# Indian restaurants, metal cups **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492 "2012-03-11T21:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Car55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f17d59/32.png) [@Car55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Car55)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/1 "2012-03-11T21:32:54Z")
When we went out for Indian food last Saturday night, our drinking water was served in copper cups. Why is it that (in New York City, at least) most Indian restaurants, and only Indian restaurants, serve water in metal cups? The Indian beer came in a glass bottle and the waiter poured the beer into a glass goblet, so I’m guessing that glass is a substance known to the Indian Subcontinent…Why metal for the water? ---
**Author:** ![eldowan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@eldowan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eldowan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/2 "2012-03-11T21:46:39Z")
That’s a good question. My WAG, with no cite, is that they are displaying old world traditions, and at some point glass was.much more expensive/harder to make than beating a soft metal into a molded shape. Also, until your last sentence, I was going to ask, ‘circle or dot?’ ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/3 "2012-03-11T22:00:02Z")
Europeans used Pewter for glasses and plates until the mid 20th century. I still occasionally see it at garage sales. It was durable and easy to make. > **[Pewter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pewter)** > > Pewter (/ˈpjuːtər/) is a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin (85–99%), antimony (approximately 5–10%), copper (2%), bismuth, and sometimes silver. Copper and antimony (and in antiquity lead) act as hardeners, but lead may be used in lower grades of pewter, imparting a bluish tint. Pewter has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C (338–446 °F), depending on the exact mixture of metals. The word pewter is probably a variation of the word spelter, a term for zinc alloys (originally a co Pewter w... ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/4 "2012-03-11T22:29:10Z")
Metal drinking cups (or small jars) for water instead of glassware are used more in India than in the US. The restaurant is just being all culturally authentic-like. Likewise, Indian culture uses metal plates more than ceramic ones. I’m not exactly sure why this is the case: it’s not as though they don’t have potters. Maybe in a hot climate, the “food getting cold on metal plates” problem isn’t so much of an issue. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/5 "2012-03-11T23:56:31Z")
Cups, plates, bowls, serving dishes, and food storage containers are often metal in India. This includes everything from cheap dishes served by street vendors to heavy heirloom quality stainless steel dinner ware. I doubt there is any good reason for this- you may as well ask why we choose to eat on heavy, breakable ceramic rather than lightweight and durable metal. It’s just how they do things. But water tastes different out of metal, so serving it in metal makes a lot of sense from an authenticity standpoint. ---
**Author:** ![Normal\_Phase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Normal\_Phase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Normal_Phase)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/6 "2012-03-12T14:35:13Z")
I’ve been told by my relatives that it’s a matter of hygiene. Metal is seen as clean, free of contamination once washed. Other materials for serving food are not considered hygienic, except for disposable single-use items like palm leaves or paper plates. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/7 "2012-03-12T14:43:09Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Cups, plates, bowls, serving dishes, and food storage containers are often metal in India. This includes everything from cheap dishes served by street vendors to heavy heirloom quality stainless steel dinner ware. > > I doubt there is any good reason for this- you may as well ask why we choose to eat on heavy, breakable ceramic rather than lightweight and durable metal. It’s just how they do things. > > But water tastes different out of metal, so serving it in metal makes a lot of sense from an authenticity standpoint. God, they’re all just so much better than us, aren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/8 "2012-03-12T14:51:14Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > God, they’re all just so much better than us, aren’t they? We have much to learn from them. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/9 "2012-03-12T15:20:57Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > God, they’re all just so much better than us, aren’t they? ??? Your comments have nothing to do with the OP or the factual answer I provided, and are bringing snark board stuff and personal jabs into someone else’s question. If you really need to play schoolyard bully with me, do so in your own thread. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/10 "2012-03-12T15:24:59Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > ??? > > Your comments have nothing to do with the OP or the factual answer I provided, and are bringing snark board stuff and personal jabs into someone else’s question. If you really need to play schoolyard bully with me, do so in your own thread. Nah, I’m done with my eye-rolling. Bye. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/11 "2012-03-12T15:30:12Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Cups, plates, bowls, serving dishes, and food storage containers are often metal in India. This includes everything from cheap dishes served by street vendors to heavy heirloom quality stainless steel dinner ware. Indians (particularly northerners and the Bangladeshis who run most “Indian” restaurants) also like to keep dishes separate, so compartmented tray-dishes (“thalis”) are popular. Hard to make ceramic ones. Upper-class Indian people (and high end restaurants) typically use porcelain in their homes nowadays. However, metal plates and dishes have always been popular in India because they’re relatively easy to sanitize (just boil them); before metal, Indians used disposable “dishes” like banana leaves. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/12 "2012-03-12T15:32:01Z")
> [@eldowan](#): > > Also, until your last sentence, I was going to ask, ‘circle or dot?’ I thought it was “feather or dot?” Who are the circles? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/13 "2012-03-12T15:49:29Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > God, they’re all just so much better than us, aren’t they? > [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > Nah, I’m done with my eye-rolling. Bye. [Moderator Note] **wheresgeorge04** , these remarks constitute threadshitting and are against GQ standards. If you want to roll your eyes at someone, go do it some other forum. No warning issued. > [@even\_sven](#): > > Your comments have nothing to do with the OP or the factual answer I provided, and are bringing snark board stuff and personal jabs into someone else’s question. If you really need to play schoolyard bully with me, do so in your own thread. **even sven** , if someone makes an inappropriate crack, please report the post and let the moderators deal with it rather than responding in kind. No warning issued. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Car55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f17d59/32.png) [@Car55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Car55)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/14 "2012-03-12T16:08:00Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Indians (particularly northerners and the Bangladeshis who run most “Indian” restaurants) also like to keep dishes separate, so compartmented tray-dishes (“thalis”) are popular. Hard to make ceramic ones. > > Upper-class Indian people (and high end restaurants) typically use porcelain in their homes nowadays. > > However, metal plates and dishes have always been popular in India because they’re relatively easy to sanitize (just boil them); before metal, Indians used disposable “dishes” like banana leaves. Thanks. If I were to get a beer in India (or Bangladesh), would it more likely come in a can than in a bottle? If I were in a restaurant, would they pour my beer into a metal drinking cup? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/15 "2012-03-12T16:18:36Z")
As far as I know, Kingfisher (the most popular Indian beer) only comes in glass bottles or draught. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/16 "2012-03-12T17:29:54Z")
> [@Car55](#): > > When we went out for Indian food last Saturday night, our drinking water was served in copper cups. Why is it that (in New York City, at least) most Indian restaurants, and only Indian restaurants, serve water in metal cups? The Indian beer came in a glass bottle and the waiter poured the beer into a glass goblet, so I’m guessing that glass is a substance known to the Indian Subcontinent…Why metal for the water? Indian here. Copper cups are believed to impart health benefits to the water is stored in them. This practice is more prevalent in northern part of the country. The restaurant is just being authentic:-) Beer is always served in glasses and never in metal cups. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/17 "2012-03-12T17:44:19Z")
> [@indian](#): > > Indian here. (Looks at name. Looks at location) Story seems to check out. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/18 "2012-03-12T18:03:48Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > (Looks at name. Looks at location) > > Story seems to check out. I am the real deal.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/19 "2012-03-13T11:22:18Z")
I spend a couple of weeks in India last month, and covered quite a bit of ground. Mostly we ate in hotel restaurants or high-end-for-India places or at suppliers’ private restaurants, but I never drank out of a metal cup. Not once. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492/20 "2012-03-13T11:55:54Z")
You may not find this in posh restaurants, but in peoples homes. I personally know some north Indians who still keep water in copper pots to drink later. That said, some dhabas do have copper pots, I remember eating in one such place near Delhi in mid-90s. Copper being costly, could lead to more thefts. India is huge, and impossible to generalize. And not everyone likes the taste of water stored for long in copper pots in India. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-restaurants-metal-cups/615492.md?page=2)