r/comics • u/tinyviewcomics tinyviewcomics • Aug 11 '26

OC "Americentricity" by Itchy Feet

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 11 '26

It Varies place to place in Germany. When I visited I ate at a thai spot in the Bavarian region and paid more for water than my meal. Cold still water, no ice, nothing fancy. Curry was €23 water was €30 at €3 per “Glass” that is 8 fl oz. Beer was €2 for a pint. I asked them to just bring a pitcher of both for the table so we could refill ourselves. As a table of 2 that had been hiking and biking all day water was our most pricey expense.

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u/SoleilResplandissant Aug 12 '26

30 euros for water ????? Is the water imported from the north pole ?

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 12 '26

I know you’re joking but it was really tasty water. Most Germans would pay double what I did for half the amount of water just to say they could.

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u/MooseontheLose Aug 12 '26

Yeah no there is no place in Bavaria that serves pints and takes just 2€ for it

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u/AppMtb Aug 12 '26

Yeah I think I was paying closer to €3 for altbier in Düsseldorf last time I was there and that was in those little glasses they use that are like half a pint

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 12 '26

This was 10+ years ago and yes Beer was cheaper than water

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u/TareasS Aug 13 '26

So you had 2.5 litre of water and the mountain Germans used fluid ounces?

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 13 '26

What? What point are you trying to make? The fuck are you talking about? Yeah each 8oz glass of water cost me €3. Or to convert rather each .236 liter glass of water cost me $3.46 American US dollars.

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u/TareasS Aug 13 '26

I am just surprised because I have never in my entire life seen anyone sell 0.236 l in Europe. Bottles are usually 0.2, 0.33, 0.5 etc.

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 13 '26

It was a glass of water…

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u/VirtualMatter2 Aug 12 '26

Why would you go to a restaurant to get your thirst covered? Pop into a supermarket beforehand and buy 1.5l for under a euro Restaurants are for eating, not for quenching thirst.

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

Restaurants actually are for quenching thirst and satiating food, genius. Also like I explained in the story it was spicy curry and we had been walking, biking, and hiking all day. Supermarkets were not open as this was past 6pm in the Bavarian region (If you’ve never been most shops apart from pubs and restaurants close at 5pm) which would mean we were shit outta luck. Also as a tourist I wasn’t expecting to have to pay for water, as explained by this very thread. You got a hard time comprehending stuff huh you artsy lil european lol

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u/VirtualMatter2 Aug 12 '26

I'm German, but not Bavarian. Shops here more in the north close at 8 or later. I personally wouldn't think of going to a restaurant to get a lot to drink without it being expensive, but I can see why Americans can get caught out in Germany. 

Profit mainly comes from drinks in Germany, much less from food and some food items are even sold at a loss. So it's logical that drinks cost a lot, it's what keeps them in business after all. It's just a different business model. But we have all grown up with " we are going to a restaurant, make sure to drink enough beforehand" as kids that that's drilled into us in Germany. 

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 12 '26

Im well aware of the cultural differences and also realized halfway through my visit how to adapt to them. This comic is pointing out why those differences are silly and rather redundant from an outsiders perspective, which is what I shared. In America, food is the main selling point of a restaurant, and that is how they make most of their profit. A lot of restaurants offer free refills on sugary beverages to entice customers into ordering more food or salty appetizers, or to offset higher food costs. Water is provided for free as it should be by ANY establishment looking to refuel or refresh their customers. If a restaurant is dependent on the margins that TAP WATER brings in then that restaurant should not be in business. Tap Water should be A free standard and available to every customer. Anticipating what steps you need to take BEFORE going out to eat to ensure you are properly hydrated or fed is similar to cleaning your house BEFORE the maid comes because you don’t want your house to appear dirty. Its silly and frankly not very accommodating. Also village shoppes close much earlier than 8pm.

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u/VirtualMatter2 Aug 12 '26

Yea, Bavaria in general closes earlier, I've been caught out by this myself on vacation. And I'm not saying it's wrong to supply free tap water, just giving you some background why they charge for tap water in Germany. 

