# Ice in soft drinks: Are Europeans right or superstitious? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093 "2013-02-12T17:17:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/41 "2013-02-13T05:18:18Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I drink and eat tons of ice, usually with diet coke. I don’t think there is a health issue there. (I’ve been told eating ice is bad for your teeth, but I usually only eat the crushed kind, and my teeth are still fine.) > > However, if I didn’t get free refills (or giant cups), I’d reconsider ordering it. Because yeah, you’re getting a bunch of water instead of the soda you paid for. > > Also, I can’t imagine having ice in my beer or milk, which is 100% cultural. I can see if you’ve been raised differently than me, ice in soda would have the same negative connotations. You only eat ice when you’re alone, right? I’m not a violent person, but I become extremely stabby around ice crunchers. I know, I know. Delicate snowflake and all of that. I try to be reasonable, but I can’t stand the sound of most crunchy things and ice is the worst. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/42 "2013-02-13T10:15:38Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > When I visited Europe in 1980 and '86 I noticed a lack of ice in soft drinks. A friend pointed out that the recipe for ice is water and energy. Perhaps energy costs, and maybe small refrigerators, played a part in the no ice tradition? The “recipe” for most dishes is “water+energy;” do these people not cook either? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/43 "2013-02-13T12:05:44Z")
> [@electronbee](#): > > The EU, in my experience, is just used to having everything luke-warm or luke-cold. Probably due to energy conservation. There have been times where the hotel room or restaurant was just absolutely stifling. I have no idea how they survive that. > > Even other places where you would expect some form of ventillation, air flow, anything at all, don’t have it. Being in a metro in Prague was absolutely incredible. No airflow at all, no deodorant at all (it’s just the way that they are), I thought I was going to pass out. :dubious: It’s not about energy conservation. Sorry to disappoint you, but “Europe” isn’t some third-world backwater with energy shortages. (We tend to leave those to \*really \*backward places, like California 😉 ) A lot of what you mention is because lots of things in Europe are _old_. They were built before air-conditioning was invented, or at least before it became anything like standard. And, unlike the USA, we don’t have a culture of ripping things down and replacing them after 20 years or so. Funny you mention the metro in Prague, though. That is actually fairly modern as far as city metros go (it was built in the 1960s, which I guess would make it eligible for listing as a historic monument in America), and I remember it as being pretty roomy and airy, at least compared to the 100- or 150-year-old systems in London and Paris, say. As for drinks, my own reasons for not liking lots of ice are the same as many others on here: if something’s too cold, you can hardly taste it; it waters down the drink, and you don’t always know where the ice has come from. Huge American-style fridges with built-in icemakers are still not that common around here. Plus, when it’s hot, we drink beer. I don’t think much of Europe really has a “soda culture” like America, where people drink Coke all the time, on its own or with meals. Ordering a Coke in a restaurant, other than a fast-food place, just seems wrong somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/44 "2013-02-13T12:48:51Z")
Pfft… Keep in mind that this is coming from a land of people who used to think the tomato was poisonous. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/45 "2013-02-13T12:56:02Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Nowadays it would be unusual to not get ice somewhere and if you don’t get offered ice you’ll usually get some if you ask for it. Not too long ago though ice was rationed for some reason in most places, maybe to save on costs? I suspect they don’t put as much ice into a soft drink here as Americans are used to for two reasons, a) it never gets all that hot here and b) if you’re drinking out of a glass, how a soft drink will typically be served, a surfeit of ice makes it difficult to drink, unless you’re using a straw. But if you ask for loads of ice you get it. If I’m having a mixed drink in a bar I’ll usually ask for it in a pint glass full to the brim with ice and they usually have no problem providing it. An unusual response. I drink both water and soda with ice in them out of glasses at home, and without a straw. There’s absolutely no problem doing so. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/46 "2013-02-13T14:20:36Z")
What’s this stuff about fans and Korea? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/47 "2013-02-13T15:00:46Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > What’s this stuff about fans and Korea? [Korean Fan Death](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death) ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/48 "2013-02-13T15:52:00Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > [Korean Fan Death](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death) Wow…thanks. I had no idea. How crazy is that? I love my fan. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/49 "2013-02-13T17:07:34Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > A lot of what you mention is because lots of things in Europe are _old_. They were built before air-conditioning was invented, or at least before it became anything like standard. And, unlike the USA, we don’t have a culture of ripping things down and replacing them after 20 years or so. This. I’ve seen listings for London townhouses selling for tens of millions of pounds that boast air conditioning in “most major rooms,” and often this is achieved by installing apparatuses that resemble those butt ugly metal heating/cooling units that they had in the public school classrooms I attended growing up in the US. - and keep in mind that these houses have typically undergone costly modernizations that often include indoor pools, among other things. Whereas, in many parts of the U.S., it often goes without saying that a typical home has central air. