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

[OptimismvsRealism]

No - not alcohol

Just liquid

People who can sit down to a meal without so much as a glass of water

People who invite guests to stay but have nothing to offer them to drink oh and you'd have to boil the tapwater haha

I can't sleep from thinking about this

It’s not normal for me.

@GiveMeSpanakopita yeah I use a peloton usually between 30-60 mins and it gets warm!
Vodka is tempting some days....

One of my parents only drinks an espresso or two in lieu of breakfast, and a glass of wine with their evening meal. Occasionally a half pint of beer after a walk on the weekend.
The other drinks coffee all morning, and the occasional herbal tea or glass of Diet Coke in the evening.
I can't remember ever seeing either of them drink water. Their friends are all the same. Boomer generation

Jesus Christ it was added for dramatic effect! If they object to providing potable water for OP because of cost then the usage of water to wash hands, pots, bodies, flushing the toilet, must push them over the edge?!

Sorry I didn't realise there was some personal knowledge or joke between you and OP

There isn't. But it seems a bit pointless posting stuff on a public forum if no one is allowed to ask questions about your posts for fear of being sworn at.

Whose house are you staying at that you know and presumably like them well enough to stay overnight but they’re also such awful people they’d be offended you like to drink more than they do? If a guest came to stay and wanted more than I did to drink I wouldn’t give it any thought, and would offer to get more in or happily make room in the fridge for their juices etc. Presumsbly you have a car or means to get to the shop? Just buy a few bottles of water or whatever you like to drink, and go again in a few days if you need to. Honestly so dramatic!

I don’t drink much at all. Maybe 3 drinks a day and that’s it.

This is bizarre. I’ve seen competitive under eating threads in MN before, but competitive under drinking is a new one on me.

OP, I get you. I can’t imagine having guests in a house that had no potable water supply, and not offering alternatives that didn’t include having to boil your own water. I’m rural myself with a private water supply which is filtered and maintained. Because I’m not a medieval peasant. Although that’s a thought - they all drank weak ale by the gallon daily - could that be an option?

Seriously though - go and get drinks and never mind how offended these very odd people are - they couldn’t give a stuff about your comfort, clearly.

Those of us of a certain generation might remember drinking lots of 'Corporation pop' during the Summers of our childhood(that's just water to the uninitiated!).

Back in my twenties when my migraines were serious enough to warrant further investigation,a consultant advised me not to drink with a meal;staying hydrated was vitally important but never while eating.

I'm nearly 70 now and make sure that I drink regularly.I prefer fizzy water these days as I generally don't like tap water.Coffee or Earl Grey are my favourite hot brews and I'll have a glass of milk at bedtime.

They sound like rotten hosts. Offended because they haven't catered for you and would rather you be thirsty?
Who are these people to you?

Yes I've seen that too.

The tea one I've heard over the years. Even the pharmacist advised me not to have tea within an hour or so of iron tablets.

I haven't read the whole thread, but it seems to be a generational thing. I remember getting terribly thirsty when out with my mother, probably pre-season school age. Portable still drinks didn't seen to be a thing then, so sometimes I'd have a can of fizzy bought for me. I could never drink it all - I'd try, but it would make my stomach hurt, and then I'd be scolded for wasting it. As an adult I've never drunk enough, and suffer from constipation and dry skin - I just don't feel thirsty, I think I trained myself not to. I envy in retrospect the children with their little portable water bottles!

Oh for goodness sake, pre school not pre season!

you need a hobby :)

I’m a big tea drinker. Give me anything -cha and I’ll drink it. I also need big containers, my standard mug used for sencha and genmaicha is 1 pint. I also have my wee tea ceremony when I spend considerable time making matcha for myself and then I drink it in a very elegant, hand-painted, HUGE china coffee cup on a hand-painted saucer. I would probably get banned from Japan for this.

I drink water rarely and I don’t drink while eating, I usually get an espresso with my tea after a meal. I usually start my day with a pint of tea and then proceed directly to my morning coffee.

I’d find it off-putting people pushing drinks and snacks on me because it would make me uncomfortable. I’m not a snacker or someone in constant need of beverages. I drink and eat when I’m hungry or wait until a meal is served. I eat my meal first and then drink.

I agree the hosts could have asked their guests what they like to drink beforehand, but if they didn’t, OP could have asked if it was ok for them to bring xyz.

If they said no to OP bringing their own beverages then OP is free to decline to visit if that is an issue for them.

I mainly drink sparkling water and weak squash. I have two water bottles on rotation with sparkling water, one I drink from and one in the fridge. I don’t drink hot drinks often unless it is really cold outside which for me is below zero Celsius which it rarely gets that cold where I am in Oxfordshire anyway for long.

I wouldn’t be happy with just tea or tap water to drink but if it really mattered to me and I needed xyz to drink, I would just go get it. If the hosts are a bit offended, so be it, and they won’t invite me anymore which is a win if that is the major thing that offends them about me.

CortieTat

I also have my wee tea ceremony

I think I've seen Bear Grylls doing that.

I am currently having my lunch and I am now hyper-aware of how I am drinking....my question to the people who say they never drink with a meal...

Have you literally never had a meal that was a bit hot and wanted some water to cool your mouth down??

Have you never got something stuck in your teeth?? or wanted to get rid of the flavour of something before you eat something different?? or just wanted to make sure you don't breathe food smells all over someone you might be speaking to soon??

Literally seems like madness that people claim they don't drink at meal times...I guess I know which camp I am in though!!!

😅

But this is perfectly normal! Why do you feel you need a load of sugar/artificial sweeteners with your meal?
That's just habit, not real need surely

That is interesting, maybe it is a generational thing or perhaps area specific? I was brought up being told it was rude to arrive empty handed.

If I was staying at someone's house I'd turn up with a bag of cake, treats & drinks to share, and depending on plans, the ingredients to make a meal for everyone as a thank you to the host for having me.

It's quite unusual to have no type of milk for tea and coffee.

I could survive off water as my only drink...but I could also survive without my house being furnished. I could live on plain rice. I could survive with one set of clothes. I could survive without a car. We do lots and lots of things in our life that aren't particularly necessary...they just make life a bit more colourful and enjoyable. The idea that guests would come over and I'd have nothing to offer them except tap water is absolutely alien to me. Totally miserable

Yes, but that's not what I said. The poster I was replying to was specifically referring to drinks with a meal, not drinks in general when hosting or being hosted.

I lived in Italy for years, and non-alcoholic drinks offered with a meal would basically be water, still or sparkling. Why would you drink sweet stuff like squash, juice, fizzy crap, that must interfere with the taste of your food (especially savoury dishes)? I just don't understand it or think it's necessary.

Before, after the meal, any other times, of course have a variety of drinks.

Yes, but I was talking about drinks with a meal, not after (or at other times of day).

Oh right, sorry.