Making Water
I have all these disparate thoughts about water
swimming in my head right now, and strangely for
reasons that have little to do with each other.
When it comes to truths about water, there are so many that had been shrouded from us for years. We have heard that nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding as water. We have seen that water is the matrix of life. But, there are elephants in the room that I hadn’t been introduced to until very recently. :)
For one thing, I had always assumed that if you add something to water, it is not water anymore. To me, water is a clear liquid with no taste, smell or color. This is what makes it fascinating. See, air has no taste, smell or color either, but that we can see the fluidity of water, moving, taking shape, and just being itself is beguiling to me. But, I am learning that there is such a thing as making this tasteless, odorless drink. The ingredients are naked to the human eye and indiscernible to our taste buds, but they exist and supposedly make water purer, even more colorless and odorless, but somehow tastier in the way only water can be tasty!
This is all very contradictory to how I have been perceiving water. I am now having to look at it not by what it is, but by what it has and does not have.
For instance, Sanfaustino makes a wicked mineral water drink that satisfies 80 percent of your daily calcium needs. But, making water is a very paradoxical term. It implies that you have taken something and changed it by adding or subtracting something from it. But, the water Sanfautisno sells, naturally has calcium in it. I am therefore forced to think of it as the soup in the stone soup story or the magnificent suit in the emperors new clothes story.
In the stone soup story, a group of hungry travelers who are refused food by the villagers decide to settle down at the village square for the night. They start a fire and begin to boil a pot of water and drop a large stone in it. It arouses the curiosity of a villager passing by. He asks them what they are doing, to which they reply “we are making the most delicious stone soup. It is almost done, but can use a little bit of garnish to improve the flavor”. The villager, eager to taste the soup, runs home and brings back his favorite seasoning and adds it to the soup. Soon, the travelers are joined by more and more curious villagers, each of whom drop in their favorite seasoning into the pot, until finally the soup is ready. The delicious and nourishing pot of soup is enjoyed by all!
Sanfaustino’s water is the water in the pot before it had been boiled. It naturally comes with a stone in it, which happens to be rich in calcium. In packaging the drink, Sanfaustino has essentially created a stone soup. But, since it has no added seasoning, you are left wondering if Sanfaustino is less the traveler making the soup, and more the swindler claiming to have designed the finest (nonexistent) suit for the emperor in Emperor's New Clothes! .
I have gone back and forth between
looking at all bottled waters as the stone soup - a catalyst to get you to drink what has always been good for you while making good money, and
feeling like the emperor dressed in mime, who loves his robe and flaunts it, only to find out later that he is naked!
As a result of working in a health organization, I am constantly made aware of the benefits of water by partnering companies selling water that is naturally high in calcium. I hate drinking water, and will take any added incentive to get it in my system. Unfortunately, the added incentive in this case does not change the taste of the drink for me. Still, I’d like to think I have found that space between regular water and vitamin enhanced drinks like Gatorade that are high in carbs and sugars. I may very well be the health conscientious market that Propel and Sanfaustino are targeting. :)
At one point I fancied those drinks that tasted exactly like water, but had the essence of some fruit in them. I didn’t quite like the bitter aftertaste, even though infinitesimally slight and subtle. But, if you want to be "with it", try the latest craze HINT – a premium essence water that comes in all sorts of natural fruity flavors. There’s another one I like, called O Infused Water, which is a snazzier version and even claims to "Energize" and "Vitalize" you among other things.
A few days ago, we were sitting in a Mediterranean hotel, when the waiter came up to us with a four-page menu for water, each with a fancy name and a little description on where it came from:
We picked one called
Needless to say, the drink that arrived in a gorgeous bottle made me feel like the emperor (in the story)!
There was a wine list that came after that, and separate menus for each course, which is typically what my mind can assimilate, but the water menu left me bewildered for the rest of the night.
Now, I will be lying if I said I am oblivious to water being such a hyped up commodity. I am as much the guilty party as I am a victim of this new craze. When you work in a health organization, it is no surprise that water becomes a part of the healthy solution to any problem you have. But, even beyond that, on some subliminal level, I have been keeping track of all the water drinks that celebrities have been consuming. Madonna’s Voss Artesan Water, Kayne West’s Propel Fitness Water, Michael Jackson’s Evian and so on.
