American Reacts to Questions Americans Have For Europeans..
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Maybe American restaurants should start charging their customers for bottled water so they can pay their employees properly.
It's a complete fallacy that you don't pay money for water in American restaurants when you have to leave a ton of tips when paying.
Have you ever thought about it? If you tip 20% of a $50 bill, you've paid $10 for "free" water. And then it might not even be good bottled water like in Germany, but some kind of broth from the tap.
Free water in America is a blatant lie.
americans dont mean bottled water they mean tap or filtered, like exactly the same shit as everywhere in europe.
@@WookieWarriorz Tap water is free in German restaurants if you order tap water.
@@SheratanLP Not all of them offers tapwater, but yes we have to differ between bottled water or tap water and cleary order the kind of water you want,
otherwise you will get the expensive not free bottled water and it could be even sparkling mineral water, instead of non-carbonated bottled water.
My grandmother used to say that only death is free, but it costs life.
@@WookieWarriorz you cannot ask for tap-water in Belgium.
The water in the States is not free, the cost of this is passed on to the price of the food. The refill is not free either, you either pay for it with higher prices for the food or you pay a higher price for the drink from the start. Or the restaurant operator makes everyone in the restaurant pay for it, because he passes on the additional costs to everyone, regardless of whether they drink water or use refill. Nothing is for free, especially not in the motherland of capitalism.
Yes nothing is for free, especially in bars or restaurants. Only certain things may be free, but most thing cost money otherwise.
More like, the free water is paid by the restaurant staff, via the wages they would deserve.
And even then the restaurants pay their works crappy compared to the same workers in Europe .
That is socialist!! Having paying everyone for your free water!
I went to high school in the U.S. for a year, and one day in class, somebody randomly asked me if we had water fountains in school hallways in Germany. I said no, as we really didn't have them. So they asked, "How come?". The teacher, a staunch conservative patriot, then said, "Well not everywhere is as fortunate as us here to have enough water". So I said, "actually, Germany is one of the most water rich countries in the world". Which completely blew all her circuits... 😁
German restaurants make most of their money with drinks. Paying for water means restaurants can pay their employees more money and you don't have to tip.
there is no 'one size fits all' in this case. it's neither "all of Germany", nor is it "all of Europe" either.
some places? you might be on point. other places? waitresses/waiters would string you up for "you don't have to tip" as it's like half of their salary.
French restaurants don't make you pay for water, still their staff don't rely on tips
If you ask for tap water and say you will pay for it they still won't give you one.
So why is that you think?
@@how2pick4name The waterworks calculates the price of tap water per cubic meter. In Thuringia, the price per cubic meter in 2024 is €3.67. If a restaurant were to charge money for a glass (0.25 liters) of tap water, that would be usury and therefore punishable.
I call (partial) BS. In France, tap water is free, and employees don't rely on tips. You tip if the service was EXCEPTIONNAL, at your own discretion. Nobody will look down on you if you don't, in any case.
(tap) Water is free at the table in the UK, but we are not addicted to it.
Refills are about to become illegal as it encourages unhealthy high sugar consumption,
The same in The Netherlands. When you ask for water, you'll get a bottle, but when you ask for water for taking medicine (e.g.) they will give you tapwater. BTW, tapwater in most European countries is as good as bottled water, sometimes even better! Most restaurants and bars will give you tap water when you specificly ask for it. But, yeah, Europe is not the same as the US. We have other habits.
I don't think anyone drinks american beer unless they just want to emulate Hollywood movies.
Or they have no taste buds..
You might as well just drink tap water in a fancy glass and be done with it.
@@chrisperyagh true, at least tap water has a taste to it..
@@pashvonderc381 And more substance.
The rule states: At least one non-alcoholic drink on the menu must not be more expensive than the cheapest alcoholic drink.
We don’t have to tip 25%, with this in mind water is basically free too.
The “extra” money is just because of waiters get actually paid in Germany.
American beer.... Almost no one drinks them in Sweden. Why should we? We have good quality beers all over Europe.
Also funny: Trump complains that nobody in Europe wants to buy american cars, but the point is if those cars were good ppl would buy them in europe.
As a European who visited the US several times I can say one thing: Nothing is free! Free tapwater or a free refill is not free. The extra cost will be on your bill by higher prices for the food. In Europe you pay for water because you don't get tapwater but bottle water. Tapwater isn't served because it is illegal to ask full price for tapwater, tapwater would be just below €1,- but bottled water has similar price as soda thus higher profit. The not free drinks will be on the bill as drinks and not as higher food prices. So in the end you as a costumer will pay for all products and services you enjoy no matter where you are.
but also you just ask for a jug of tapwater and theyll give you it anywhere in europe lol. If you ask for 'a' water like americans do theyll be given a bottle 100% of the time haha.
Portuguese here. You're confusing two things, Ian: tap water and bottled water. Only bottled water is paid, tap water is always free. Do they give bottled water for free in the US?
Many people here go to a coffee shop or a bakery to have a coffee and a glass of water and that water is always free. However, only the bottled water that comes in closed containers is paid: there's a restaurant where I go 3 times a week for lunch in my city that has a machine to filter and better the tap water, so when I ask for water they bring me a glass bottle with a cap (that's supplied by the same company that supplies the machine) filled with water from that machine and that water is free. Those types of machines are everywhere, even in our Parliament.
Sorry, but not true. In Czech Republic, there is no "free tap water". You can ask for it, and it really depends on the waitress. Sometimes you can get it, sometimes don't.
Same in Greece. Tap water is free. Bottled water is paid.
What part of "Portuguese here" didn't you understand? I wasn't talking about Europe in general, although what happens here in Portugal also happens in the majority of european countries.
But it's good to know that if I ever go to Chéquia I'll make sure to avoid bars, cafés or restaurants that have waitresses and choose the ones that have waiters.
Actually, they have to give you tap water if you ask for it. The thing is, they add some lemon into it and from that moment, they will charge you. But in better cafés, you will get free glass of water to your coffee.
@@saya-mi - Sorry but I've never heard of anyone putting lemon in a glass of tap water without the customer's consent just to charge for it here in Portugal!
