Sparkling water is the worst filth drink known to man, y/n?

[DK]

Seriously, what the jeff. Had to mission on to the supermarket today to get a birthday card for my little sister and shiet. It's pretty warm out today and I hadn't drunk anything either so by the time I got there I was pretty dehydrated. Grabbed a bottle of water from the drinks cabinet without really paying attention, started my walk back, cracked the bottle and took a swig and blahhreiuwvoihgew. Stuff is seriously vile. I wonder if any of you fine people have had to experience this kind of misery in your lives as well.

Can we all agree on this? Or are some of you out there the worst people in the world who are adding to the demand for this scum and keeping it lurking about next to proper water? If so, shame on you. I hope you walk around with a sign on your back that says "UNCLEAN" so people know to stay away from you and your bubbly scum water. :mad2:

[Rantz]

Sparkling water is the nectar of gods. You just have to reach a certain level of manliness to appreciate it. I nearly broke up with Sarah when she said she hated it. I changed my mind when I realized just what a little girl that makes her, and that turns me on, so.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Yes, it's gross. I helped my friend move a couple years ago and that's all the water he had. >:[

[Mirage]

It's awesome and you guys are a bunch of sissies.

[Peegee]

I had some when my friend was getting married bc it was the only thing available. Stop crying.


waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

[Psychotic]

I don't even understand why it exists.
Sparkling water is the nectar of gods. You just have to reach a certain level of manliness to appreciate it. I nearly broke up with Sarah when she said she hated it. I changed my mind when I realized just what a little girl that makes her, and that turns me on, so.You are, literally, a princess-kidnapping ogre.

[demondude]

My opinion is of indifference.

[Pike]

Sparkling water is the nectar of gods.

"s-p-a-r-k-l-i-n-g w-a-t-e-r" is an odd way of spelling Mountain Dew.

[Rebellious Eagle]

I HATE sparkling water, unless it's flavored. Even then it's still vile.

[The Man]

My opinion is of indifference.

[Agent Proto]

Sparkling water is basically plain carbonated water. I once bought carbonated water without thinking about it as well, and experienced the same thing DK experienced. Never again. However, if you add something to it, I dunno, like kool-aid mix, I'm sure it will be tons better! Sparkling water by itself is nasty.

[rubah]

I have drunk it on purpose, but rarely enjoyed it!

better to get tonic water and shine a blacklight on it.

[Mirage]

Sparkling water with like kool aid in it sounds good on paper, but is in reality terrible.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Sparkling water is the nectar of gods.

"s-p-a-r-k-l-i-n-g w-a-t-e-r" is an odd way of spelling Mountain Dew.
QFT

[Peegee]

Sparkling water is the nectar of gods.

"s-p-a-r-k-l-i-n-g w-a-t-e-r" is an odd way of spelling Mountain Dew.
QFT

>2011
>still drinking soda

[AngelWings8]

Ugh, I don't like sparkling water. It either has no flavor and just tastes like weird stale water with bubbles...or it only has a little bit of flavor and just tastes like diluted soda. I'd rather drink regular cold water (or champagne...if you really need a carbonation fix or something :confused:) than sparkling water.

[sharkythesharkdogg]

Whenever I visit my family in Germany that's all the water they drink. They cut it with orange juice or cherry grenadine. That way is tolerable, but by itself it's really not so great. Sorta like an Italian soda.

I'll drink it, but if I want water I prefer ice water. I don't need bubbles.

[Mirage]

Sparkling water is the nectar of gods.

"s-p-a-r-k-l-i-n-g w-a-t-e-r" is an odd way of spelling Mountain Dew.
QFT

>2011
>still drinking soda
>2011
>still greentexting

[Rye]

That is seltzer, right? Because if it is, that's about 90% of what I drink. Chilled seltzer is the most refreshing drink on earth.

[Iceglow]

When having dinner with a lady who doesn't drink alcohol (means no getting a bottle of wine for the table) I generally will drink water over juice but if it's going to cost me £3.95 a bottle for a liter of water it better have something to it more than H2O so carbonated water it generally will be. Otherwise it's around 3 - 4 liters of still water a day.

[Araciel]

Oh you mean SODA water?

That's a mix, not a drink.

[Shiny]

Recently I worked at a film festival and some prissy woman with a scarf on during summer time came up to me and asked for sparkling water. I was like, "What is sparkling water?" She seemed shocked that I didn't know what it was. It's like bish, I'm black, we drink Poland Spring.

[Mirage]

Oh you mean SODA water?

That's a mix, not a drink.

No, that doesn't taste the same at all.

