To wonder what is wrong with people who don't really drink

I never have a drink with a meal (unless it's a glass of wine!) I prefer to drink after a meal. DH always wants a drink with a meal. I don't think there's anything wrong with either of us.

I always have a drink with my food, but everyone is different and that’s ok.

I don’t drink with a meal. I drink after a meal. I drink water during the night, I drink water or tea during the day, however, I never, ever have a drink while eating. It’s weird to try and drink between mouthfuls of food. I just cannot do it. I don’t invite guests to stay, but if I did, I would offer them drink because not everyone is like me. I don’t understand why you would lose sleep over this. You must be overthinking something. Everyone has their own quirks. For people like me, we don’t want the taste of our food spoiled with the taste of alternate drinks. Enjoy the food, then enjoy the drink.
Sleep well. Or think about something that matters.

I never have a drink when I'm eating but my partner always does, sometimes 2 whole glasses of water. He thinks it's strange that I eat a whole meal without having a drink in-between too 😂. I just like the space to be filled with food and not water 😂

That would be five, I have about fifteen different types to choose from.

Of course - mine is the spring quality sort and I'm very aware that there are others. My baseline is to be suspicious of water in limestone areas (a lot of the west and midland parts of Ireland) whether from private wells, group schemes or local authority supply, and to take a few litres of water with me when in such places.

In one of Susan Conant's US-set, dog-themed mystery novels her lead character mentions, in passing, that she always takes big containers of water with her when going to dog shows, because a change in drinking water, even perfectly good water, can have an effect on the canine digestive tract that is NOT desirable at a show.

It varies hugely though, we have had several “off grid” homes. At one the water was amazing, far better than that from taps further in to the village. No boiling required there. At another it was literally spring quality- same stuff as sold in shops. The last one was absolutely dreadful though, we had no end of issues with it (one of many reasons we moved - the septic tank was also fucked and the cottage mouldy). Muddy puddle would’ve been better!

I sense some people not defining 'well' to mean '140 foot deep borehole from which water that has filtered through Old Red Sandstone (like the more high-end stuff sold in bottles) is pumped by electricity into the taps'. What are they imagining, some kind of mud puddle?

I don't boil my well/tap water and feel more confident of its potability than that of a lot of reservoir water.

No, I haven’t.

Yes, fair enough, if you only I have well water I’d expect you to have shop-bought bottled water in. Especially if guests are coming.

Definitely wouldn’t expect coke or any flavoured drinks or anything like that.

People who get their water from a well! I take it you have no experience of being off mains water?

Who boils tap water lol just drink it.

But I mean yeah kind weird not to have any tea bags of coffee in for guests.

If the well water desperately needs to be boiled before use then go boil some? Boil a big batch and put it in the fridge.
Or better yet go out and buy some drinks.
I find it very hard to believe that

1. there is absolutely nothing to drink and that your hosts don’t drink
2. you are a prisoner in someone’s home and can’t go out and buy yourself a drink.

I’m not big on drinking with meals unless it’s something spicy. I find it fills me up too much.
I actually probably don’t drink enough overall either.

Or extreme dehydration and utis once they get older

Work in restaurants and used to have a regular who would order a pre dinner drink of hot chocolate and then another with his meal.

Also my mother wouldn't accept that a person might need a drink with soup as soup is liquid.

Lovely. I trust you are perfect in every way?

I am so surprised by these responses.

My family once had workmen in doing the windows for a couple of days. My parents have a very anxious dog who can be reactive with strangers if they try to approach her (which a ridiculous amount of people do even if told to leave her alone). As such we asked them to stay out of the kitchen. I stayed with her with the door shut and my work laptop set up so I could work.

I offered them tea/coffee twice or three times a day, gave them a plate of a variety of biscuits each morning and a pitcher of cold water (well over a litre)

They repeatedly tried to enter the kitchen to help themselves to things and I reminded them to please shout if they needed something so I could get it for them. I started offering more frequently but they continued saying no until they very suddenly decided they needed something and tried to enter again.

I actually thought they were being unreasonable as in a lot of jobs I've had I've just had to bring my own water bottle/lunch etc and while I'm happy to politely offer things here and there throughout the day, I felt like they were expecting a hotel experience.

Well I am pretty sure it's on here that I got absolutely slated! Told it's absolutely ridiculous to expect them to work without access to fresh water whenever needed and being able to make tea and coffee when they want is a basic expectation. And if they're at the point of having to come ask then I'm not offering enough and being basically a terrible person. And that posters wouldn't be surprised if they did a bad job or didn't give a good rate because of how rude I'd been.

I actually took it on board and decided they're right and so I'm absolutely baffled to read this thread and see pages and pages of people who think that this is normal. To be clear the tap water isn't drinkable unless boiled and the hosts clearly don't drink it either - they just don't drink water at home.

There are no other drinks kept in the home and they are miles away from being able to buy anything. If you do go buy something they'd be offended that their excellent hosting skills are being questioned?

You've got a headache because you're so thirsty (as they only drink tea which they stop doing at 4pm?) and you're sneaking in drinks to not offend them?

But according to a lot of posters here they are being great hosts and you are the one with a problem for needing more than a small mug of water a day?

I really feel like if someone posted the reverse on here (as the hosts) they would be almost unanimously told they are BU. I am so confused.

Only on Mumsnet is drinking water unhealthy 😂😂 absolutely bonkers. I had some marathon runner telling me she never drinks…. Well SOME people would argue that marathon running is not healthy either love 😂

Extreme thirst…? Wow

I agree. I’ve never read such a deranged thread. People arguing about drinking water and a ‘no beverage household’. What parallel dimension is this… do they not have taps? There’s a difference between choosing not to drink much water and literally not having any access to any! Lie on the ground outside with your mouth open and hope some dew descends…

I don’t sit around thinking about and judging other people’s eating or drinking technique, sounds like a dreadful waste of time. I do judge people for being fat though which is really what matters for their health.

@OptimismvsRealism do your hosts never use the well water for cooking or drinking then? What do they drink when in the house?

I sympathise with you, OP. I take two medications that cause dry mouth and I'm forever drinking. Usually water, but also diet softdrink or cordial, coffee etc. Being deprived of water would absolutely kill me! I had major surgery a few weeks ago and not being able to drink even water for six hours prior to surgery was torture.

I think they eventually turn up at hospital with kidney disease.

This thread is absolutely bonkers!