FYI , the EU has 1,728,099 square miles of territory,, but Europe as a whole has a bigger land area (3,910,680 sq miles) than the U.S. (3,531,905 sq miles).
Yeah... the thing is a huge part of it is just Russia. Usually Americans don't refer to Russia when talking about Europe
@@noefillon1749 Because of the bad c-word (talking bout communism).
@@LolaDannst I didn't assume why but may be because western European and American cultures have more ties together, and that likely has something to do with history
@@LolaDannst Possibly, but I have a hard time seeing Russia as a part of Europe. A large part of it is very far east...
@@joakimbarkstrom9679 but they only count the area up to the Ural mountains as part of Europe, everything further is part of Asia.
Switzerland here, and I think it's similar in Germany and Austria at least: Yes, most places charge for water - but most villages, towns and cities sport oh so many fountains with drinking water. I know that in Switzerland, the law is that any (!) fountain on public ground serves drinking water. Fountains that are not safe to drink from are obliged to have a plaque stating so clearly visible. So there's absolutely no reason to arrive at a restaurant dying of thirst. ;) (Also: I've been to many a restaurant outside of the bigger cities where, if you ask nicely, they will actually give you some tap water for free.)
Accurate. We have the plaque rule in Germany as well. Either it reads "Trinkwasser" (safe for consumption) or the opposite "Kein Trinkwasser". I was often surprised that this natural ground water or water from mountain springs was very tasty and ice cold, too.
fun fact: in the old days it was the law, in grisons at least, if you ask for the „Amtsblatt“ (newspaper with goverment information) you would get a free glass of water and a piece of bread along with the paper.
@@joedoe5079 Alright, free water and even bread? 🤔 Was that in the 16th or already on the 17th century, I wonder?
This is a stereotype in itself, the perception of Yanks in general is that they don't care about anything. Unless it's on their own doorstep, thankfully you're different.
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Danish oblast,
It’s quite simple why water is not free most times, we pay salaries not peanuts
Ohhhhh, I love the Danish oblast! 🤣 I har en god sans for humor: Jeg elsker jer alle sammen for det! 😘
@@AlexTheGerman Oblast, ja det er godt do
But also you can just ask for a jug of tap water in denmark too lol, its not like theyll tell you no. Or ask for a glass of ice water at any bar when youre ordering a beer.
@@WookieWarriorz The important part is "if you order a beer" though. 😌 Would you get water for free on it's own?!
@@AlexTheGerman aber natürlich ✌️ viel viel sommerferie 😁
Unmarked police vehicles in Germany?
Of course! They have everything! 😂
It can be a 20 years old silver Toyota Prius, it can be an orange VW Golf station wagon, a black BMW, a small Mercedes-Benz, everything! They even have Taxis, delivery transporters and buses for undercover operations.
the undercover taxi i saw only in New York, this is new for me
P.s. with or without lights and sirens the undercover taxi you have in Germany?
They also have RVs to check on semitruck drivers, if they pay attention to the road or read a newspaper, are on the phone, watch tv etc.
But they are probably doing other types of police work, not catching people speeding.
@@Phiyedough I don't know how about Germany, but in Czechia, they definitely do catch people speeding. Although I don't think we have undercover taxi or buses, but the rest is the same.
@@Phiyedoughthey do catch people speeding especially on Autobahn. You‘ll mostly see them driving in BMW 5 series (at least here in Bavaria) or Mercedes E class.
So if a dark BMW with two persons inside is staying behind you for a longer time you might want to slow down 😂
As the Americans say about healthcare, nothing is free. You also pay for the water, and pay for the free refills, just not directly, but via the calculation. US restaurateurs have nothing to give away either, don't be naive. Why should I finance the sugar addiction of others by paying a higher food price? Hardly anyone in a restaurant here orders tap water. Why should I when there is good beer and wine at reasonable prices? Eating is a social event, not just food consumption.
👍👍👍
How much is reasonable to you? Everyone has a different answer. You cannot say so unilaterally that wine is reasonably priced in restaurants.
@@noefillon1749 With a supermarket wine in Germany, about 20-30 cents per liter go to the winemaker. Yes, of course, it depends on the restaurant and the region.
POLICE CARS
Its more common in the US for police officers to be targeted by criminals whilst in their patrol cars, not so much here in Europe, hence why the US has so many police cars / pick-ups and vans without markings. That is something I learned from a former FBI friend of mine. In 2015 alone (when she was a agent) over 3000 police officers where shot or shot at whilst sitting in their cars. In Europe its unheard of, for the most part.
I've noticed that officers in the US mostly patrol alone whereas police cars in Europe are almost always manned by two officers.
In Sweden where I am from the police do have unmarked cars and it is quite common on to see them on the highway. However the marked cars do serve another purpose and that is to be seen for the purpose of crime prevention.
A couple of years ago marked police cars started using cruise lights while patrolling at night time such as on highways and in the city close to night life. The cruise light is their normal light bar but instead of a flashing light it's a static one, just to show their presence.
@@Errathetube For a while I think our goverment thought that speed cameras and securitas guards were all we needed, was rare that I saw any police at all and if I did it was mostly road accidents or just standing around outside clubs/pubs on the weekend. Now they are all over making damn sure they are seen, I think I've seen more police cars drivning around this month than I saw between 2010-2020 and considering I live in a city with just under 60.000 inhabitants and the worst thing that have happened here for quite a while was an old driver driving towards traffic on the highway and crashing, resulting in 1 dead and 1 injured, I'd say it's not like they are working a criminal hotspot, but still they are all over the place, then again with our "recent" gang wars it's not strange that they want to be seen and prevent it as much as possible.
@@Errathetube Same in Czechia.
@@Rick_Zune Yeah, I think the increase in violent crimes have made the public more anxious while the public trust for the police at the same time has decreased. I drive all over the country in my work and I also see a lot more police nowadays. The same is also true for traffic police, though they seem to mainly focus on heavy transports.
@@Errathetubeits the same in Portugal
In Germany we mostly consume carbonated mineral water, which you will get when you order water in a restaurant. You can order water without gas and will probably get a branded mineral water like Vittel instead of tap water. Therefore you have to pay for water in German restaurants.
Regarding the beer I guess that German people would never ever drink it. Anybody I know who ever tested American beer mentioned that it tastes like bad water or cat pee.