[fire_of_avalon]

I like some flavored fizzy water, but not water with gas.

[Madame Adequate]

I have gone very, very thirsty rather than drink filthy sparkling water before. It is absolutely vile and filled with haet and should be inflicted on nobody who hasn't committed the gravest of crimes.

[Jessweeee♪]

My boyfriend works in a restaurant downtown, so he gets lots of doctors, lawyers, accountants, and people who live in the most expensive neighborhood in the city, so they're so weird about what they order. Lots of sparkling water, and one dude ordered the special tea and was like "hey this tea tastes different when I make it at home. Make it the way I do at home." They do leave a crapton in tips, but all tips go to the owners :<

[fire_of_avalon]

wtf the tips go to the owners? bullshits.

[Madame Adequate]

>tipping specifically necessary in the US because waiters/bar staff/etc. have a lower minimum wage than the actual minimum wage
>owners take the tips

AMERICA

[Pike]

>tipping specifically necessary in the US because waiters/bar staff/etc. have a lower minimum wage than the actual minimum wage
>owners take the tips

AMERICA

Wait do they seriously make a lower minimum wage? For once in my life I'm glad I'm stuck in retail hell.

[Araciel]

Oh you mean SODA water?

That's a mix, not a drink.

No, that doesn't taste the same at all.

Fizzy water is fizzy water.

[Mirage]

Just plain carbonated water is not the same stuff you use for drinks

Unless the carbonated water you get in america is fucking terrible, which would explain why you all hate it.

[blackmage_nuke]

Are sparkling water and mineral water the same thing? Because they taste the same to me (ie terrible)

[Mirage]

Mineral water "should" meet some criterias for amounts of actual minerals, while non-mineral water could just as well be from the same source as your tap water.

And different amounts minerals means different taste. Maybe you're just not refined enough to notice!1

[Iceglow]

>tipping specifically necessary in the US because waiters/bar staff/etc. have a lower minimum wage than the actual minimum wage
>owners take the tips

AMERICA

Wait do they seriously make a lower minimum wage? For once in my life I'm glad I'm stuck in retail hell.

Yeah the irony of America, waiters and bar staff there literally live on their tips however it's not against the law for the owner of the restaurant or bar to say: "Ok tips go in the till" or "Tips go in this jar and we all take equal share including me" or "tips go in the jar, I will divide them as I see fit" sucks really. I truly think there ought to be something similar to the UK where after a campaign by a certain tabloid (it was the sun ok) caused a change in the law whereby it became illegal for many of the same practices to be done in the UK. It used to be that you could have your wages topped up to min wage by your tips, now your tips go on top of the min wage. This still leaves several undesirable shitty tips systems in place such as the "tips go in the jar and we all get equal share" or "tips go in the jar and I will divide them as I see fit" having worked as a waiter before I was lucky to work in a company where your tips are your own. So long as your takings for the day are correct and present at the end of the shift (if you're down, you gotta pay the difference, if you're up then you can keep the extra but if others are down by the same amount it will be asked back from you considering it's clearly just you ended up booking a table off on their sign on accidentally, tips are always kept separate to your takings to ensure it's not a mistake) you keep anything tip wise you've made, the boss won't even ask you how you did because that is your business. This means tips are non-taxed earnings and a good waiter can make in the region of £50 - £100 in them over the course of a weekend (2 shifts, sat night and sun night) that can allow someone to live for a week tax free whilst not dipping in to their wages at all. I am grateful to say I was a very good waiter and so literally could live on my tips for around 6 months whilst saving the paycheck from both of my jobs at the time.

If anything, if the restaurant was always as busy as a saturday and sunday night and I worked the same number of hours I work now in retail? I would be earning on average £300 more per week than I do now based on earning 50 - 100 in tips every 2 days. I would also be fatter than fat because working as a waiter made me gain 2 stone in weight over the course of 6 months.

[Pheesh]

If you squeeze a tonne of lime juice in it on a hot day it can be godly. I'll agree that it's not much fun to drink on its own though.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Seriously, wtf is wrong with normal fucking water?

[Pheesh]

People can't drink more than just water anymore? :/

[sharkythesharkdogg]

>tipping specifically necessary in the US because waiters/bar staff/etc. have a lower minimum wage than the actual minimum wage
>owners take the tips

AMERICA

Wait do they seriously make a lower minimum wage? For once in my life I'm glad I'm stuck in retail hell.

This was a few years back, but when I was a waiter I think my hourly wage was 3 maybe 4 bucks.

