Glass of iced water:
In THE BATTLE OF THE WINES, dry red wines won, with dry and sweet white wines coming next in the poll. 'Other' did well but I'm interpreting its votes as not liking wine as all bases were covered with the poll options.
It's now the turn of water to do battle. From land wars, oil wars to space wars, wars are often fought over resources and arguably there's no greater resource for human life than water. Conflict in the Middle East can be partially, far from wholly, understood as a series of water wars.
This poll is only concerned with drinkable water or potable water as sometimes known. Though about 75 per cent of the world's population have access to safe drinking water, about two billion people lack safe water to drink. More people die from drinking unsafe water than get killed in wars. The United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO) regard access to safe drinking water as a basic human right.
Though all drinks to a lesser and greater extent are water-based, this poll isn't concerned with such drinks that are heavily flavoured like coffee or tea, beer or wine, cola or lemonade and fruit juice or squash - for the benefit of Americans, squash is a non-alcoholic cordial drink made from fruit concentrate with water added; it's a popular kids drink here.
However, the poll includes water that is slightly flavoured or infused with a flavour, such as rose water, tonic water (carbonated water flavoured with quinine) and water with a hint of a fruit flavour. What's included and what's excluded in this poll is all about the degree of flavouring. Subtle hints are in, but blatant takeovers are out!
When I was a kid living on a farm, our water came from a well. It was nice water though it had to be softened as it was very hard water.
My favourite types of water are hard water, mineral water, sparkling water and tonic water (great with gin), with tap water being my most favourite type of water. I often put a jug of tap water in the fridge to chill and it tastes brilliant to drink. Obviously I'd only drink tap water in rich countries.
Tap water does contain minerals so I've never understood the claims of bottled mineral water.
When I was living in London during the 1980s' yuppie years, bottled water became the rage. Bottled water like Buxton Natural Mineral Water, Evian, Highland Spring, Malvern Water, Perrier and Volvic was in, and tap water was definitely out. I don't think much has changed now as Coca-Cola-owned Dasani, Fiji Water, Gerolsteiner, Nestllé-owned Pure Life, Pepsi-owned Aquafina and Smartwater seem to be keeping tap water still in the shadows. My stepson refuses to drink tap water. The power of branding!
I remember the rise and fall of Perrier water here. It was all the rage, especially in London. Perrier water was bottled at source from a spring in Vergèze in the south of France. The water was naturally carbonated. But in 1990 benzene, a carcinogen, was found in several bottles of Perrier water which led to crashing sales of the bottled sparkling water. Two years later in 1992 Nestlé bought the company selling Perrier water. And soon, the water was no longer naturally carbonated and faced another fall when germs of "possible faecal origin" were found resulting in nearly three million bottles of Perrier water destroyed before being sold. Perrier water has never really recovered here since those two scares.
Perrier water:
My least favourite types of water are distilled and purified water, with flavoured water being my least favourite type of water. I don't see the point of removing minerals from water to drink. And I certainly don't see the point of just adding a dash or a splash of fruit to water as I want more than a dash or a splash
I've not drunk structured water but I don't see the point of that process unless I'm living on planet Mars with Elon Musk. Having written that, I think I'd sooner die of thirst than share a planet alone with Elon Musk!
And I'm not at all tempted to drink river or lake water here because of all the sewage that's routinely pumped into our rivers (and seas) by the privatised water companies. One private water company here, Thames Water providing water to London, is due to go bankrupt very soon. The Government will have to bail them out or at least take over after the company's shareholders and directors gorged themselves on the profits the company once earned. Water is public not private!
What are your most and least favourite types of water?
How often do you drink just water, neat water if you like?
Do you regularly drink bottled water and/or tap water?
Abroad in hot countries, I drink a lot of neat water. Here, less so. In poor countries, I always drink bottled water and will only clean my teeth with bottled water. I'm happy to shower or bath using tap water in poor countries. I even avoid ice cubes in my drinks and salads in poor countries in case tap water is used to make the ice cubes and rinse the salad ingredients.