I completely agree with you and yes, I don't know anyone who drinks American beer or would even call it beer. Especially since we also have a certain local patriotism when it comes to this topic. So beers and flavors that are drunk more in the north, south, east or west. Plus the smaller breweries like in Bavaria and similar. In addition, not all types of beer are available everywhere or it depends on the innkeepers and their contracts with suppliers and breweries.
And the „free“ water taste also horrible! Like water from a swimming pool. I prefer the European culture where you have to pay for your water and not to be forced to pay a arm and a leg for a tipping.
Which is saying something considering how absolutely terrible german beer is 😂
@@omarsheriff51 Did you ever taste a German beer? And as far, as I understood from @doloresmey she is talking about the free water in the US, not in Europe or specifically Germany.
I don't understand why you would think not paying for water is normal. The tap water may not be expensive for the restaurant owner.. but they have to pay for the glasses..for washing them... for the person serving it ... and they know they won't sell other drinks when giving it out for free. Why would you think this is all done for you without you having to pay for it? Because it's water and so essential for us? Well... based on this logic: Would you bring your own bottle of water from home to the restaurant and drink it there? I doubt it.
In the UK tap water is freely available and consumed fairly often at restaurants and always brought to the table if you ask for it. It’s the law here that it must be free in any place serving alcohol presumably to mitigate against excessive intoxication….. doesn’t work always though….and of course any cost is subsided by the other products. Our restaurants they still make money too!!
@@djs98blue hm a law. Interesting. Of course they will make you indirectly pay for it. But why make that one product free or payed by other products in the first place? jaja i know the law.... but why is there such a law? To subsidize those who can't afford it? Doesn't this sound very socialistic? And US amercians aren't complaining about it? 😄 I don't walk into the next supermarkt and say: Hey .. give me that chewing gum for free! You can make everyone pay for it through other products.. and it's not that expensive anyway. Well no.. i just pay for it. So still i don't really understand why water should be served for free...though i must admit it's a convenient habit. 🚰 EDIT: Yeah ok you said it's to mitigate against excessive intoxication. Hm ok.. well... 🙂 .. let's believe everyone with that free water would have ordered alcoholic drinks instead. Maybe we should have that law too. 😁
It is in UK and most of the world. (In Asia you generally get free Jasmine or Green Tea on your table which will often be refilled). Some countries you dont pay for tap water consumption anyway, you pay a drainage fee usually based on the size of your property for taking away sewage/rain water.
It can't be free because it's essential since we all still pay for housing, food and clothes.
The cover charge at the top of a UK restaurant bill is to cover the cost of ancillary items. Any service charge at the bottom of the bill is the restaurant asking for a tip and can be deducted from the total and a tip of one's own choosing left or not.
Beer. Yes we can buy US beers here in the UK, but we also get many French, Italian, Czech, Irish, Indian. Some US companies are buying their way into the brewing industry. For example, Coors is a big seller of beers in the UK. My “local” is a private club, you have to be a member to enter and use its facilities. Coor’s is a main supplier, but the club is independent, as regards to its buying policy, so it sells beers from SA Brain Brewery, Guiness, ciders and lagers like Heineken. Pubs are either Tied or Free Houses. Tied houses are owned by a brewery so are restricted in the brewers products that the Inn sells. If they are a Free House, the Inn is privately owned so are often independent on beer suppliers. Some independent clubs, such as sports clubs fund their buildings cost by taking a loan from a brewery thus reducing the number of brewers that thy sell.
The range of beer from my local supermarket is great, I just did a search for beer from Sainsbury’s Supermarket and gave me 278 choices.
Trouble is, the vast majority of these so called "foreign beers" are brewed in the UK under licence and also weakened compared to the originals. Even that 'Danish' beer, Carlsberg, brewed in Northampton, has been reduced again from a very weak 3.8% down to 3.4% by Marstons.
Here in sweden, bars/pubs that sells alcohol are legally required to offer free water.
Nothing is free... if you get something for free (same with refills, free shipping for your package), you just pay for it in some other way, like a bit higher price for the food or the product you order. These businesses aren't non-profit... they need to make money some way.
The Netherlands here: in some (not all) places we get free tap water, often with a sprig of mint and lemon slices. Also: our tap water tastes very good. I remember breakfast delivered to my room in the hotel in San Francisco; the smell of chemicals used for purifying water was overwhelming.
The funny thing is that table water, i.e. water from the tap, is of particularly high quality in Germany. So you don't have to drink mineral water in the restaurant. Note: the standards for table water are higher than for mineral water. Many cheap mineral water brands are simply carbonated water from the tap
I´ve worked as a waiter here in Vienna for 20+ years and i can tell you why there´s no free water - It´s a business, you want to sell drinks and food.
So why don't you get a glass of tap water even if you say you pay for it?
It's because of hygiene, here they are not even allowed to sell tap water.
That's why you can't BUY a glass of tap water but get a bottle.
@@how2pick4name where the heck are you form?
most countries in Europe have first class tap water. the water coming out of my tap is as clean (might even be cleaner) than the water you buy in a bottle.
only difference is that a big corporation doesn't get rich of us.
@@ChristiaanHW Did I write that you couldn't drink it and it was dangerous?
Did you read the bit where it said "not allowed"?
@@how2pick4name you said it's because of hygiene that establishments can't sell tap water.
how is a glass of tap water any less hygienic than that same glass filled with any type of soda?
the only difference is that one thing comes pre-packed from some company and the other thing comes fresh from the tap.
so i assumed your government isn't that sure about the safety of the tap water. because that seems the only option that makes sense.
On the topic of police car markings, some US rural police forces rely on issuing fines for a substantial part of their departmental budget and the money comes back to them (incentivising them to fabricate offenses or set traps with misleading signs) whereas in Europe generally the fines go to the judiciary or the local council (for parking offenses) rather than direct to the police force. I think theres also traditionally been a DIY approach among US Sheriff operations which are often so small theres no point in fleet markings when their fleet is half a dozen or less vehicles, so they just stick their crest logo on it and call it done.