I made the mistake in Ireland of thinking their tip system worked the same way as here in America. I didn't know gratuity was automatically calculated into meals, so I was over tipping. It was the third week before we realized why so many of our waiters/waitresses were so nice to us as we were leaving. I did the math on our reciepts and I was tipping an average of 50-60% on bills. :p They deserved it anyway. Don't fuck with people that handle your food, treat 'em right!

[Mirage]

Seriously, wtf is wrong with normal fucking water?

It doesn't feel as amazing, that's what.

[Peegee]

>tipping specifically necessary in the US because waiters/bar staff/etc. have a lower minimum wage than the actual minimum wage
>owners take the tips

AMERICA

Wait do they seriously make a lower minimum wage? For once in my life I'm glad I'm stuck in retail hell.

Yeah the irony of America, waiters and bar staff there literally live on their tips however it's not against the law for the owner of the restaurant or bar to say: "Ok tips go in the till" or "Tips go in this jar and we all take equal share including me" or "tips go in the jar, I will divide them as I see fit" sucks really. I truly think there ought to be something similar to the UK where after a campaign by a certain tabloid (it was the sun ok) caused a change in the law whereby it became illegal for many of the same practices to be done in the UK. It used to be that you could have your wages topped up to min wage by your tips, now your tips go on top of the min wage. This still leaves several undesirable titty tips systems in place such as the "tips go in the jar and we all get equal share" or "tips go in the jar and I will divide them as I see fit" having worked as a waiter before I was lucky to work in a company where your tips are your own. So long as your takings for the day are correct and present at the end of the shift (if you're down, you gotta pay the difference, if you're up then you can keep the extra but if others are down by the same amount it will be asked back from you considering it's clearly just you ended up booking a table off on their sign on accidentally, tips are always kept separate to your takings to ensure it's not a mistake) you keep anything tip wise you've made, the boss won't even ask you how you did because that is your business. This means tips are non-taxed earnings and a good waiter can make in the region of £50 - £100 in them over the course of a weekend (2 shifts, sat night and sun night) that can allow someone to live for a week tax free whilst not dipping in to their wages at all. I am grateful to say I was a very good waiter and so literally could live on my tips for around 6 months whilst saving the paycheck from both of my jobs at the time.

If anything, if the restaurant was always as busy as a saturday and sunday night and I worked the same number of hours I work now in retail? I would be earning on average £300 more per week than I do now based on earning 50 - 100 in tips every 2 days. I would also be fatter than fat because working as a waiter made me gain 2 stone in weight over the course of 6 months.

Shared tips is stupid. It doesn't promote good service. I'm undecided whether minimum wage laws should even exist, but I'm certain of my position on shared tips.

If I find out a place has shared tips I wouldn't know whether to flat % tip (the ideal thing to do) or to find a way to tip the person in a way that is allowed yet promotes good service.

[Jessweeee♪]

As far as I know, in some places they can deduct your pay so that your deducted pay + tips = minimum wage even. I hear it's better to split the tips evenly because there's less backstabbing that way, but I've never been a waitress before, so I wouldn't know.

Also, I think sparkling water is also used to serve diluted alcoholic beverages.

[Mirage]

...why would you dilute alcoholic beverages?

[Jessweeee♪]

Because you are at a business dinner with an employee's grandparents and you don't want to be singing "hit the road jack" in their living room (which he did anyway after I went all the way to CVS to get the sparkling water!).

[Mirage]

Well ok, I can accept that as a somewhat valid excuse.

[Brennan]

To me, this not-so-sparkling sparkling water has the aftertaste of beer.
Just throwin that out there...

[demondude]

You're drinking the wrong sparkling water.

[KentaRawr!]

My brother used to get sparkling water. I hated it at first, but the taste grew on me. Same thing happened with Gingerale and Champagne. :p

[NorthernChaosGod]

People can't drink more than just water anymore? :/
Yes. Soda, juice, booze, things that don't taste like ball sweat.

[Mirage]

My brother used to get sparkling water. I hated it at first, but the taste grew on me. Same thing happened with Gingerale and Champagne. :p

Interestingly, I have also always liked ginger ale. Maybe I was just born awesome.

[Iceglow]

As far as I know, in some places they can deduct your pay so that your deducted pay + tips = minimum wage even. I hear it's better to split the tips evenly because there's less backstabbing that way, but I've never been a waitress before, so I wouldn't know.