I only buy bottled water if abroad or out and about. Generally I drink tap water and I don't purify tap water before drinking it. I'm happy to drink 'pure' tap water. As a public health measure, fluoride is sometimes added to water as a way of combating teeth decay. Where I live, fluoride is added to the tap water I drink. I'm happy with fluoride being added to tap water. Though controversial, the fluoridisation of water has been one of the more effective public health measures here. Perversely, those who object to fluoride in water are also those who often buy toothpaste with fluoride in it!
Below is a poll where you can anonymously select your most favourite type of water. Unfortunately only one pick is allowed in the poll.
Like with previous poll on wines, I think I've got all bases covered. In fact, I got so desperate to get the 20 poll options allowed on the site that I added a few types of water that aren't generally considered as types of water. My thinking is that if alkaline water is a valid option, then so must acidic water be an option. And if glacier water is valid, then so must flood, lake, puddle, rain, river and stream water be valid. However, I stopped short of adding sea water and swamp water as types of drinking water for obvious reasons.
I think that mineral water will win the poll but purified and tap water may fare well.
Please see the first comment below to see what has won each battle of the food and drinks so far.
PS. English breakfast tea has belatedly picked up another vote to tie with green tea in the THE BATTLE OF THE TEAS, Barbecue sauce has also belatedly picked up another vote to tie with ketchup in the THE BATTLE OF THE CONDIMENTS. If you haven't voted, these impasses need to be breached. Like American sports, I can't stand draws!
O'cean flavoured water:
8
30 comments
Only spunky could write a post this long about water. At this point I have to wonder if you’re punking us (especially after reading the poll list).
I did have to invent a few types of water to make the 20 limit!
@spunkycumfun puddle/flood water was the one that made me 🤔
@smartasswoman I was thinking of adding swamp water but then I though I was just being silly!
I've lived in the country all my life, and we have the best well water. I fill up my jug every morning and take it with me. Since the acid reflux came around, that's about all I drink. Oh, except on the weekends I have Lite beer on ice.
Well water isn't too common here except in very remote areas.
I went with sparkling water as my favorite. I don’t recommend anyone drinking puddle water unless you’re a cow or a crow. 😂
Good advice, but I'd drink puddle over piddle water!
My water comes from my water well.
It seems a lot of water that Americans drink comes from wells.
@spunkycumfun think most drink from municipal water systems. Live out in the country so no municipal system
@bignicktx Wells aren't too common here even in the countryside.
@spunkycumfun it's not like a hole in the ground. Has piping, pump, filter, hooked up to electricity has its own mini house around to protect the visible water tank and series of valves
@bignicktx I realise it just wouldn't be a hole in the ground. I just wish everyone in the world had access to well water.
@spunkycumfun or clean usable water. Yet is a resource dwindling. Some of next wars may be over water. See Afghanistan 🇦🇫 and what they are doing that may lead to war with 2 or 3 of its neighbors
@bignicktx You're right that's about it's access to drinkable water. And you're right that some of the next wars will be about water. There have been wars already fought partly about water.
I'm a simple girl. I drink tap water.
Then I'm a simple boy also drinking tap water.
Tap water for me that is filtered via a pitcher I have. My least favorite is fizzy water. I have to be careful with well water. When I've traveled in an area that doesn't have municipal water, I bring a filter to remove any possible parasites and other bad stuff.
Well water doesn't seem popular in America.
By the time you got to the poll I had to agree with fellow Minnesotan smartasswoman....only Spunky could riff on water for this long...Spunky or AI.
I don't use AI or rather I'm incapable of using AI!
@spunkycumfun Me too. Sorry if my comment sounded accusatory. The amount of fact, fiction and humor you inject into your writing would take days for me to write...I then, I would not make it interesting or "right"....and yet you turn these epics out daily. I am in awe. Write on.
