Nathaniel Clark – A&E Editor

nuc5002@psu.edu

Photo Credit: Pinkomelet/Getty

I always find it shocking when people tell me they do not “like” water. They act like drinking is a cardinal sin on your body and consumption will devour their insides. Instead of drinking the H, Two, and Oh, these people stick with their energy drinks and sodas for liquid consumption. Companies even make bottles and sweetening syrups to get people to put their lips remotely close to a cup of water. 

As a person who works at Walmart, I am always shocked at how fast Cirkul bottles sell out. With a tagline like “Finally, water is your favorite beverage,” it makes people feel vilified for not liking the liquid that makes up 60 percent of their bodies. 

While I will say I have no issues with sodas, energy drinks, flavored waters, etc, I just wonder why people stay away from the beverage of water itself. I do partake in these beverages as well, but I always make sure to have plenty of water throughout the day. 

In general, I feel like the issue I hear from most people who are “anti-water” is the lack of any flavor or taste in the drink. When drinking a soda, a mixture of carbonation, sugars, and sweeteners tantalize the taste buds. With teas, the herbal flavors have mixed with the tea, covering up the apparent lack of flavor for water. While things like Cirkul have water at their base, they add electrolytes or sweeteners to get people to drink it. 

In my opinion, the best part of water is its lack of flavors. We live in a world where food is commercialized and mass-processed. Almost everything we put into our bodies has either been processed, sprayed with pesticides, or tainted by sugars. Fruit juices are more based on sugar than actual fruit. That is why I like water so much. Through the purification process, water has no real taste. In the place of taste is the pure refreshment the beverage gives. 

Whether you need a sip throughout the night or a gulp after a tough workout, water will always be perfect for refreshment. In the world with climate-controlling water bottles, your water can consistently be perfectly cool and crisp. 

In essence, it is sometimes best to strip things to their most basic elements. Water, with its lack of flavor, sugar, caffeine, and electrolytes, is the most basic a beverage can get. In its place is just the perfect refreshment. Next time you are thirsty, just grab water instead of a soda.