I find it very amusing that we are being persuaded to buy the two most vital elements that keep us alive – the air we breathe, the water we drink. It demonstrates the quirk of human fate! But, if I feel like breathing in pure air, and drinking pure water, there is neither gratis nor libre. Adam’s ale is up for sale!
Libre, I say because of all global conflicts over water. The Bechtels, Suezes, Veolio Environements of the world really raise questions about morality of commodifying water. I am less against privatization, and more concerned about the negative impact of it on the lives of people. There’s a worldwide crisis brewing over water, with 31 countries facing scarcity and over a billion people without access to drinking water. Our consumption of water has doubled in the last twenty years and at the same time, our resources are being polluted, and exploited for corporate interests. I was alarmed when I read that the world bank predicts that two thirds of the world’s population will suffer from the lack of clean drinking water by 2025.
We can already see corporations rushing to invest in water, like it is the new “oil”. There are people buying water rights, and such things as collecting rain water in a small cup during a downpour are being viewed as being in violation of privileges set-down by these companies.
In this context, is it surprising then that the hotel I went to has a water menu, or that there is a Colette in Europe, with an ultra chic water bar that serves over sixty types of water? There are over a thousand different consumer brands for bottled water being sold by over 500 companies in the US alone, that bring in billions of dollars annually. After carbonated drinks, water is the most purchased drink in the country. Alarmingly, even India has over 200 bottled water brands, most of which are produced locally. In fact, India’s bottled water companies too are cashing in on the nutritious value of water. Bisleri for instance sells water that is rich in minerals and calcium.
Back in the days, the choice in India used to be between good water and bad. There is municipal water, which is better than borewell water. Water tankers that were a step above, and bottled water that was either good or bad depending on how you want to feel about them. By choosing to buy water (or not) or do something with it like boiling or filtering it, you have made your “statement” on the water situation in your country! At home, we neither boiled nor filtered our water and drank it straight out of the tap. Mom’s side of the family on the other hand, exclusively drank bottled water even at home, which is very unusual by Indian standards, but they are as paranoid about health as my dad’s side is not!
My thoughts on water are not all related to water politics and fashion trends. Some are very random facts that I have been amassing and pondering over and some are quite ridiculous.
It occurred to me when watching mickey mouse on TV one day, that his head looks exactly like the water molecule. (I gather from google that this is heavily discussed, so I am not all that loopy) So now when I watch mickey mouse, I begin to imagine him becoming a water molecule moving around fluidly or a bubble floating listlessly in the air and then popping!
Today as I was walking home, I saw a cute baby on the road and as I was overflowing with feelings of love for her, I thought to myself “This stupid cute baby doesn’t even know that her body is 80% water. Where as mine is 60% water and the rest is all brain!” :D Fine, I am whackjob!
Drinking water makes me very uncomfortable. I feel queasy in my stomach and avoid it as much as I can, which has had some ill affects on my health, but there is one fact that blows my mind in a good way! Drinking too much water can lead to water intoxication! It dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes water imbalance in the brain. Take that you water drinkers!
There are always those odd statistics related to water floating in my head, mostly having to do with how much water there is and how much we need or consume. The most recent ones have been on how much water one needs to drink after a work-out or after sitting for an hour on a plane, or consuming an alcoholic or caffeinated drink. (the answer is between one to two cups)…....... and because Tapi religiously checks his weight everyday after he comes back from the gym, here’s a fact just for him “The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not from fat" Hah! :D
I leave with one question. What does it mean for us that water is present on the moon, in europa, or saturn’s enceladus apart from the possibility that there might me life on these planets. Can they be made fit for human habitation? There can't possibly be a more civilized race than humans in the universe no? :D
One more thought. The designs of snow crystals make beautiful diamond earrings :)
When it comes to truths about water, there are so many that had been shrouded from us for years. We have heard that nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding as water. We have seen that water is the matrix of life. But, there are elephants in the room that I hadn’t been introduced to until very recently. :)
For one thing, I had always assumed that if you add something to water, it is not water anymore. To me, water is a clear liquid with no taste, smell or color. This is what makes it fascinating. See, air has no taste, smell or color either, but that we can see the fluidity of water, moving, taking shape, and just being itself is beguiling to me. But, I am learning that there is such a thing as making this tasteless, odorless drink. The ingredients are naked to the human eye and indiscernible to our taste buds, but they exist and supposedly make water purer, even more colorless and odorless, but somehow tastier in the way only water can be tasty!
