I'm always cold. My mom worries that this is do to some circulatory problem. I think this it is due to me being a woman.
I have often wondered why ice comes in every drink I order. In the winter I've typically just come in from the outdoors and I'm freezing. The last thing I want is ice. In the summer, air conditioning is often so strong that I'm freezing indoors and again I don't want ice.
I'll tell you when I want ice - when it's hot! I like ice when I'm working or playing outside and sweating.
Mark Twain was quoted as saying, "The only distinguishing characteristic of the American character I've been able to discover is a fondness for ice water."
Do you like ice? Why do you think Americans like their ice so much?









Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-04-2008 @ 6:30PM
Doctor Electro said...
I prefer most of my drinks at room temperature. This is especially true of water. For me, ice water is more difficult to swallow. The only exception is when I am in the hospital. Then I like to crunch on ice cubes and drink very cold water. Can't explain it but that's the way it is.
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4-04-2008 @ 6:32PM
Julie said...
I tend to be more like you, in the winter months when I am already freezing the last thing that I want is an ice cold drink. I usually prefer cold over iced except for those rare occasions when I am actually dying of the heat.I think our love for ice stems from the days when ice was as valuable as gold. Now we have it in abundance and we still want more.
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4-04-2008 @ 7:42PM
gte465u said...
I like ice in my water because it usually tastes bad otherwise. But I've been thinking a lot about food and drink recently. Most things have a lot more flavor when they are warmer. Maybe things like sodas wouldn't need so much sugar if they were drank warm?
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4-04-2008 @ 8:24PM
Chris Barr said...
I like ice in my water, but not usually in anything else. Most of the time the drink is already cold, so I see no point in adding ice to it.
Plus, over time the ice would start to melt and water down the drink, this is the main reason I never use it in a non-water drink. Unless the ice cubes are made of the same liquid as the drink or something....
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4-04-2008 @ 9:19PM
postindutrialist said...
I hate ice in my drinks just as much as I hate another American convention: Blazing hot coffee/tea/hot chocolate.
With Hot drinks, they tend to be so hot that my mouth feels scorched, I cannot drink them, and worse yet, I cannot taste anything but searing pain as my tastebuds are sterilized at 1101374536 degrees Fahrenheit. I bought my coffee to DRINK after all.
Ice, on the other hand, dilutes my drink, the cold temperature hurts my throat, and can sometimes induce brain freeze when I'm really thirsty and am trying to hydrate my body as quickly as I can. It also forces me to use a straw, which I find a childish way to drink my beverages, ( I CAN hold a glass to my mouth you know..)as the ice is certain to pour into my mouth as well ass my beverage leaving me with two options: spit it back out or chew on it (which is also irritating as hell to hear someone do, and is simply bad manners). It also often serves as filler so that I get two sips of (diluted) soda and the rest of my glass is ice. No ice please.
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4-04-2008 @ 9:44PM
Andi said...
I actually don't like ice in anything, I'll get ice water at the local greasy spoon but just to cool down my coffee with. I drink cans of Coke room temp, and if I'm getting a fountain drink I never put any ice in because it comes out cold anyways.
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4-04-2008 @ 10:11PM
rauch said...
I used to *only* drink beverages that were room temp, especially water. I've gotten slightly over that, but still prefer warmer/room temp drinks when it is chilly out. If I've been running, I like it slightly colder, but not ice cold... too difficult to re-hydrate properly.
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4-04-2008 @ 10:39PM
jessica gensmer said...
i like ice water because then i don't notice if it's regular tap water. i am not personally a bottled water-snob, but my taste buds unfortunately are. So i drink a lot of ice water to keep from drinking bottled:)
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4-05-2008 @ 4:14AM
Lig Grebsnip said...
I like ice because I like to then crunch it. So ice adds texture and crunchiness. It's like those crunchy "Asian" noodles they put on salads. They don't add much, but crunchiness is desired by some.
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4-05-2008 @ 8:11AM
Michelle said...
Crunching ice is a symptom of anemia. You should get it checked out!
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4-05-2008 @ 11:58AM
Gobo said...
Europeans think Americans are weird because we like our drinks chilled... whereas we think they're strange because all their drinks are room temp.
And to the Japanese, ice is still seen as a luxury.
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4-05-2008 @ 3:01PM
sm said...
and i dont care if europeans think im weird, and half my family is from there or lives there.
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4-05-2008 @ 3:42PM
sm said...
i love ice in every drink (except the hot drinks clearly, and beer). i hate drinking room temp drinks. i drink them fast engough that it doesnt get diluted. if it does, i get another one. and i dont like to crunch the ice i just like my drinks super cold.
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4-05-2008 @ 4:11PM
red said...
I like cold water, but I like room temp too. As long as my water isn't hot, it doesn't much matter to me what the temp is, just leave the lemon out, PLEASE!
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4-05-2008 @ 4:25PM
doodoolemonque said...
Ice for me. I imagine this is a matter of personal preference, but I find that ice lends a many drinks a crisp flavor they otherwise lack. It seems silly to claim that ice makes a drink so cold it causes brain freeze or that one HAS to deal with a cube forcing its way between your lips.
Its also worth noting that coffee it is necessary to brew coffee at +/- 198 to 199 degrees, and held at a approximately 180. It is not advised that the anyone drink coffee that hot for several reasons. The first is that it is too hot. The second is that as coffee cools, its specific gravity increases and and as a result, the taste improves. Coffee that has cooled to around 140-50 is at its peak. If you prefer cooler coffee, than drink iced coffee made with a toddy, or cold process brewing method. Otherwise, really, quit with the Snow White act.
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4-05-2008 @ 10:47PM
Jason Levine said...
Back when I was in college, I worked in a Sbarro's. My manager at the time told me that the drinks coming out of the soda machine were actually already cold enough to drink. The ice wasn't to cool them down, but to take up space in the cup. So when we sold a large Coke, we actually would be giving the customer less soda than if we filled the cup without any ice.
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4-06-2008 @ 5:52PM
Betsy said...
There's not enough ice in the whole world to satisfy me, and yes, I do tend to be anemic. Fill the glass with as much ice as you can pack in before you add the beverage, please! Ah, nothing better than a freshly prepared fountain Diet Coke with crushed ice! It sparkles!
When I redo my kitchen (if ever that day comes), I want - first priority - a commercial ice maker!
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4-06-2008 @ 8:32PM
B said...
I like Ice because hot things should be hot and cold things should be cold. I want my meal served fresh and hot out of the oven, and I want my drink cold.
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4-06-2008 @ 10:54PM
bethany said...
if you're chewing on that ice in your drink...actually if you're chewing on a lot of ice, it could be a sign of iron deficiency.
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4-07-2008 @ 12:03PM
Summer said...
A couple months ago I was in a restaurant and ordered water without ice. I couldn't warm up and the last thing I needed was an icy cold drink. The server looked at me like I was strange and asked, "Can I ask why no ice?" I said, "Because I'm cold." She replied, "Oh...I was just wondering if maybe it was a religious thing or something."
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