Su aka Water aka Air

Water... a totally essential substance of life... it covers 70% of the earth surface..and our body definitely need water..

"About 72% of the fat free mass of the human body is made of water. To function properly, the body requires between one and seven litres of water per day to avoid dehydration; the precise amount depends on the level of activity, temperature, humidity, and other factors."

I remember as i was growing up, my mom would take the water from the tap, filled it up inside the kettle....let the water boil.. and let it cool before filling it up inside a container before putting that container into the fridge. She would remind me to boil the tap water first to *kill the germs*..i was brought up that way at home...It was only during my university years i was introduced to the concept of *drinking water* and *water* in that 1 litre bottle sold at supermarkets n what not.. at home..boiled water is the water to drink..(or at times, when i my mom was not looking, i would just directly fill the water container with unboiled tap water n put it inside the fridge hehehe..hey! i was young then!!! :0)

One of the cultural shocks i had when i came to turkey was this..

Yup..this is a 19 litre container of water....the pump is used to pump out the water to be used for drinking..etc..I first saw it at my mom in law's.. i noticed she used only and only water from this container to cook and drink....only this water....bought from the water seller nearby.

I think Türks..especially those living in the city, they r very particular about the water they drink. They believe that the water reaching their home water taps r not clean...they do not trust the water lines ..they think that the pipes n tanks r dirty..(for the apartmanet building i live in.. every year, the apartment's water tank will be cleaned).....THerefore, people in general would buy water like this to accomadate their daily needs...

There r loads of brands in the market of course.. if i am not mistaken, there r two types of water sold..one is drinking water (city water gone thru several processes to kill harmful substances) like turkuaz... and the other type is the mineral water..taken from the natural springs all over turkey...

For us.. we buy the second type.. the mineral water..the prices also differ from brands to brands.. more famous brands will mean more money will be paid by the customers.. it can go up to 5YTL per container (19 litre).. Like the one i am using now, we r paying only 3.5 YTL per container....the prices do not stay that way anyway..this is turkey we r talking about..the price can change every month..and it always go up..n never down..

For all the 7 years i have been here, i always buy from the same water seller. But for all these times, the owner has changed the brands of his water several times..(i think he is trying to sell not too expensive water)... I first tasted the water with the brand *Sırmakes*..then it was *Mahmudiye*..then it was *Doğazen*..and very recently, till now..it is *Sera*..

I remember anne (my mom in law).. she can differentiate the taste of the water..she didnt like some water brands..she said it didnt taste nice.. it smell..it didnt look clean..etc..etc.. the older generation especially r very sensitive of the taste of water..

i remember at one time, anne didnt like one water.. i tasted it.. i couldnt figure out why that water was different....it tasted like water..hmmmm....ıf i drink directly from the water tap..i think that is the only time i can differentiate the taste and the smell... it is not nice...definitely..or is it that i am catching up the *trend* of the türks of only liking tap water?

For a small family like mine..a 19 litre water can last almost a WEEK..meaning 4 water containers a MONTH.. but for big families..2 may be barely enough for them.. ..8 containers a month..can u imagine the cost? Anyway... health is much more important than money, right?

I think this *buying* water to drink is the trend only in big cities..in small town areas, i think people still drink from tap water.. maybe in small towns, their water is clean? Buying water for drinking and cooking is definitely not their style..it may even sound like a waste to them..

Yes..we buy water..partly becoz it tastes better..cleaner and safer..than tap water..i have thought about buying the water filter instead of buying water..but i have never seen a türk house with a water filter.. in Malaysia, we have loads of types of water filter..the ones with that stones..the ones with red laser or something.. etc..etc....maybe these water filter should be marketed here..i dunno..

Anyway.. water we drink.. drinking plain water is definitely better than drinking coke or carbonated drinks..much much more healthier.. but why cant i leave my carbonated drinks totally? help..

Hmm... buying water for drinking... i had never thought i'd be doing that until 7 years ago..

Thank You for hopping by..Hope to see U again next time....