This is all very contradictory to how I have been perceiving water. I am now having to look at it not by what it is, but by what it has and does not have.
For instance, Sanfaustino makes a wicked mineral water drink that satisfies 80 percent of your daily calcium needs. But, making water is a very paradoxical term. It implies that you have taken something and changed it by adding or subtracting something from it. But, the water Sanfautisno sells, naturally has calcium in it. I am therefore forced to think of it as the soup in the stone soup story or the magnificent suit in the emperors new clothes story.
In the stone soup story, a group of hungry travelers who are refused food by the villagers decide to settle down at the village square for the night. They start a fire and begin to boil a pot of water and drop a large stone in it. It arouses the curiosity of a villager passing by. He asks them what they are doing, to which they reply “we are making the most delicious stone soup. It is almost done, but can use a little bit of garnish to improve the flavor”. The villager, eager to taste the soup, runs home and brings back his favorite seasoning and adds it to the soup. Soon, the travelers are joined by more and more curious villagers, each of whom drop in their favorite seasoning into the pot, until finally the soup is ready. The delicious and nourishing pot of soup is enjoyed by all!
Sanfaustino’s water is the water in the pot before it had been boiled. It naturally comes with a stone in it, which happens to be rich in calcium. In packaging the drink, Sanfaustino has essentially created a stone soup. But, since it has no added seasoning, you are left wondering if Sanfaustino is less the traveler making the soup, and more the swindler claiming to have designed the finest (nonexistent) suit for the emperor in Emperor's New Clothes! .
I have gone back and forth between
looking at all bottled waters as the stone soup - a catalyst to get you to drink what has always been good for you while making good money, and
feeling like the emperor dressed in mime, who loves his robe and flaunts it, only to find out later that he is naked!
As a result of working in a health organization, I am constantly made aware of the benefits of water by partnering companies selling water that is naturally high in calcium. I hate drinking water, and will take any added incentive to get it in my system. Unfortunately, the added incentive in this case does not change the taste of the drink for me. Still, I’d like to think I have found that space between regular water and vitamin enhanced drinks like Gatorade that are high in carbs and sugars. I may very well be the health conscientious market that Propel and Sanfaustino are targeting. :)
At one point I fancied those drinks that tasted exactly like water, but had the essence of some fruit in them. I didn’t quite like the bitter aftertaste, even though infinitesimally slight and subtle. But, if you want to be "with it", try the latest craze HINT – a premium essence water that comes in all sorts of natural fruity flavors. There’s another one I like, called O Infused Water, which is a snazzier version and even claims to "Energize" and "Vitalize" you among other things.
A few days ago, we were sitting in a Mediterranean hotel, when the waiter came up to us with a four-page menu for water, each with a fancy name and a little description on where it came from:
Wattwiller (France):
It means "village of water." So fabled is this delicacy, it is believed to have a soul. A look at Wattwiller's chemistry confirms anecdotal reverence. If you don't mind its faint salty aftertaste, this elite water delivers terrific Calcium, Magnesium, Sulphate, and Fluoride. It has a Nitrate level of ZERO!
Fonti Bauda (Italy):
Water sources Oligomineral Bauda stimulates digestion and may have a diuretic effect. Minimally mineral water and pure.
We picked one called
Acqua Panna (Italy):
It is harvested in Tuscanny Mt. Gazzaro. This wonderful treasure is loved by millions for its freshness, clarity, and neutral pH. No sodium.
Needless to say, the drink that arrived in a gorgeous bottle made me feel like the emperor (in the story)!
There was a wine list that came after that, and separate menus for each course, which is typically what my mind can assimilate, but the water menu left me bewildered for the rest of the night.
