People Horrified As American Brings Water Backpack to European Restaurants
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
When 34-year-old Liz White from North Carolina couldn't find the water she wanted on her European trip, she came up with an unusual solution—bringing her hiking hydration backpack to the restaurant.
White had been traveling through London, Venice, and the Dolomites, where she says she struggled to meet her daily water intake. "I drink a lot of water in general," she told Newsweek. "After a few days of struggling to get the water amount I desired at restaurants in Italy and England, I realized I could be innovative."
Her solution? Bringing her hiking hydration backpack to sit-down meals. "It worked really well! I didn't have to repeatedly ask for water refills, or buy water at the restaurant," she said. "I adapted to the conditions by just sipping from my backpack instead."
Pictures of Liz who shared why she came up with the water backpack idea.
Pictures of Liz who shared why she came up with the water backpack idea.
@lizwizdom/TikTok
She shared her unusual method for hydration in a now-viral video on TikTok which has more than 100,000 views since being shared last week.
The response was swift as people reacted to White's backpack solution. In the video she said: "Y'all are flaying me alive in the comments, calling me a stupid American, but I don't think you understand how accessible water is in the States," she explained that the difference in Europe was stark, offering examples: "This is a typical pour of water I receive in Europe when I ask for water in a restaurant," she said, showing a small glass of water.
The debate follows a recent wave of TikTok videos where American tourists claim water is hard to come by in Europe. Europeans took to TikTok to debunk the idea that water is hard to access, with one viral clip showing a Danish woman calmly filling her bottle from a bathroom sink, captioned, "It's literally free from the tap."
While Philippa Raphet Meeg from France responded to the trend saying: "Just because we don't carry around big Stanleys all the time doesn't mean we don't drink water. Please, please stop."
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Americans book table for dinner in Europe, realize mistake once they arrive
Americans book table for dinner in Europe, realize mistake once they arrive
As White's video gained more attention, opinions on White's water method were seriously mixed.
"This is satire right?" asked Noémie. While Alex said: "Tap water is free all over Europe. This is insane nonsense."
While others agreed with White's idea. Kat from Arizona said: "I feel dehydrated just looking at this. You go girl!" While another commenter said: "They never serve you enough water and the 500ml bottles for 4€ is too much!"
The clash, however, isn't just anecdotal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) U.S. adults drank an average of 44 ounces of water per day. While data from the European Commission found that most European countries consume less than 34 ounces per day, with the exception of Austria, Germany, Norway and U.K.
White was shocked by the reaction, but added that it didn't put her off her new water travel hack. "I was pretty surprised how offended many Europeans were," White said. "I don't think I said anything insulting, nor did I indicate that anything should be different. In fact, I shared how I chose to adapt to the culture by bringing my own water.
"I do think Americans are much more used to kind of poking fun at each other, and I've learned Europeans are a lot more defensive of their homelands," she said.
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