Italian here. It's true that you're charged for water in restaurants and bar but it's always BOTTLED water not tap water. There's a reason for that: public venues can serve tap water only under the condition that water is properly filtered (through filtering devices beneath the faucets). This is because public administrations cannot guarantee the perfect pureness of tap water in every place and every moment, although Italian tap waters are considered one of the best in Europe. So, in order to avoid expenses for filtering systems or legal actions (should some clients get infected or feel sick), 99% of bars and restaurants only serve bottled water. Which of course have a cost, so customers have to pay for it.
Here in France, water is indeed entirely free. Restaurants do profit a lot more from drinks but they will never charge you for tap water and you can ask for it as much as you want. It has always been the culture here, as people do drink wine during their meal and drink an apperitif before the meal so they do sell drinks on top of the tap water. Restaurants may even offer you a "digestif", a small shot of strong alcohol at the end of your meal if you're a regular. When ordering at a bar, you can also ask for a cup of water with your alcohol so you can drink safely and not get sick.
However, when I visited Hungary I did need to pay for tap water, so places in Europe differ on this topic.
By the way: Europe is 10,530,000 square kilometre. USA is 9,834,000 square kilometre. 😊 So USA is much bigger?
Think he said North America is bigger than Europe not the US which is correct - it’s 2.5 x bigger
@@djs98blue As Greenland is a part of denmark then put the island on top of Europes landmass
@@Ikkeligeglad Welp - Greenland is not part of the European continent tho - it is part of North America.
By your logic we could add Norways Queen Maud land in Antarctica which is 20% larger than Greenland!
the guy said people compare USA to Eu because the US is mich bigger than COUNTRY in Eu wich is true, when Europe is more or less the same size than the US (you confirmed urself)... so you just had confirm is point here, why did you use a question mark then ?
he never said the US in bigger than Europe he said the USA (country) is bigger than any country in europe and thats why poeple not compare USA and Spain or USA and Germany or USA and France BUT they compare USA (a country) and Europe (a continent).
@@noakeyharding9437 Europe is FAR bigger than USA. You as so many forget about Russia.
Ian, as matter of fact, it does make sense to generalize and take "Europe as a whole" in some regards: Although each country (each region, to be precise) has their own culture, language, customs, SOME things are the same though. And we share some fundamental common beliefs and values. To put it in a poetic way, we're different in unity. Also, the EU isn't Europe but the influence of the EU is much larger than some people might think. Just some examples: Most EU countries use the Euro but also countries that are not EU members. The EU decided (after a proposal by then UK staff working for the EU!) to harmonize the colors of all EU police forces, all cars should have the colors silver/white, blue, and what we call technically "daylight neon yellow". British police cars until around 2004 were often white and chequered orange, while German police cars were white and green and the uniforms of the Germans look like forest inspectors with a light green. The UK left the EU finally in 2020 but they keep the European police colors because that color scheme makes sense, and it was originally their proposal anyway. License plates: There is a basic scheme for them, too, in the EU: The blue field on the left with the European stars and the the country code underneath and next to it a white or yellow background color with black numbers and ciphers (France got an exception because it's France!). Now look at license plates in many other countries that are no EU member states (or not even EU candidates) such as Moldova, Türkiye, Ukraine, Kosovo, Serbia, Israel, and Iran. There is a Wikipedia article on that (de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro-Kennzeichen#%C3%84hnliche_Kennzeichen_anderer_Staaten_und_besonderer_Gebiete_der_EU). They all imitate the EU design. To sum it up: It's not strange or false to talk about "Europe" in most fields your videos are dealing with.
One question for those that live in countries where water is free: Do you people over there not get waterbills?
I mean, water is in most of the cases not free, as long as you do not want to slurp out of a pond or river. Clean water out of a tap costs money. The cleaning process costs money, the personell that works there, cost money. Water is also not an endless resource, as some countries start to experience during hot summers.
So, why would anyone be angry to pay for water in a restaurant? A little bit more respect for our planets water, please. ;)
exactly..just 3% of the worldwide water is sweetwater and a lot of it is stored in the ice,its probably the most valued good we have. so everyone think about it before you clean your car every 2 days at home...
Where I live (Lyon, France) it costs 3.27 € / m^3, for one liter, I should pay .003 € each time I ask for a liter in a restaurant (labour cost could reach may be .50 € for this). That's essentially free when compared to a restaurant bill.
"respect for our planets water" that's not like drinking water was a vital need ! When you ask for water in a restaurant, you are not going to throw it away like when you take a bath or something. Drinking consumes nearly nothing when compared to laundry, dishes, showers...
@@noefillon1749 i think that €1 for a caraf of water is reasonable.
the water costs a bit of money, and you pay for the service, the building you're in, the furniture you're using etc.
and if you really dislike it, just don't tip afterwards or deduct the amount you payed for the water from the amount you would have tipped otherwise.
so i'ts fair the establishment charges you something, but to charge you a price similar to that of a soda is ridiculous.
It's free. and i can use as much i want. And i mean as much as want. And as most people around here, its private water.
Some pore sod have public water and have to pay a smal fee. They to are free to use as much they want.
There are some places in the country with restriction on water in hot dry summer months. Those places get water from above ground (aka lakes).
@@D-ragon-S in the state of Flanders in Belgium, the cost for a 1000 liters of public water (which is about 250 US Gallons), is between 4,7 and 6,7 euros. So almost twice as expensive, most of that cost is actually related to the high cost to process the household's dirty water.
Why are free tap water and refills in the US better ? It's just a different business model. If you pay for food, water and tip in germany you still pay less in total compared with your US restaurant bill. And the german dishes are often better quality and healthier. And we have a different culture in europe, too. We like good food AND good drinks. Tap water is only for the dog, you hillbillies. 😆 If you like water, go to a gym, not a restaurant.
Ever tasted that free Amarican water? It is like drinking chloride water. And the ice cubes are made from it to! Even those in your Coke!
What's the point of this stupid argument about free water? Who goes to a restaurant to drink water? Horses, maybe! 🤔😄
Actually, I did it when I was in Japan during their hot, humid summer. Going to a cheap restaurant to make the most of their free fresh water instead of buying something in a convenience store. Best water I have drunk in my life. 😂
Funny: in Back to the Future 3 Marty asks for water and the bartender (or someone else) says that he can join the horses outside if he wants water.
