90% of the time I go to a restaurant for dinner, and I try the water that is offered for free, I find it chlorinated. So much that it could have been taken from the local swimming pool. Yet when I drink from the tap at home, the amount of chlorine is just noticeable.
Even at the restaurants close to home.
Do you think the restaurants add an "extra" amount of chlorine to the water, to make it not drinkable so that people order drinks with their dinner?
Op:
Why Is (Free) Water in Restaurants So Chlorinated?
OzBargain member (AustriaBargain):
Do you drink chilled water at home?
Op (cameldownunder):
Filtered
Time to take off the tinfoil hat.
That's what THEY want you to do.
Tap water
You can neutralise chlorine in drinking water by adding minute amounts of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) or sodium metabisulphite (Campden tablets). The most practical solution would be a slice of lemon or lime in the water. If you want to BYO a fix for the water, bring a Vitamin C tablet and use a knife/spoon to scrape a little bit of the tablet into your glass. 500mg of ascorbic acid is enough to treat about 30L of typical tap water.
OzB way is to attend the restaurant the night before, fill a pot with water, set it in safe area, then let the chlorine evaporate for free before attending their dinner reservation the following night.
Finally someone who knows what they're talking about. Yes, campden tabs are used in beer brewing to neutralise chlorine / chlorides.
I have seen in many restaurants, the inside of water bottles/jugs rarely get washed and you can literally see a buildup of grime at the bottom of the bottle. Even worse is visibly seeing matter at the tip of the bottle that touches random peoples cup rims, that touches their mouths.
I normally get bottled water or wine. You're eating out anyway - extra few dollars to make you more comfortable is worth it.
No. It is regular tap water. Most likely just topped up and never emptied or washed out. Their filtered water is in the post mix machine but they don’t have time to fill 100 bottles that way.
You eat in restaurants , ohh you rich bastard .
Person I knew was a reporter for a major network. She was doing a story on Big Water and chlorine/chloramine levels when she disappeared in suspicious circumstances. Tread carefully OP.
Way back when I was an Underwater Ceramic Detailer (dish pig), I noted that washed cutlery would always be polished with turps and the silver water jugs would also get a wipe down which could account for the strange taste. Glass water jugs were refilled and replaced in the fridge and hardly ever washed.
Adding additional chemicals to the water as a business rull would probably find it's self on A current affair… Or TikTok
'Do you think the restaurants add an "extra" amount of chlorine to the water, to make it not drinkable so that people order drinks with their dinner?'
No.
Do you think the restaurants add an "extra" amount of chlorine to the water, to make it not drinkable so that people order drinks with their dinner?
answer is YES
and
Chinese resturants add EXTRA MSG to attract customers like Kramer
is there a chance that you are drinking from the toilets? i don't think you are supposed to drink that water, i could be wrong though
I'm more worried about water having fluoride than chloride. Why do they have to add fluoride, why can't I have a choice?
You do have a choice to supply your own water.
When I worked as a waiter at a local restaurant we would take turns to visit the local pool and bring back buckets of water to mix with the free drinking water.
Even at the restaurants close to home?
Chlorophyll, More like Borophyll!
You should come to Europe, where many $$$ bars and high end restaurants will not even give you free water!
It's 'still or sparkling' or nothing
Enjoy it whilsts it's free! Good luck getting free water anywhere in European restaurants!
Asks for tap water, is given tap water, complains.
Tin foil hat time
from working in restuarants and also visiting them , what your probably finding is they are probably using 5L bottles that have sat in the sun then moved into a cold store room to get that chlorine flavour, if not they prob have a filtration system to use boar water then boil it
'use boar water then boil it'
but wouldn't that lose the unique gamey flavour of boar water … ?
It's normal because the water is Brita unfiltered. You can either bring a bottle of filtered water from home, don't order tap water in restaurants or order bottled water. Some restaurants are nice enough to add lemons/cucumbers in large refill jugs to mask the chemical taste for you to consume.
'Do you think the restaurants add an "extra" amount of chlorine to the water, to make it not drinkable so that people order drinks with their dinner?'
YES - TOTALLY !!! Living in a chlorination under Big Brudder can become too much sometimes
The only solution is to move to a bush block in Qld - filter your own rainwater - and sit up there waiting for the end of the wurld as we know it
Ask for some boiled tap water instead. It might not be free though.
It depends which city you are in as to how water is treated , and where it comes from e.g desal , river, or catchments into dams, bore water, or recycled water. I know in melbourne, which suburb you are in also determines which catchment your water comes from and which treatment plants. luckily in melbourne its catchment water mixed with some desal a worst case, no recycled water, no bore water.
its why melbourne water is voted best water in Australia, you get great water out of the tap at Melbourne eateries, no need to pay for bottled unless you want fizz.
https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health-news/the-best-t…
Hellopam, is that you?