Now, I will be lying if I said I am oblivious to water being such a hyped up commodity. I am as much the guilty party as I am a victim of this new craze. When you work in a health organization, it is no surprise that water becomes a part of the healthy solution to any problem you have. But, even beyond that, on some subliminal level, I have been keeping track of all the water drinks that celebrities have been consuming. Madonna’s Voss Artesan Water, Kayne West’s Propel Fitness Water, Michael Jackson’s Evian and so on.
I find it very amusing that we are being persuaded to buy the two most vital elements that keep us alive – the air we breathe, the water we drink. It demonstrates the quirk of human fate! But, if I feel like breathing in pure air, and drinking pure water, there is neither gratis nor libre. Adam’s ale is up for sale!
Libre, I say because of all global conflicts over water. The Bechtels, Suezes, Veolio Environements of the world really raise questions about morality of commodifying water. I am less against privatization, and more concerned about the negative impact of it on the lives of people. There’s a worldwide crisis brewing over water, with 31 countries facing scarcity and over a billion people without access to drinking water. Our consumption of water has doubled in the last twenty years and at the same time, our resources are being polluted, and exploited for corporate interests. I was alarmed when I read that the world bank predicts that two thirds of the world’s population will suffer from the lack of clean drinking water by 2025.
We can already see corporations rushing to invest in water, like it is the new “oil”. There are people buying water rights, and such things as collecting rain water in a small cup during a downpour are being viewed as being in violation of privileges set-down by these companies.
In this context, is it surprising then that the hotel I went to has a water menu, or that there is a Colette in Europe, with an ultra chic water bar that serves over sixty types of water? There are over a thousand different consumer brands for bottled water being sold by over 500 companies in the US alone, that bring in billions of dollars annually. After carbonated drinks, water is the most purchased drink in the country. Alarmingly, even India has over 200 bottled water brands, most of which are produced locally. In fact, India’s bottled water companies too are cashing in on the nutritious value of water. Bisleri for instance sells water that is rich in minerals and calcium.
Back in the days, the choice in India used to be between good water and bad. There is municipal water, which is better than borewell water. Water tankers that were a step above, and bottled water that was either good or bad depending on how you want to feel about them. By choosing to buy water (or not) or do something with it like boiling or filtering it, you have made your “statement” on the water situation in your country! At home, we neither boiled nor filtered our water and drank it straight out of the tap. Mom’s side of the family on the other hand, exclusively drank bottled water even at home, which is very unusual by Indian standards, but they are as paranoid about health as my dad’s side is not!
My thoughts on water are not all related to water politics and fashion trends. Some are very random facts that I have been amassing and pondering over and some are quite ridiculous.
It occurred to me when watching mickey mouse on TV one day, that his head looks exactly like the water molecule. (I gather from google that this is heavily discussed, so I am not all that loopy) So now when I watch mickey mouse, I begin to imagine him becoming a water molecule moving around fluidly or a bubble floating listlessly in the air and then popping!
Today as I was walking home, I saw a cute baby on the road and as I was overflowing with feelings of love for her, I thought to myself “This stupid cute baby doesn’t even know that her body is 80% water. Where as mine is 60% water and the rest is all brain!” :D Fine, I am whackjob!
Drinking water makes me very uncomfortable. I feel queasy in my stomach and avoid it as much as I can, which has had some ill affects on my health, but there is one fact that blows my mind in a good way! Drinking too much water can lead to water intoxication! It dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes water imbalance in the brain. Take that you water drinkers!
There are always those odd statistics related to water floating in my head, mostly having to do with how much water there is and how much we need or consume. The most recent ones have been on how much water one needs to drink after a work-out or after sitting for an hour on a plane, or consuming an alcoholic or caffeinated drink. (the answer is between one to two cups)…....... and because Tapi religiously checks his weight everyday after he comes back from the gym, here’s a fact just for him “The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not from fat" Hah! :D
I leave with one question. What does it mean for us that water is present on the moon, in europa, or saturn’s enceladus apart from the possibility that there might me life on these planets. Can they be made fit for human habitation? There can't possibly be a more civilized race than humans in the universe no? :D
One more thought. The designs of snow crystals make beautiful diamond earrings :)