@@vega23565 Well, if someone were to go in a restaurant or a pub to order only tap water, I would not complain if he got such a response, even more so if it's free.
The question of water depends on the country and even the policy of each restaurant. In Portugal, if you order a glass of tap water, it's usually free; if you order bottled brand water, you have to pay. For some time now, restaurants have had bottled tap water, which is also free. In bars, everything is paid for.
The comparison is probably due to the fact that they are the 2 great Western blocs, with more or less similar cultures, although with their enormous differences.
Emergency or police cars are painted in bright colours to stand out from the traffic, and when stationary, they serve as a ‘traffic diversion signal’.
There are, of course, uncharacterised cars, particularly for traffic police.
American beer is not widely distributed here.
Verdade a questão é principalmente se vamos a um restaurante comer é para saborear a comida e isso tem de ser acompanhado com uma boa bebida e água de garrafa e de marcas diferentes fazem parte dessa experiência de sabor. Ir a um restaurante e beber água da torneira por muto boa que seja, não se compara ao sabor de água mineral e estraga a razão pela qual se vai a um restaurante que é saborear diferente que em casa.
Dear Ian,
EU ≠ Europe. That is a common confusion. Norway, Ukraine, West of Russia, some countries in the South East, Iceland (although it's quite remote from the mainland) are part of Europe.
Furthermore, some countries look bigger than others because of pojection issues on world maps. That also applies for continents or the comparison of continents with a specific large country.
French here. Tap water is free in retaurants, simply because it's the law. However, I do concede that a lot of people are going to try tu push bottled water on their customers. Just ask for "Une carafe d'eau" and the matter should be settled.
And bread too.
@@siriuspyramid7441 Bread isn't reallty free : it's included in the price of the meal. You can't ask for free bread if you don't order something else to eat but you can ask for free tap water in many bars in France as long as if you don't ask free water too frequently at the same bar if you don't drink something else.. BTW, in many restaurants "free" bread quality is often subpar, most of tyhe time it's similar to Lidl or Leclerc indusrial 0.40€ baguette rather than coming from a boulangerie.
@@ExperienceCN Lots of waiters prefer to sell water to tourists because they don't know free water avaiilability is mandatory in bars and restaurants. If you want to get free water you just have to ask for "une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît" in restaurants or "un verre d'eau du robinet, s'il vous plaît" in fast food/kebab joints. Never forget the "s'il vous plaît" part, it's what that can almost always guarantee to get what you're asking for (but you can still have to deal with greedy and/or stubborn waiters in the most touristeic places, especially in Paris or in high end ski/golfing/sailing resorts).
@@chucku00 good to know thanks 🙏
@@ExperienceCN Je vous en prie.
The restaurants make a BIGGER margin on beverages over food in Germany.
It's a mixed calculation as the costs for energy, insurance, financing the interiors and rent for the area are astronomical here.
Same in Denmark, restaurants don't earn much from selling food but on the other hand selling beer and wine......
Additional, in case they serve free tab-water regularly (one can always ask for it, btw 🤷♀), the health-department has to mandatory check the lines and the quality at least once a year. There are several old (and I mean old) restaurants around here (rural Bavaria), who shy away from the costs therefore. Even above the sinks in the restrooms, one will then find signs signaling "No drinking water" ...
@@catslikewitches1332 You mean "Kein trinkwasser😜
On that theme, I think one of the reasons people enjoy your content is because you exemplify the difference between patriotism and nationalism. As you say, you like your own country and like talking about the US - but you also have that curiosity and interest in the rest of the world.
About water, it also needs to be painted out, we don't use as much sugar and salt in foods as in US, both make you thirsty, which is why in US you drink a lot of water with a meal, where we might drink 2 glasses in an hour
There isnt really a "tap water culture" in Germany ... because we have MINERAL WATER (which is filled straight from the well). This obviously costs money.
Same in Sweden.
In France you have both tap water (free) and bottled mineral water (not free of course). Tap water is good so I always order it for the table. If I order bottled water in France it's because I want sparkling water, which is my favorite water tbh. Like Badoit or San Pellegrino. So refreshing 😊
Water isn’t free because the salary of the waitor is include in the prices. Therefore it#s not necessary to tip 25% like in the US.
We used to have a law that every Gastronomic buisness was forced to give people at least one water for free if they ask for it, actual customer or not.
Something left over from the Middle ages where taverns were basically like truckstops.
When Germans order water in a restaurant they mostly think of fridge cooled soda water in a bottle. Tap water with ice is very uncommon in Germany, understand?😊
Which is kind of a weird thing xD as far as i know, we germans have one of the best tap waters in the world. But a lot of people buy bottled water (me included). I would never drink tap water knowingly haha maybe im paranoid 😂
In the UK tap water is freely available and consumed fairly often and always brought to the table if you ask for it. It’s the law here.
We have stealth police cars in Sweden, and they are really stealth, if you know what to look after you can see the minimal emergency lights hidden in some places otherwise there is no marking telling it's a police car.
Fun too read the comments, tap water is free everywhere but they think it's not. But you Americans have to ask for TAP WATER!!
In belgium you can ask for tap water (it's not on the menu, though) and you usually get it for free or you only a service charge (as we don't pay for anything with tips, that's really only a bonus for the staff and not their paycheck). Countries with free water on the table often have a separate service charge on the bill. And don't forget to ask for water for your dog if you're walking him, that is also never a problem.
Tap water might be free in the US but it's undrinkable to me because it's so chlorinated 🤢
Tap water can be obtained for free here in Germany as well in many bars and restaurants, when you order "Water" you will mostly get served something like Sparkling Water which you also can buy bottled from the supermarket and is usually of very high quality.
If you want to have tap water make sure to say so. Though it still would depend on the local you're in and it's generally considered as rather impolite to do so, since the restaurants have to make a living too and with way higher business taxes in most EU countries than in the whole US it's already hard enough as it is.
Water is free if you ask for a carafe of water, you only pay for branded bottled water either flat or bubbly.Obviously restaurants will push bottled water,but are obliged to give you tap water if you ask.
Props for the honesty about the monetary side of things.