I guess they could give you free water under the condition that you must also buy a drink, but I think they rather sell you a second coke, beer or sparkling water. And if it was  free tap water with no need to buy drinks at least a quarter of the guests wouldn't order any other drinks. Germans don't tend to drink that much with meals, it's traditionally meant to be unhealthy and although it's largely a myth, it's still stuck in people's subconscious from their upbringing. 

See the price you pay for water as equivalent to the tip in America. It earns the business the money to pay the waiters, so you don't have to. 

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 12 '26

Yeah, I understand the business reasoning behind it. I think we’re just disagreeing on whether that makes it reasonable. I don’t really see €3 for a glass of tap water as equivalent to an American tip, though. A tip is compensation for service, while tap water is a basic amenity that costs the restaurant essentially nothing. If the business model relies on a significant percentage of customers buying beverages they otherwise wouldn’t buy simply because free tap water isn’t available, then that’s exactly the part I find strange and dishonest.

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u/VirtualMatter2 Aug 13 '26

I do see your reasoning. However firstly to me the American tipping also feels dishonest. A restaurant should pay it's workers, not the customer. 

Secondly I guess this no tap water thing is mainly hitting tourists because most Germans simply don't drink tap water. Don't ask me why, I drink it, but we are the exception. Most Germans will only drink mineral water they buy at the supermarket ( or restaurant), usually sparkling. 

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u/HeikoSpaas Aug 12 '26

you are expected to pay for water, you are not expected to tip 20 %

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u/tmoe1991 Aug 12 '26

And both is ridiculous

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u/Theron3206 Aug 12 '26

Come to Australia, no expectation to tip and the tap water is free. They will charge you extra on Sundays and public holidays though.

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u/VirtualMatter2 Aug 12 '26

And the food likely costs more as a consequence. But I can live with that.

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u/VirtualMatter2 Aug 12 '26

Drinks give restaurants most of the profit. If they give you water for free they have to put the price for the food up.  It's not ridiculous, it's just a different business model.

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 12 '26

Look at Mr Nestle CEO over here

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u/VirtualMatter2 Aug 12 '26

You think restaurants shouldn't make a profit? They aren't charities. 

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 12 '26

If a restaurant needs to make its margins on WATER to survive it shouldn’t be in operation lol. Tap Water should be free. In every establishment in existence. And it should be available for every person who enters the door. Thats a human right.

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u/HeikoSpaas Aug 12 '26

if you cannot afford to pay for drinks, you cannot afford to eat out.

and eating out is not a human right

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

I agree!

Tap Water should not cost money tho so I still dont get your point

Edit: Oh you were cheekily disagreeing with the “Water should be a human right” part I gotcha.

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u/VirtualMatter2 Aug 12 '26

Why? It's not a humanitarian operation, it's a business. Just buy a bottle for a few cents or refill your own in your hotel room.

It's also a right for waiters to get paid by their boss, yet here we are with the US business model where that isn't the case. 

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u/Largewhitebutt Aug 12 '26

Nobody said restaurants are humanitarian operations. Being a business doesn’t automatically mean every basic amenity has to be monetized. My point is simply that I think tap water should be treated as a basic amenity, like a restroom or a place to sit, rather than a product you’re required to purchase. The restaurant isn’t meaningfully providing me with a different product because the water came out of their tap instead of a bottle. And I agree with you about the US tipping/wage model being a problem. But that’s a separate issue. The fact that American restaurants have a bad system for compensating waiters doesn’t really make charging €3 for a glass of tap water any less silly.

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u/MooseontheLose Aug 12 '26

You are expected to tip tho, just less than in the US

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u/VirtualMatter2 Aug 12 '26

Depends on the European country. 

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u/MooseontheLose Aug 12 '26

The context of the comment is Germany tho

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u/VirtualMatter2 Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

In Germany tipping is normal. Not like the US, but rounding up, sure. However it seems it varies by region there as well. I had another German say to me that they don't tip and their friends don't tip and it's not a thing whereas I tend to tip here.