From air con to tax, cheese in a can, and supersized portions; there are a number of major differences between the US and Europe.
But you might be surprised – and downright baffled – by what some believe to be the biggest difference between the two continents.
It’s all to do with water – or tap water, more specifically, as many are under the impression that ‘Europeans don’t believe in’ the stuff.
Yep, according to Americans, people in Europe just don’t drink enough water and it’s a topic of contention that’s been cropping up more and more on social media over the last few months.
One post on X said: ‘Someone explain to me how all of Europe isn’t dehydrated. They don’t drink water.’ Another proclaimed: ‘I was so dehydrated in Europe. USA for life.’
Meanwhile on Reddit, a user named u/Sweetcynic36 wrote: ‘Do Europeans drink less water? I’m enjoying my trip to Ireland a lot, it has been amazing. One thing I’ve noticed is that it seems like they drink less water than in either the US or Latin America. Even the glasses are tiny.
‘The tap water is better than I’m used to though – don’t even need to run it through a filter much less boiled it. Has anyone else noticed this? After the first day I was dehydrated and felt like a UTI was starting.’
But it doesn’t stop there. On TikTok videos are circulating of American tourists chugging bottles of water whenever they manage to find somewhere to refill them on European getaways, and people are bemoaning the cost of bottled still and sparkling water in restaurants, as large glasses of ice water are always provided free of charge in all US eateries before you order food.
Some were also bothered by the fact that they never saw other people in Europe walking around with water bottles, as is common in the US (many can’t go anywhere without their giant Stanley Quenchers).
Obviously Europe is made up of many different countries, and people from all over the continent will have their own preferences and habits when it comes to drinking water, but unsurprisingly many Europeans have found this line of thinking a little ‘ridiculous’.
As a result they’ve have been poking fun at Americans, sharing hilarious alternative ways people manage to ‘stay hydrated’ in Europe.
A Reddit user known as u/Manus_40 posted: ‘I live in Scotland, [water] just falls out of the sky all the time. If you want a drink just look up and open your mouth.’
Meanwhile Mattia Esposito, from Italy, joked: ‘Listen … my friend … we make the Aperitivo … we are always hydrated.’
And u/Meismemakesense added: ‘Water isn’t real, it’s a conspiracy made by the government to make us buy less beers.’
Others pointed out that Europe is covered in drinking fountains, and that tourists are likely to be more dehydrated than locals, as they’ll have been doing lots of walking around attractions while sightseeing.
Drinking lotsof water is very much a cultural phenomenon in the US, with Americans being known to drink more water than the rest of the world – not just Europe.
Writer Tom Burson says this is something that was drilled into him from a young age. He recalls in a piece for Thrillist.com that teachers in his health class instructed kids to drink eight 8oz cups of water each day, which is just over two litres of agua.
This is something Rob Murgatroyd echoed in a recent video, with the American TikToker, who now lives in Florence, saying: ‘Italians are not obsessed with drinking water. It seems like Americans can’t get enough proper hydration. Growing up I was taught to drink eight glasses of water a day, but somewhow we’ve turned into massive hydraiton zombies.’
These eight glasses of water were meant to ‘keep the doctor away,’ but Tom has since learned this is a common myth that stems from a 1945 food and nutrition report.
The myth was debunked by the University of Michigan, who said: ‘In 1945, the US Food and Nutrition Board recommended that people drink 2.5 litres a day. Evidently, most who read this then ignored the following sentence, “most of this quantity is contained in prepared food”. Whatever “prepared” meant in 1945, all food contains water, especially fruit and vegetables.’
Doctors in the US have suggested that for many Americans, high levels of thirst could be due to diet and lifestyle, with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealing that on average people are consuming nearly 50% more than the recommended limit each day in the States.
This was a common response in the comments under Rob’s TikTok, with many claiming the European diet contained less sodium and ‘processed food’.
But it’s also true that drinking more water is highly glamourised in the US, with consumers lining up to get their hands on multiple ‘must-have’ water bottles such as Stanley Quencher Cups and Hydro Flasks. And lest we forget the 2019 Golden Globes, which became more about Fiji Water Girl and less about Hollywood’s elite.
However, it’s not just plain old H2O that people are filling these up with, as last year saw a #WaterTok trend grip social media, that originated in the US.
This saw TikTok creators sharing ‘recipes’ for flavoured water, mixing in syrups and powders to create quirky flavoured drinks, with examples including piña colada water, wedding cake water, and unicorn water.
Concerns were raised about the ingredients in the flavour sachets they were adding to drinks, as they are often high in artificial sweeteners, but fans of the trend weren’t too worried.
‘I personally feel like it helps me get my water in more, because I’m not going to drink plain water,’ says creator Drue. ‘If this is going to help me get my water intake in, I think it’s great.’
If you’re looking to spruce up your water, experts recommend dropping in fresh ingredients like lemon, orange, lime, or cucumber into your drink instead.
And if you’re curious how much water we should be consuming in the UK, the NHS advises drinking enough so that your ‘pee is a clear pale yellow colour’.
The Eatwell guide recommends six to eight glasses of fluid a day, however this doesn’t all have to be water, other options include lower-fat milk, sugar-free drinks, as well as tea and coffee.
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