About paying the water in the restaurant, it might be because of the general suspicion of US americans toward tap water: in many european countries, getting tap water to drink is free (and totally safe) while getting bottled water are not, mainly because bottled water have a cost for the restaurant too (100 to 400 more than tap water for the same volume just for the bottle itself, not accounting additional cost for transportation, storage and waste removal/treatment).
It makes sense to offer "free" bottled water when the tap water is often undrinkable, not when it is drinkable, but US american often reject the idea of drinking tap water in Europe.
In Australia, water is free from tap or post mix (soft drink fountain) but costs if it's bottled. It's a legal issue related to RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol).
when speaking of free water, free bread, and free refills, always watch out what you also get by paying for those things. in germany, you usually can sit in a restaurant for as long as you want before, during and after a meal, as long as you occasionally buy new beverages. which restaurant in america would allow you to come, buy one softdrink (or even ask for free water), refill it 10 times, and stay undisturbed for a few hours ? they have to pay rent, power, water, waiters, washing glasses and (unused) cutlery, maybe other tableware/clothing too, etc, even when you sit down and only drink one glass of free water. and you probably will get the bill not only "on demand" when YOU decide that you are ready to leave ...
I think this is something a lot of people don't realise here in Europe, even in their own countries. When you ask for water the attendant will usually ask 'still or sparkling?' and if you say either they will serve bottled water. But if instead you ask for 'tap water' with ice or 'ice tap water' however it is language appropriate you'll get served free water. Free water will never appear on the menu and is rarely served until you get approached by the service people and ask for it. People just normally assume there is only paid water available cos they never ask for free ice water. Even funnier - if you ask for free ice water they often serve it with the lemon on the side of the glass.
Hi Ian! From my experience, there is almost no American beer consumed in the Netherlands. Of the brands you mentioned, only Bud is widely available in supermarkets. They have invested heavily in their entry into the European market a few years back, but most people are really attached to their favorite beer brand.
from April 16 in Romania it is mandatory for restaurants to offer free water from the public network.
5:40 Driving from one end of France to the other is so much gargantuan than you realize…
There is good beer in the US too. From microbreweries. But Budweiser etc. that ordinary Americans drink. We don't drink. Then you might as well drink water!
There are civilian police cars on German highways; these have cameras, video recordings and calibrated speedometers. These can measure the distance and record it on video. Writing can be displayed in the rear window that would otherwise not be visible. The blue flashing light is hidden so that it cannot be seen when it is switched off. I recently saw a video of a driver harassing the police car. They recorded the incident on video and then identified themselves.
From my experience, if you want a glass of water, it's pretty much free everywhere. Bottles are not, of course.
Swedish here, there is loads of US wine for sale here, 616 types to be exact, not sure if it sells in any volumes or not since I never drink it my self, but it for sure got nothing on French, Spanish, Italian and South African wine in terms of sales volumes since those sell very well. There are 148 types of US beer for sale, no macro stuff that I saw, more speciality stuff, saw a Pumpkin Patch Ale from Conneticut Valley that caught my eye for example. However I think most here associate US with whiskey or other hard liquors and we have 152 of those for sale. US hard liquor is also not only common in stores but also at clubs/pubs and it sells quite well I'd say, I got loads of friends that only drink US or Scottish whiskey. You'll never see US wine or beer in regular clubs/pubs, but there are speciality places dotted around that stock every beer on the planet, but I don't think it sells that much considering we make quite great beer ourself and we are close to other nations with great beer that even those that don't drink beer know quite well. From my travels in Europe over the years I think it's pretty much the same in most nations, US equals hard liquor, whiskey for the most part and perhaps some wine, but your beer have almost worse reputation than your coffee and chocolate so most don't bother even trying it.
The "no water in restaurants" thing is true in Slovakia, but you almost always get a free glass of water with coffee. I read that restaurants make more money on selling drinks than meal and they want you to buy something to drink. Today, because of the international influence, more restaurants started to give free tap water, others sell it to you. Some won't give you tap water. Some owners say that the serving and cleaning of the glass costs them money too and they need to make profit to pay bills, others say that they don't consider it right to give tap water for money.
Also, we are used to drink sparkling water or mineral water and other kinds of sweet or flavored water and that can be only sold in bottles.
Another observation, for years we (at least some of us) have been told to not drink a lot (or any) water when eating, because it makes you full and it also doesn't help digesting (this has been already debunked I think).
And, also, I think that in general we drink much less water than Americans and we are chronically dehydrated. I often see Americans in videos drink from huge glasses, taking a sip every two minutes while reacting etc, but we don't drink that often. We have small glasses and talking about the people around me, we barely drink any fluids during the day, except maybe in hot summer. My aunt drinks one small glass of water in a day. I drink less than 1 liter (0.26 gallons) and I'm aware that it's not enough, but I just forget to drink.
In pubs in England it's illegal to refuse to give tap water.
In whole Germany, tab water has food quality, and in restaurants you expect to get something better than "tab water" but for that you have to pay.
Germany also does not add ice to the drinks, which means, your coke is a coke and not ice with some coke.
When it comes to pubs, they are legally obligated to offer at least one none alcoholic drink for a lower price then the cheapest alcoholic. Then again, Germany has a whole other drinking culture. Legal drinking age of 16, Germans love sparkly water.
So there are many different aspects to it, including tipping culture, portion size, tax included in prices etc. etc.
Usually "better" restaurants give free water but it is not really free, it is just cross financed over higher food prices for example.
Europeans aren't scared of the police and the police don't fear the public. Now think about Americans. This is why police cars are so visible in Europe.
In sweden vater is free in restaurang
Almost every country uf you ask for it, only depends on restaurant not country. But what is the point to go to a restaurant and drink tap water? 🤮 😂😂😂
@@fronterag40 Water is nothing i want so i agree. Don't even like to drink still water, it has to be carbonated mineral water and that's off course not free.
You showed a Swedish police car with the blue and yellow checked pattern. It's also used here in the UK where it's known as a battenberg pattern, named after the cake! It's not just an aesthetic choice, the pattern has been scientifically proven to be more visible when seen against a visually cluttered background such as a city street.
Tap water and bread is free by law in France, as soon as you order something to eat. In most bars you will also have tap water for free even if you don't order anything.