@redswallow777 I didn't take your comment as accusatory at all. I do a lot of drafting, redrafting and editing in my writing!
Filtered tap water here....several liters a day. Also seltzer water. Sometimes plain. sometimes with 100percent fruit juice mix. Least fav would be those sport drink waters with electrolytes that taste salty to me. Also keep bottled water at work and in the car.~
Those sports/energy drinks are an expensive con in my opinion.
@spunkycumfun Spunk....the ' it seems ' entry has been removed ?? I didnt get ALL the links....to read. Ugh
@jajo696 It did get suspiciously removed. I'll send you the links.
@jajo696 I've just emailed you them. Let me know if you don't get them.
@spunkycumfun ....i see ur name in the email...havent opened it yet. Thank you ! While reading the comments, i had a feeling they wouldnt let that entry remain. Big Brother ya know .....and now censorship once again. And sadly, none of the tiers will help with this one !! Ugh @ it all
@jajo696 It just seemed odd, or maybe incompetent, to leave the post for a day before taking it down. I realise site staff are in probably no-man's land. He is still their boss even if they probably don't agree with what he's done or is doing.
@spunkycumfun ....yes it does seem odd. Perhaps with a weekend skeleton crew noone was monitoring it...until they did
@jajo696 Perhaps. I think the site must have problems in having a line! Surely they can't or most of them can't believe that crap!
I mostly drink fizzy water, flavored or unflavored. I avoid tap water unless it's filtered. Tap water doesn't taste very good, especially in Tokyo. Most office buildings have a filtering system in the kitchen areas for drinking water.
Generally tap water here is very good.
I drink water that is filtered from the tap but i actually drink sparkling water (seltzer water).
I like sparkling water, or seltzer water as you say. The bubbles do it.
@spunkycumfun The bubbles or fizz actually help with digestion. Back in the day when soda fountains were the rage, seltzer was marketed as having medicinal qualities and in fact soda fountains were actually found at the pharmacy.
@CallMeMrWrong69 We have Alka-Seltzer here to drink to relieve antacid.
@spunkycumfun We have here as well.
Distilled or purified for me, when possible. Something I had to train myself to like...many doctors have said it's better to drink for people who have certain health issues. (I'm in one of those categories)
That said, bottled water can get expensive. So triple filtered tap added to the mix. I miss NYC tap water...drank that my whole life until the switch to Distilled, and a move to a neighboring state.
I'm getting the distinct impression that Americans don't trust their tap water to drink. That's not generally the case in Europe.
@spunkycumfun As an American...I am distrustful of many things 😆
Before I had to learn to drink distilled and other bottled waters, NYC tap water was the only water my taste buds would allow.
@CuteBBW1973 It's good to be sceptical of things.
@OddsAgainst That makes sense. Thanks.
@OddsAgainst I see the Club 7 post has been taken down.
@OddsAgainst It's a bit odd leaving it up for a day and then take it down.
@OddsAgainst Perhaps even incompetent!
@OddsAgainst Indeed!
@OddsAgainst, @spunkycumfun Glitch in the matrix...keeps popping up, and "skip" doesn't seem to be liked either 🙅
@CuteBBW1973 It's not a glitch but a deliberate denial.
What are your most and least favourite types of water?
I never really thought about it. I only drink bottled still water as that's why I voted other. We can't drink the water from the tap here in our county as it's pretty contaminated. Where we used to live there were ten ladies who got cancer just on the block we lived on. But that was many years ago, and my youngest daughter when she was a baby, from boiling her bottles she got very ill and they thought she had spinal meningitis so that is why I never ever drink the water here!!
How often do you drink just water, neat water if you like?
I drink water daily only bottled water.
Do you regularly drink bottled water and/or tap water? Only bottled water for us because of the contaminated grounds in our county.
This is another great battle, and I hope you are enjoying a relaxing weekend..
It's a great shame that in a rich country like the US tap water isn't drinkable.
Rain water and bourbon. That's the best
I hope you're carful how you collect your rain water.
