Hot Water

May I start by extolling the virtues of hot water? How many things are possible because of hot water? Tea, pasta, hot chocolate, bread and beer all require hot water to make. And we’d never have clean clothing without it. Plus who doesn’t love a good warm shower in the morning? Or snuggling up with a hot water bottle at night? I could go on, but man’s discovery that putting regular water over a flame to make it ‘hot’ is up there with the wheel. That said – I hate it.

In China, drinking hot water is not only acceptable and encouraged, but darn near mandated! One time when expressing delight that the water from the fountain was cold for a change, a co-worker suggested I mix some hot water to make it better… Make it better? How could destroying the sanctity and refreshingness of my cold, condensation causing water be an improvement? I understand this may not come as such a shock to you, especially if you’ve never faced the evils of hot water, but believe me the reality is more terrifying than you dare to imagine.

In the winter I found it appalling but eventually came to an understanding. Initially I asked how a country known for basically 5 things (tea, rice, communism, fireworks, and ping pong in some order), could fail to deliver on one of its most famous idioms – ‘all the tea in China’. If there is so much tea, why did I get a pot of hot water at the restaurant? Why couldn’t they throw a leaf or two in for some flavoring? These were hard questions, but eased over time as the pathetic ‘it costs too much money’ excuse seeped into my battered mind.

Yet as summer nears and I’m still surrounded by hot water drinkers, I shutter to think that the hottest summer I’ve experienced to date may also be my least refreshing! Of all the water coolers in our office only one delivers slightly cool water, meaning it’s a mission to get cold water. Then in stores the ‘coolers’ like you’d see at any 7-11 aren’t actually on and why should they be? It would cost money to make drinks cold and people here don’t want that anyway. I guess I’m resigned to lukewarm water until I get back to the states. At least the beers cold.