In Czech Republic, we have two kinds of police cars. Ones that look similar to the swedish, main purpose is to be seen and works preventive because they're seen. And the other looks exactly like any other car even in terms of color, simply undercover too. They also have hidden lights inside, they also have LED board on rear window which tells you what to do if they overtake you, like "stop" or "follow me".
If you ask for water you will get bottled water, which costs.
But you can also ask for tap water, which is cheap or free.
In the Netherlands it totally depends on where you are but bottled water ("spring water") is treated like any other beverage and needs to be paid. Tap water (Dutch tap water is just as clean and save as bottled water btw) is often free if other beverages are also ordered (if you only drink tap water the entire evening they might charge) and any decent place will provide a free water if for example medication needs to be taken. Remember, just as with "free refills"... it isn't free for the restaurant either. Oh and a good bartender in the Netherlands (and I would hope everywhere) would do the same as an American one.
European countries: You pay for what you consume, you probably consume less and stay healthy. Not that it matter because healthcare.
Americans: Here.. have these free refills.. take as much as you like... what do you say? You teeth start to decay? That will be 12000 please. Diabetis? sure man, can I get 100 dollar a pop for your insuline please? Oh you have a hearth attack, I will call an ambulance... what is that? You don't want it because it will cost you 5000? Yep..... "America does it waaaay better...free refills" ... good luck with that.
Also.. payinng for the toilet: Americans find that weird and if you say the toilet staff also has to be paid they say "but that shouldn't be my problem right" to wich I have just one word to say... "tipping"??
Do you ever ask yourself WHY it get's the clicks? or are the clicks the only goal that matters. Look man, let me drop some Dutch directness on you. I am sure, one reason many of us watch is because of you as a host of the channel. You seem like a nice person with his heaert and mind in the right place and people like watching you. Let that be clear. But Europe vs America get's clicks because many of us will be having a good time laughing about the American viewing things so typically American Warching how people defend not paying for things while denying free/affordable things for others (as a country). Claiming how they are to big to implement things. It is entertainment.
I often see names in your comments of people that follow many of the people I folow as well. TH-camrs that, although comparing America to other countries, they will use the correct places. Some of them do one or a few countries, others do many countries. But when comparison videos are made it is "US vs UK, US vs the Netherlands, US vs Germany etc. I never hear them complain about lack of views, they have great interactions with their commenters. And because they do country specific videos, they can do more than just comparison videos. They can branch out to music, art, transport etc. Don't be afraid to experiment, if your content is solid, the views will be there.
As for the "grouping".. this is what I mean with typical American. You just spend the last minutes telling how Europe is many different countries and then still are "surprised" we group the USA (you know the UNITED STATES of America) while we don't group the 44 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES on the continent Europe.
In bars and restaurants in Europe AND America, you ask for tap water - not just "water". Then it will hbe free!
The thing with police cars is that in the US they "catch" people and then the person goes to court and fights the ticket. Most of the rest of the world knows that the police are there so if you do the wrong thing take the ticket and accept responsibility. It's a difference in social responsibility versus personal "rights"!
free water is becoming much more common in lithuania, some places even bring a jug as soon as you sit down. We also have free water fountains all over the capital, it's really neat; there's a bottle filler, a fountain for drinking directly, and a ground level fountain for pets, all combined into a single device.
IMO it's common to compare usa and europe because they're both "western regions", about the same land size and there being about as many countries in europe as there are states in usa, both of varying sizes. And while the states don't have the crazy amount of cultural diversity found in europe, there are clear distinct traits each state and their people.
I've had canadian and mexican beer, but haven't seen any american beer imports. Kinda funny. And yeah, the only budweiser here is the czech one.
In Norway, and for most of the Nordics countries are tap water free. The Norwegian reason is that since the population already have paid for the tap water trough taxes can't restaurants, pubs or bars charge tap water. Lol we even put tap water in fancy bottles, kall it Voss and sell it in US for an insane amount of money.
Someone else mentioned that it's important to distinguish between tap water and bottled water. In most of Europe do you get bottled water in restaurants. But on the other hand is my experience that i always will get a glas of carbonised water from a bottle along my espresso in Italy, without having to pay for that. In most other cases do you have to pay for water in Italy.
In Germany bottled water is charged for since the restaurant also had to pay for it. Tap water is not something I have heard many people ask for. You can have that at home if you want, it's not usually consumed in a restaurant. I don't even know if you'd get that, never tried and it would certainly feel weird and cheap to ask for it.
There is however a law that there has to be at least one non alcoholic drink that is at most as expensive as the cheapest alcoholic drink. They had to introduce that law and the cheapest drink you could get was usually beer enticing people to drink beer or make but profit on them. As such nowadays soda is usually the same price as beer. Water is often more expensive out the same price. Lots of profit to be had.
And yes restaurants tend to make the most profit on the drinks consumed. You tend to drink more than you eat after all. I paid 4 euro for a 0.2 liter glass of soda when I can get an entire 1 liter bottle for less than 2 euro.
Netherlands here. We Dutch do like some good Belgium and German beers. A former collegue emigrated to New Jersey and when friends from here go to him, he asks them to bring Hertog Jan beer. Most bars or restaurants wont give you free tap water ( same in Dutch: tapwater). They will sell you water. They even don't look happy when you ask for it. The US is one big country just like federal Germany, United States of Brazil and the Kingdom of the Netherlands is. The US are states united into a one country model. And the EU are sovereign countries that work together.
I have never had to pay for water here in Austria, neither bar or restaurant, and I worked in bars for almost 20 years. Specially in bars they actually have no problem giving you a glass of water in between your drinks, because you might be able to consume more :) They only charge you for water if it is the only thing you order.
In sweden water is mostly free in restaurants as it is in fast food places too. The exception might be a night club where they may or may not charge for water but if they charge it’s bottled water. But we don’t usually pay for water. Refills of soda in the other hand we don’t get in many places.
Beer is usually the cheapest item in the hotel minibars that I have stayed in in Germany. Sparkling water is more expensive than the beers...
In Portuguese restaurants, if you ask for water, that usually means bottled water (*) (be it mineral water or spring water), and that is paid. You may ask for a glass of water, in which case it would be tap water and free, but you must specify you want tap water, otherwise they will bring some bottled water and an empty glass. But I don't think I have ever witnessed someone asking for a glass of water...