@spunkycumfun straight from the rooftop of the event tent. That's careful, yes? :0
@russellfireside I guess so if the event tent roof is clean.
@spunkycumfun I'm still kicking, so it must have been. Rain is rare here.
Great post Spunky
@russellfireside I'm glad you're still kicking. There's a lot of rain where I'm from in the UK. Our summer has just been one rainy summer.
Sparkling water for drinking (when I drink water...) and tap water for the shower
I do like sparkling water now and then. Perrier was my favourite until scandal hit the brand.
@spunkycumfun Perrier, Pellegrino (Italy), Fonter (Spain) and home-made "Sodastream" here
@AuraAviatik6 I like the San Pellegrino water too though it's on the expensive side.
Some of the best, and worst, tasting water I've had was well water... best being from a deep mountain well and the worst from a shallow limestone well. Tonic water is tolerable, provided it's mixed with gin or vodka.
So I'm going to have to vote for tap. 
Tonic water is nothing without gin!
I drink tap water almost exclusively, though I do have an under sink filter for it.
Though I'm not a big fan of it, due to the huge environmental impact of producing and distributing it, I keep a supply of bottled water for emergencies.
At a dive resort in Grand Cayman the tap water was so bad we used to bottled water to even brush our teeth.
Abroad I often avoid tap water.
For the record, Brussels sprouts won THE BATTLE OF THE VEGETABLES, bananas won THE BATTLE OF THE FRUITS, basil won THE BATTLE OF THE HERBS, garlic won THE BATTLE OF THE SPICES, cashew nuts won THE BATTLE OF THE NUTS, sunflower seeds won THE BATTLE OF THE SEEDS, roast beef won THE BATTLE OF THE ROAST DINNERS, cheesecake won THE BATTLE OF THE PUDDINGS, pepperoni won THE BATTLE OF THE PIZZA TOPPINGS, Caesar salad won THE BATTLE OF THE SALADS, green beans won THE BATTLE OF THE BEANS, watermelon won THE BATTLE OF THE MELONS, tomato-based pasta sauce won THE BATTLE OF THE HOT SAUCY DIPS, barbecue sauce won THE BATTLE OF THE COOL SAUCY DIPS, vanilla ice cream won THE BATTLE OF THE ICE CREAMS, capellini (aka angel hair) won THE BATTLE OF THE PASTAS, steak won THE BATTLE OF THE BARBECUE, romaine lettuce won THE BATTLE OF THE LETTUCES, honeycrisp apples won THE BATTLE OF THE APPLES, stout won THE BATTLE OF THE BEERS, whisky won THE BATTLE OF THE SPIRITS, clam chowder won THE BATTLE OF THE SOUPS, sourdough bread won THE BATTLE OF THE BREADS, liver won THE BATTLE OF THE OFFAL, roast turkey won THE BATTLE OF CHRISTMAS FOODS, Old Fashioned won THE BATTLE OF THE COCKTAILS, Americano coffee won THE BATTLE OF THE COFFEES, English breakfast and green tea jointly won THE BATTLE OF THE TEAS, maple syrup won THE BATTLE OF THE PANCAKES, barbecue sauce and ketchup jointly won THE BATTLE OF THE CONDIMENTS, ribeye steak won THE BATTLE OF THE STEAKS, portobello mushrooms won THE BATTLE OF THE MUSHROOMS, beefsteak tomatoes won THE BATTLE OF THE TOMATOES, barbecue crisps won THE BATTLE OF THE CRISPS, strawberries won THE BATTLE OF THE BERRIES, crab won THE BATTLE OF THE SHELLFISH, vanilla yogurt won THE BATTLE OF THE YOGURTS, jasmine rice won THE BATTLE OF THE RICE, chicken wings won THE BATTLE OF HOT FINGER FOODS, cheeses won THE BATTLE OF COLD FINGER FOODS, and dry red wine won THE BATTLE OF THE WINES.