Which water would you prefer? Sparkling, still or…tap?
My newest restaurant pet peeve? Asking for a glass of water — not an unlikely request lately — and having a server respond, “Would you like sparkling, still or …tap.” The final word is often uttered in the same tone one might use to describe a dead mouse. A withering disdain.
This drives a friend of mine mad: “Why should I feel guilty about ordering tap water? Not everyone can afford bottled water, after all.”
I asked a local restaurateur, Urban Table’s Alan Gaylin, where he stood on the water issue. His new restaurant sells bottled waters but also offers large glass jars of free iced water — some of them flavored with fresh lemon or cucumber — at the counter for customers.
“Water is water,” Gaylin says.