I'd disagree, in a restaurant you divide the floor in to sections such as R1 - R6, G1 - G6 etc. Now some sections will see more customers than others but because of table size the bills will be lower and thus generally speaking the tips per table/customer too. Other sections will have larger parties and thus less turn over but the tips in general will be bigger per table/customer in return. This means someone who has a series of smaller tables to manage can make on average the same per night as someone who has a series of larger tables. To be fair though you rotate the staff so each time they work they're not just doing the same section. If there are too many waiters and not enough customers on an evening it is common to send some staff home but only if they really want to go (on a saturday night being given the choice between working or going out drinking with friends it's not so hard to find those who wish to leave for the evening) their section is then absorbed by the remaining staff so that they will be busier. I was never asked to go home early but then, I was sleeping with one of my managers at the time.

In regards to staff backstabbing each other? Really just doesn't happen, at least not that I've ever seen in London. There is competition certainly for who can get the next customers in to their section. But you know your limits as a waiter, if you have trouble managing 6 tables at once then why fight to get a 6th table in your section filled when you've got 5 already? Tips from the 6th table will suck if they even exist at all due to the fact that you have no ability to serve them as well as the 5 you're focused on already. Though normally in my restaurant the only real competition time came up when myself and the other male waiters would spot a group of very attractive girls in the area waiting to be seated. If however you've got a full restaurant and someone is struggling more often than not you end up helping each other out either by collecting the order for that person from a table and passing it on or asking "do you want me to take table R6 because you're really busy and I see they're waiting to be served?" if the person says no then fine, if they say yes then you run that table whilst those customers are there and any tips generated from it are yours. If a person helps you serve a lot of drinks/food to a table (for example parties require drinks and food generally speaking together and so 2 or even 3 waiters will go at once getting the food to the table in swift order) then it is customary to give them a percentage of whatever tip you make but not enforced.

So yeah in general, as PG said: Shared tips are stupid and don't promote good service.

[Mirage]

People can't drink more than just water anymore? :/
Yes. Soda, juice, booze, things that don't taste like ball sweat.
Why do you know what ball sweat tastes like?

[Loony BoB]

Sparkling water is one of the most horrendous things I've had the displeasure of consuming. It never quenches my thirst - it just leaves a horrible feel/taste in my mouth that makes me want to drink something else in order to get it to go away. In other words, it's water that makes me thirstier than I initially was. So basically the one thing I like most about water? They ruined it. =| I'd rather drink a flat soft drink than fizzy water.

[Mirage]

I can't believe how many crazy persons there are in this thread. It absolutely baffles me.

[Rantz]

Sparkling water is one of the most horrendous things I've had the displeasure of consuming. It never quenches my thirst - it just leaves a horrible feel/taste in my mouth that makes me want to drink something else in order to get it to go away. In other words, it's water that makes me thirstier than I initially was. So basically the one thing I like most about water? They ruined it. =| I'd rather drink a flat soft drink than fizzy water.

This is basically the opposite of my opinion. Possibly my favourite thing about sparkling water is that it quenches my thirst even better than regular water. And it feels like it cleans out my mouth better, too. Mirage you're my only friend in this place.

[Loony BoB]

If I ever travel back to Sweden or go to Norway or Finland or something, I'm going to try the sparkling water there to see if it's somehow different from the sparkling water in the UK.

[NorthernChaosGod]

People can't drink more than just water anymore? :/
Yes. Soda, juice, booze, things that don't taste like ball sweat.
Why do you know what ball sweat tastes like?
I sweat, I have balls, I got curious.

[Heath]

Sparkling water is either ruined water or the worst half of coke.

[Breine]

It's one of those things that I keep trying to come back to. Thinking that I'll like it this time. I can think of things that are much worse, but I'm definitely not a fan.

[Pike]

It's one of those things that I keep trying to come back to. Thinking that I'll like it this time. I can think of things that are much worse, but I'm definitely not a fan.

That's exactly how I am with Earl Grey Tea.

[o_O]

If I ever travel back to Sweden or go to Norway or Finland or something, I'm going to try the sparkling water there to see if it's somehow different from the sparkling water in the UK.

It's just as horrible tasting as it is in NZ!

[TrollHunter]

I'm glad I'm not in the minority of disliking sparkling water. I'll just stick with basic ice cold water thank you very much.

[Mirage]

If I ever travel back to Sweden or go to Norway or Finland or something, I'm going to try the sparkling water there to see if it's somehow different from the sparkling water in the UK.

It's just as horrible tasting as it is in NZ!
Why did you even try it if you didn't like it?!

[Loony BoB]

Probably the same reason I gave. To investigate any difference there might be. :D Thanks for saving me a bad taste, Mike. :<3:

[Mirage]

Currently drinking sparkling water and it feels awesome.

[41-Inches-Wide]

I hate sparkling water!