by Ginger Philbrick
Being someone who has been repeatedly warned by physicians to drink more water or risk the shriveling up of important organs, I admire those of you who hydrate regularly.
Despite infrequently drinking water, I have been in favor of doing it ever since the fourth grade when I learned that over half of my body should contain it. I feel twinges of guilt when I see you with your plastic and metallic bottles, sipping every now and then, thereby plumping up your cells while my cells are drying out in distress. I just don’t think about that life-sustaining substance until I am thirsty.
Enough about my shortcomings though. I bring this whole water-drinking topic up because, although I applaud hydration, I think drinkers should be mindful of the etiquette around it. However, before I list those manners reminders, I’d like to share a very important health one: drinking directly from the bottle is likely to be healthy only if you are drinking the entire bottle within a few hours. Your saliva, along with food particle, germs and bacteria build up around the neck of the bottle and then flow back into the water with each swig. The longer the little intruders have to build up, the more problematic they can become. It is wiser to use a durable, reusable, stainless steel BPA free receptacle if you are going to tote water around with you.
No matter what you choose to hold the life-sustaining beverage, you should avoid bringing it into a restaurant—other than perhaps a fast food one. The appearance of a plastic, or even metal, bottle on a well-set table is inappropriate. Almost all restaurants now provide free water. If you must have your preferred water, ask for an empty glass and, as unobtrusively as possible, transfer your water into it and place the empty container out of sight.
In business meetings or interviews, you risk looking too casual or unprofessional if you keep taking sips, from a plastic bottle especially. Think of your bottle as a jug from which you pour water into a cup or glass, and leave the jug out of sight.
When your non-reusable bottle is empty, discard it for recycling. It is as ill-mannered to leave it tucked half hidden in a public place, such as behind a bench or in a bush, as it is to leave it on the table after a meal.
Although the necessity for drinking water is serious business, there are lots of humorous statements associated with it. The one that still makes me chuckle goes like this: “My therapist set half a glass of water in front of me. He asked if I was an optimist or a pessimist; did I see the glass as half full or half empty. So I drank the water and told him I was a problem solver.”
Cheers!
Ginger Philbrick is the owner of Because You Are Polite LLC. You are invited to email your manners questions to her and she will respond as time and space allow. You may contact her at youarepolite1@gmail.com.
