality is probably
comparable to that of the U.S. (i.e., it may cause cancer, but it's
fine in the short haul). The Germans of my acquaintance would look at
you like you were deranged if you asked for a glass of "Leitungswasser"
(tap water) -- they only use it for washing. Water for drinking
purposes is almost entirely "Sprudelwasser", or bottled fizz water.
And you want to know where the only American-style public water
fountain I saw in a year in Germany was located? The American
consulate in Munich!
--- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,seismo,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle