FOBjection

Ennis at Sepia Mutiny decides to write this oh-so-enlightened piece about how FOBs hate ice in their drinks. Could it be because ice-cubes 'over there' are loaded with germs and god knows what else? Could it be because one can get sick 'over there' from drinking a frozen beverage when it's too hot?

Boo Sepia Mutiny - you're perpetuating the same sterotypes that you're trying to demystify through your blog. Here's my response to this piece:


Filling a glass up to the brim with ice, and then adding an itsy bit of liquid to fill up the crevases is an American thing. I dislike it for the following reasons:

- I want a drink. If I wanted to eat ice, I'd ask for it. I prefer my drink to last more than three gulps, without having to wait for all the ice to melt and turn the drink into a watery mess. The only time that is a good idea is while drinking scotch on the rocks - or sambuca.

- Parts of this continent are frickin cold! I've just walked into a bar when it's 15F outside. I order a vodka tonic. He hands me a mound of ice that I'm supposed to hold for the next 20 minutes while trying to look cool and scaning the room for potential dates while my hands are being cryogenically preserved. Not a pleasant experience.

- It only takes about 3 decent sized cubes of ice to keep a drink cool until you finish it, without turning it into a watery mess. Maybe 4 or 5 if it's summer in LA.

- Loading a glass with ice simply continues the American tradition of excess at the dinner table - in line with the 2000 calorie entrees. Ice doesn't just happen. It has to be produced and the process consumes a *lot* of energy. Tossing 20oz cups of soda half filled with ice is just as bad as tossing a half-eaten steak, or driving Hummers. Maybe a necessary evil during LA/FL summers, but an unnecessary excess in NYC in January.

That's all. It has nothing to do with ingrained notions of ice being dirty, or cold drinks giving you brain-freeze in a hot country. It's a cultural difference. Once you're hooked on a soda glass filled with (gasp) soda, it's hard to settle for the frozen stuff.

There's a time for slurpies, and there's a time for sodas!

FOB