by Reshmi R Dasgupta
Water is definitely the new wine. If anyone has
to show a certain moral and aesthetic superiority in a subtle way, there’s
nothing quite like water. There’s still and sparkling, tap and branded, cheap
and expensive, common and rare... In short something to suit not only every
taste — yes, plain water has differences in flavour too, connoisseurs say — but
also every snob criteria.
I found
that out when taking a tour of the presidential suite of one of Delhi’s premier
hotels this week, which routinely plays host to heads of state. So in addition
to Frette linen and bulletproof glass, the hotel also provides water of their
excellencies’ choice. Often, of course, there are newage heads of state and
spouses who drink only water and fresh juices, putting to naught any hotel’s
chance of showing off their wine repertoire. So haute water is a nice
alternative.
They, in fact, make it
a point to inquire about water preferences, so that the correct bottles can be
obtained and tucked away in the appropriate places for use. And we are not
talking only about Himalaya, Catch and Bisleri, or Evian, Perrier and San
Pellegrino... While the consumption of bottled water has doubled in 10 years,
its prices have risen 100 times! And a place on top of the heap would now go to
Hollywood producer Kevin G. Boyd, who’s just launched Bling H20, which is
exactly what it says it is...
The
Swarovski crystal-encrusted, frosted, corked bottle contains water drawn
from.... well, Dandridge, Tennessee. Why pay that much for backwoods Tennessee
water? Ask the Bling Brigade from the world of music and cinema! It apparently
has a nine-step purification process and comes for between $40-60 for a 750 ml
bottle! And for the ultimate weird reason to mark up, there’s Charity Water that
comes for $480 a case. No idea where it comes from but the money you fork out
apparently goes to fund drinkwater projects in various African countries. Drink
and feel virtuous too... Wow. And you can even order a virtual bottle for $20.
Not drink and still feel virtuous. Even better.
As the mercury climbs steadily and summer is nigh,
however, I do wonder whether the ultimate luxury is drinkable tap water! One of
the benefits of holidays abroad — especially if there’s a long haul stay in a
service flat involved — is the ability to just turn on the kitchen tap for a
glass of water and not bother about water filters and all manner of sinister
water borne diseases. But, c’est la vie, in most places in the world that simply
cannot be done. And so, we turn to bottled water.
My interest in bottled water, when abroad, turns to a
somewhat whimsical direction. Instead of looking at mineral content and exotic
place of origin, I tend to go for the shape of the bottle. No doubt a lot of
bottled water marketers are looking to catch the eyes of mugs exactly like me
when they bring out more and more eye catching shapes of bottled water. In
India, none of the brands can be said to have particularly distinctive or
unusual packing; but they do have attractive coloured labels!
In any case no one looks at the
fineprint to see whether it is plain “packaged drinking water” probably filled
from some municipal water source, albeit in the mountains. In some cases, it
actually is mineral water, and there’s a list of trace minerals for those who
care to squint at the label. I must add though, that even to an untried palate
such as mine, mineral water tastes much better than packaged drinking water.
There’s nothing quite like drinking
it right from a spring or a mountain brook but then where can we get that at
hand on the parched plains next to a putrid river? Resources: Economic Times, India
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The Water Connoisseur