By contrast, in cafés, it is quite common to ask for a glass of water to come with your cup of coffee. (Many people like to wash off the aftertaste of coffee.) In that case, it is also free, at least in all places I've been. But, of course, you may also order bottled water (which is paid), as many do.
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(*) I have seen some American videos "exposing" the "scam" of bottled water, which (according) to those videos, it's just tap water with a label slapped on the bottle.
That may be true in the US, but it's not true in Portugal and (I would say) in the EU in general.
Bottled water (which may be classified as mineral water or spring water, and may be still or sparkling) is a regulated product and the water in the bottle comes from specific sources.
You just have to taste them (and they differ a lot among themselves) to notice the difference to tap water. If you ever taste a "Luso" (pH 5.7), a "Carvalhelhos" (pH 7.8), or a "Monchique" (pH 9.5), you will certainly notice the difference. Even waters with similar pH ("Luso" and "Vitalis") taste very different - and none of them tastes like tap water!
Here in Sweden it takes roughly 23-25 hours to drive from the southern part, to the northern part.
Czech here. We do not drink water. We drink beer. 😂 But yes, we pay for bottled water, tap water is usually not served. Unfortunately.
I’d actually say that our unmarked cars are way more stealthy than US unmarked units because of the sheer variety in brands and colors. You could be pulled over by a red Opel or a green VW bus with lights and sirens hidden behind tinted glass. In the US it’s mostly forehand chevys in white silver or black. Not that stealthy. I work next door to a police station in Stockholm, Sweden 🇸🇪 and we share a garage with their bikes and unmarked units…
In Croatia, tap water is always free, but bottled water is of course not. Now, in touristic places waiters do try and push bottled water to you so you should ask for tap water in such places. I live inland, not a tourist jungle, and waiters never put bottled water on the table (unless you specifically ask for it or if you order sparkling water).
In Croatia if you ask for tap water you'll get it for free in most places. Bottled water isn't free ofc. The thing is that most people in Croatia will not drink water when eating out in restaurants. Usually we drink wine or beer
If i want water at the restaurant in Sweden have never been a problem, sometimes they even bring it out for you even if you don't ask, but that's tap water. Bottled carbonated mineral water you of course have to pay for and that's what the most off us want's, very unusual to see bottled still water here even in the supermarkets, we like carbonated mineral water. Many restaurants have refill for free, often and most the lunch restaurants, and buffet restaurants. Different drinks, coffee and some have a cake after the lunch as a free option. But in some way you always pays for it, off course the restaurant includes it in the prices in some way, but you don't see it. It should be the same in the US no one gives you something for free! And the staff got payed so they can live a normal and good life without any tip even if we pay high taxes.. Just saying!!
No car chases in Illinois? So the Blues Brothers isn't real?
Car chases are “illegal” here in Illinois. Now do they happen? I wouldn’t know but to an extent I’m sure they still do
In Sweden, water is free, as well as coffe with milk and sometime also tee, and often also what we call saft (juice) is also served for free.
In the UK, if you ask for a glass of tap water you do not pay for it.
There's a class marker people in these comments aren't addressing. In post-war Germany, lots of tap water wasn't potable as the bomb-damaged systems were being reconstructed, so drinking tap water in restaurants (and even at home) became déclassé. That meant that most Germans find tap water "flat", a signal of being poor, and not part of the expected dining-out experience. Plus, hauling out endless refills on tap water requires the same effort for the waitstaff as serving bottled water, and fills up customers for free (so that they perhaps buy less other food and drink), so why shoot yourself in the foot as a restaurant owner? No American restaurants had unlimited refills on sugar soda until the advent of HFCS, but only when it became as cheap as tap water did this become commonplace ... with predictable results in millions of fat-assed Americans. That said, some places in Germany have started serving tap water (including fizzy) for a nominal charge.
By the way, Europe has 500 million people vs. the US at 325 million.
People tend to forget how far to the North most of Europe is. 90% of all Canadian inhabitants live South of the whole of Germany. Hence people don't have so hot of a summer, and aren't as thirsty after being in the sun. It's different in the Mediterran, which has very hot summers, and thus, you get tap water for free. Basically, it's the AC issue all over again.
NOTHING IS FRY ,YOU PAY IT IN ANOTHER WAY ,THE WATER. !!
While profit is surely a part of it, part of the whole water question is probably that a typical German thinks of sparkling mineral water when asking for water.
Asking for tap is an option, but it's true that not all places will serve it.
Paying more for water than beer should not be possible, as the law requires at least one non-alcoholic drink to be cheaper than the cheapest alcoholic one. Therefore usually both bottled water and soda are at least slightly cheaper than beer
European police forces do use unmarked cars too, but majority are marked and nearly all countries have switches to the high visibility marking in recent decades. Also, the officers wear high-vis vests in traffic. Maybe it's because a lot of stealth enforcement of traffic laws is done by cameras (speeding, red lights etc.) so actual people do not do it as much as in the USA, I am not sure.
There is an advantage to it, as the presence of police itself will generally cause people to be more mindful about the laws, so they will make an area safer without actually doing anything.
In Sweden American craft beers are very popular. Brewerys like Stone Brewing. Dog Fish Head, Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas, Ballast Point, Oscar Blues, Founders and many more are wildly available. However, drinking Miller och Budweiser is quite rare!
Europe may be more culturally diverse than the 'homogenized' USA, but the comparisons are still relevant.
The USA started off as British, French, Spanish and Dutch colonies, with a later massive influx of immigrants from all over Europe. Canada was British and French, Mexico and much of Central and South America are either Spanish or Portuguese.
We have become different over time, but the deep cultural connections remain; hence your fascination, and ours watching you being fascinated.
Colt 45 lager was fairly popular for a while in the UK, and we also have Coors over here, but Budweiser is probably the most popular now, but they brewed under license rather than imported.
if you want to drink water just drink it at home, tap water is safe in most of europe, you go out to drink something fancier, water is usually for home consumption
Thank you for being cool!
Hello from Croatia!
The reason for the difference in police vehicles is the culture.
Police in the US want to catch people breaking the law.
Police in Europe want to STOP people breaking the law.