… But don’t drink from the sink.
I first learned about the aquapocalypse while at a Mexican restaurant with Kristian and my sisters on Saturday night. We all asked for water and were told, “No water, it’s contaminated.” Huh? We were slightly confused, but more than happy to hydrate ourselves with a pitcher of margaritas.
My life is so difficult sometimes.
I know that we here in Boston like to sing about loving that dirty water, but who knew we’d all take it so literally? We haven’t been able to consume any tap water since late Saturday afternoon. It wouldn’t be such a big deal, but I was hosting my sister’s bridal shower on Sunday. It feels rather decadent to wash enough fruits and veggies for a party full of ladies with bottled water… but damn is it a waste of plastic. Instead of making iced tea as planned, Kristian ran out and got some jugs of it at Trader Joe’s. I substituted seltzer for water in the punch, but to be honest that was probably an improvement.
I’d say that the one bummer about the whole situation is that it’s hot as hell out today and I can’t get an iced coffee. Half of Boston is probably going through Dunkin’ Donuts withdrawal right now. The other half is probably drinking as much Sam Adams as they can get before the supply dwindles. Me? I’m just venting my spleen on the internet.
To be honest, this whole “don’t drink the water” business has actually made me rather nostalgic for Nepal. Living in Nepal was like this… don’t drink the water, don’t use it to brush your teeth, avoid all ice cubes, try to keep your mouth closed in the shower. Compared to my four months in Kathmandu, this is a picnic. I know that I’ll be back to guzzling iced beverages and singing in the shower in a couple of days. And I don’t have to worry about unscrupulous merchants passing contaminated water off as the sterilized and bottled kind. I got giardiasis in Nepal. I’m hoping to avoid it this time around.
I’d like to think that this whole experience will teach this region a valuable lesson about taking what comes out of our taps for granted. That it will remind us how lucky we are to be able to wash our hair in the kind of water that people in third world countries can only dream about. That there are millions of people who have no access to clean water, that get sick and die because of the contaminated water that they have no choice but to drink.
But, let’s be honest here. A week from now, we’ll all be back to complaining that Big Papi can’t hit and that he either needs to sit his butt down or start taking PEDs again.
While I agree that the Sox are terrible this year (getting swept by the Orioles? that’s just pathetic), I’d like to hope that I remember not to take my water for granted.
Good thing I wash and rinse but never repeat.
The water sitch is crazy. You guys are contaminated, we’ve completely lost Nashville under the flood, and water dwelling creatures in the Gulf are in serious trouble right now. I find it all a little depressing.
You know, in medieval times, they drank beer instead of the unsanitary water for hydration.
I think they were onto something.
I don’t drink tap water anyway. I love to destroy the earth with my bottle water. 😉 But I agree I wouldn’t use it to wash the dishes or anything.
Lisa, I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s Mother Nature fighting back. We’re so screwed. :p
LiLu, that was pretty much our strategy. Worked well!
I do find it so incredible when I’m in a more economically developed country and basic needs like water are just so easily accessible.
I currently live in a country where drinking tap water could give me some crazy disease; but I suppose (having lived here a while), my immunity has built up that i can brush my teeth and wash my dishes in this water. Yet, I have access to a water source and can pay those bills; thousands of families in this city don’t even have access to that.
I find that just as incredible as being able to drink water straight out of your tap.
Risha, I remember our luxury of solar panels and how I could take a hot shower (as long as we got some sun that day), while my host family took frigid sponge baths on their roof. We could also pay to have our clothes washed for us. But, I actually grew to like washing my clothes with my host sister. It was ice cold, but we would sing songs together to help us ignore the discomfort. We washed all of our laundry together. Except my undies. No way was I going to wash those communally. :p
do NOT drink the beer, the beer has gone bad! (hahaha i was at a bar on sat night when people started flipping out about aquapocalypse) and that was the only quote that came to mind