'Please Stop': Europeans Respond to Americans on the Water Debate

"In Germany, water is illegal. We are only allowed to drink beer," mocked one European in response to recent claims by American tourists that drinking water was impossible to find in Europe. TikTok videos have been circulating in recent months as American tourists gleefully chug bottles of water, complaining that humble drinking water is scarce on their European trips. But Europeans aren't taking these accusations lying down, with responses ranging from humor to frustration. "Last time I checked, it could be found in every tap and in water bottles," said one frustrated internet user in response to another American water complaint video. Philippa Raphet Meeg lives in France and was inspired to share her own video in response to the viral debate. In the video she asked: "Where does this idea come from? Just because we don't carry around big Stanleys all the time doesn't mean we don't drink water. Please, please stop."

"What inspired me to make the video was the sheer number of videos that I saw on TikTok from Americans complaining that they found it hard to find water in Europe. I wasn't sure why they were struggling so much," Meeg told Newsweek. "Perhaps because they weren't used to having drinkable tap water back home? I recently came back from a trip to America and I was impressed with the number of water fountains I saw, even if the water wasn't the best quality. So I think it was partly justified." Over in the United Kingdom, Sean—who did not give a surname—also weighed in on the discussion. "Tap water in the U.K. was pretty much universally drinkable and extremely safe, so much so that we didn't give it a second thought," he told Newsweek. Sean suggested that perhaps many people complaining about the lack of water in Europe didn't have any firsthand experience of the problem. "Transatlantic flights were obviously financially out of reach for a lot of people. I also wondered whether the old-style architecture in a lot of European cities, and depictions of quaint villages, skewed perceptions towards it actually being an old-fashioned place if people had no real-world experience of the continent," he said. Despite clear evidence from European residents that drinking water is readily available, Americans might be onto something. According to the European Commission, which is part of the European Food Safety Authority, "water intake in European countries is lower than the recommended or guidance values." Recent polling from CivicScience revealed that Americans do drink more water than European residents when compared. European Commission data shows adults in the European Union and U.K. drink an average of 33.8 oz per day, compared with CivicScience reporting 57.5 oz a day for U.S. adults. Whatever the reality of the water consumption of residents, though, Europeans are clear that readily available water is certainly not an issue. "In many countries in Europe, you can refill your water bottle on the street for free with clean water. And in hotels, that is a sign that you can drink tap water," Aira from Latvia told Newsweek. Denmark resident Alesia Olsen took the opportunity to poke fun at Americans online complaining about the water. She created her own TikTok video showing everyone where they could find water—simply walking to the nearest tap and filling her bottle. "I've seen the memes about Americans not being able to find water, so when I went to the bathroom to get water, it occurred to me that maybe it wasn't normal to drink tap water in the U.S.," Olsen told Newsweek. "But I think in my mind, I didn't fully believe it—as a Scandinavian, being able to drink tap water was basically a human right. So I filmed it as a little gag, mostly unserious."