Well, maybe the question is why are we willing to pay so much for beverages? Just a few years ago wine at a restaurant was $5-6 per glass; now it seems to be $8-9, which is as much as a 60% increase - waaay above inflation. The price of a six-pack of beer seems to go up 50 cents every few months. A cup of Starbuck’s goes for $4 and up (so I’ve heard, not being a coffee drinker). People pay $3 for soda and even bottled water (!) without batting an eyelash.
Why are we willing to pay so much to wet our whistles (well, why are YOU so willing; I tend to stay dry til I get home)?
I stopped drinking alcohol about 13 years ago. After that, I drank a lot of fruit juices, until I realized the health benefits weren’t what I had imagined. Since that, I’ve drunk little other than tap water - and a couple of cups of drip coffee in the mornings.
Quite often people will act surprised that i am happy to drink tap water. “Don’t you want ice?” “Some lime?” “Sparkling water?”
Impressive how just a few drinks will raise a restaurant tab. And can’t imagine why someone would pay for bottled water if their area had good tap water like Chicago, NY, Denver…
No answer to your query, other than my agreement that - yeah, folk pay a lot for fluids.
I’m willing to pay more for a pasture-raised, grass-finished steak than for something from the supermarket refrigerated case. Likewise, on the rare occasions I want something sweet to drink, I’ll opt for an organic root beer made with cane sugar over a Coca-Cola.
In addition to tasting better, these choices help a small farmer and a small businessman rather than a factory farm and a megacorporation.