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/50 "2013-02-13T17:12:37Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It’s not about superstitions, it’s about money. I always figured this was the reason Euros don’t put ice in drinks to keep them cold. Ice machines cost money. > [@](#): > > A cup half full of ice is cup half empty of soda. Europeans don’t like getting ripped off. Europeans evidently have not heard of free refills - whoops, it’s that money-saving thing again. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/51 "2013-02-13T17:36:49Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > An unusual response. I drink both water and soda with ice in them out of glasses at home, and without a straw. There’s absolutely no problem doing so. Those tall narrow glasses, the type they typically serve a soft drink in here, filled to the brim with ice can make it difficult for the drinker, especially towards the latter half. The ice can slide down the glass and hit your teeth. For this reason alone I can see why some people don’t like ice in their soft drinks (as served in your average Irish restaurant or bar). ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/52 "2013-02-13T17:39:45Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Europeans evidently have not heard of free refills - whoops, it’s that money-saving thing again. It astounds me how cheap soft drinks are in America compared to here. I can pay $1.30 for a 330ml can of a popular cola and buying in bulk scarcely provides much saving. A 2 litre bottle of a popular cola will cost anything from $1.80 to $4 depending on where you buy it. In restaurants and bars it’s far worse. You’ll pay anything from $1.80 to $4 for a smaller amount of cola (200ml or 250ml not too sure), typically served in a glass bottle. Soft drinks seem to have stopped being a luxury in the US long before they were here and the prices reflect that. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/53 "2013-02-13T18:25:47Z")
No one’s mentioned ice cubes in beer, but that’s the easiest way to tell how long a Westerner has been living in rural Thailand. A Farang who’s been here only a few months will laugh when they see ice in beer, saying it’s the stupidest thing they’ve ever seen. After a few years, when outside or non-air conditioned, they’ll be surprised if beer is served without an ice bucket. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/54 "2013-02-13T19:06:38Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The only place in Europe that I got a soft drink with ice in it was a Subway franchise in Dublin, Ireland. Obviously, it was because it was an American chain. Elsewhere, if I wanted ice, I had to ask for it (and might not get it). > . Subway was my saviour on a sweltering day in Berlin. I don’t think the European aversion is specifically to ice, but to really cold drinks. The coolers that the little shops keep their sodas and beer in are set much warmer than those in the US. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/55 "2013-02-13T20:36:22Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It’s not about superstitions, it’s about money. A cup half full of ice is cup half empty of soda. Europeans don’t like getting ripped off. But the soft drinks they do serve are TINY! Even without ice, they get a lot less for their money than Americans do, when they order a Coke. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/56 "2013-02-13T20:48:19Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It’s not about superstitions, it’s about money. A cup half full of ice is cup half empty of soda. Europeans don’t like getting ripped off. This, for me. I’m an American, BTW Anecdote, but whenever I have to drink an ice-cold drink nowadays, I get heartburn. Maybe that’s where the idea that it’s unhealthy came from. I no longer have the stomach for icy drinks. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/57 "2013-02-13T21:07:55Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > :dubious: > It’s not about energy conservation. Sorry to disappoint you, but “Europe” isn’t some third-world backwater with energy shortages. (We tend to leave those to \*really \*backward places, like California 😉 ) California does fine now that Enron went bankrupt. It may not be because of energy shortages, but Europe does spend a lot more time worrying about conserving energy than the US does. Look at the gas prices. Plus, our new and spiffy hotel in Barcelona required you to put your keycard in a slot to run lights and electricity, so these went off when you left the room. I’ve never seen this very reasonable feature in the US. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/58 "2013-02-13T21:22:41Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Those tall narrow glasses, the type they typically serve a soft drink in here, filled to the brim with ice can make it difficult for the drinker, especially towards the latter half. The ice can slide down the glass and hit your teeth. For this reason alone I can see why some people don’t like ice in their soft drinks (as served in your average Irish restaurant or bar). I’ve had my iced drinks served in glasses of all shapes and sizes. Never had a problem with any of them. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/59 "2013-02-13T21:37:52Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Plus, our new and spiffy hotel in Barcelona required you to put your keycard in a slot to run lights and electricity, so these went off when you left the room. I’ve never seen this very reasonable feature in the US. I figured that was just a thing that big chain hotels did everywhere in the world. I don’t recall if I seen it in the USA, but then I don’t think I’ve stayed in a big chain hotel there. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093/60 "2013-02-13T21:47:07Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Plus, our new and spiffy hotel in Barcelona required you to put your keycard in a slot to run lights and electricity, so these went off when you left the room. I’ve never seen this very reasonable feature in the US. I encounter this set up all over the US; actually more often than I’ve seen it in Europe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-in-soft-drinks-are-europeans-right-or-superstitious/650093.md?page=4)