Originally Posted by Ready2Go
I remember that when I first visited Europe (in 1976 as a 14-year-old), the custom I found strangest was that people paid to have bottles of water brought to their dinner tables!
I haven't changed my mind. I drink bottled water only when I'm in a country where the tap water is dangerous. And I think the practice of building manufacturing plants to put plain water in disposable bottles and then ship it all over the world is environmentally insane.
Still, I must admit it's good for the world economy. Some say it's growing because of productivity gains; I'm convinced it's because marketing geniuses have persuaded people to spend billions for something that is free.
I really dislike the taste of heavily chlorinated water. I've lived in quite a few places had had funky water. One city where I lived had 2 sources: the summer source was too chlorinated and the winter source was too minerally. I count on bottled water to be relatively flavorless.
If your tastebuds can't tell the difference, you're wasting your money. Otherwise, it's a consumer choice. I can't taste a difference between most bottled waters and usually opt for a cheap brand, unless I don't already have a bottle in my collection.