On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 at 11:39:49, Richard M Willis
wrote:

Also, a drinking fountain would inevitably get gobbed in, ****ed
in, or be treated as an ashtray or garbage receptacle. Presumably
the Americans don't suffer from this sort of thing.

But surely the whole point of water fountains is that they produce a
stream which arches up, so your mouth doesn't have to go anywhere near
the actual outlet. And, from what I remember of the US, the fountains
were too high up to be peed into, unless you were a contortionist!

I remember as a child being able to use the drinking-fountains in Hyde
Park; you can't now....
--
Annabel Smyth
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/index.html
Website updated 6 June 2004

Annabel Smyth wrote:
On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 at 11:39:49, Richard M Willis
wrote:

Also, a drinking fountain would inevitably get gobbed in, ****ed
in, or be treated as an ashtray or garbage receptacle. Presumably
the Americans don't suffer from this sort of thing.

But surely the whole point of water fountains is that they produce a
stream which arches up, so your mouth doesn't have to go anywhere
near the actual outlet. And, from what I remember of the US, the
fountains were too high up to be peed into, unless you were a
contortionist!

That's a gender-specific comment. Remember that some of us can do the
"stream which arches up" bit ourselves.
:-)

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 at 13:58:42, Richard J.
wrote:

Annabel Smyth wrote:

But surely the whole point of water fountains is that they produce a
stream which arches up, so your mouth doesn't have to go anywhere
near the actual outlet. And, from what I remember of the US, the
fountains were too high up to be peed into, unless you were a
contortionist!

That's a gender-specific comment. Remember that some of us can do the
"stream which arches up" bit ourselves.
:-)

True, but I would have thought that, unless one were *very* drunk, one
would try not to draw attention to oneself peeing in a public place....
--
Annabel Smyth
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/index.html
Website updated 6 June 2004

Annabel Smyth wrote:
On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 at 13:58:42, Richard J.
wrote:

Annabel Smyth wrote:

But surely the whole point of water fountains is that they
produce a stream which arches up, so your mouth doesn't have to
go anywhere near the actual outlet. And, from what I remember of
the US, the fountains were too high up to be peed into, unless
you were a contortionist!

That's a gender-specific comment. Remember that some of us can do
the "stream which arches up" bit ourselves.
:-)

True, but I would have thought that, unless one were *very* drunk,
one would try not to draw attention to oneself peeing in a public
place....

But many people *are* very drunk, have imbibed large quantities of
liquid, and cough obviously would not wish to pollute the pavements
and parks, and are therefore forced, despite their obvious
embarrassment, to use this urinal made for giants, which conveniently
has a flushing facility.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

Annabel Smyth wrote the following in:


On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 at 13:58:42, Richard J.
wrote:

Annabel Smyth wrote:

But surely the whole point of water fountains is that they
produce a stream which arches up, so your mouth doesn't have to
go anywhere near the actual outlet. And, from what I remember
of the US, the fountains were too high up to be peed into,
unless you were a contortionist!

That's a gender-specific comment. Remember that some of us can do
the "stream which arches up" bit ourselves.
:-)

True, but I would have thought that, unless one were *very* drunk,
one would try not to draw attention to oneself peeing in a public
place....

No shortage of very drunk people in London!

--
message by Robin May. Inimitable, but would you want to anyway?
"GIVE IN! IT'S TIME TO GO!" - The NHS offers a high standard of care.

http://robinmay.fotopic.net
Spelling lesson: then and than are different words.

In article , Richard J.
writes
I believe so, and I find that a request for "une carafe d'eau" is
accepted more willingly in France than asking for tap water in an
English restaurant. I have never been charged for tap water in either
country, though I once found a restaurant (Old Siam in Reading) that
refused to serve it.

I think things have changed recently in the UK: I've never been keen on
paying for bottled water (except in countries where the tap water is
unsafe) but often used to get dirty looks in British restaurants when
asking for a jug of tap water while ordering my bottle of wine. In the
last month or two that has stopped, and a few times I've even be asked
if I want a jug of water (even iced water, maybe that's the effect of
American tourists?).

I suspect the recent scandals concerning impurities in bottled water
have finally had a beneficial effect.

--
Clive Page

"Clive Page" wrote in message
...
In article , Richard J.
writes
I believe so, and I find that a request for "une carafe d'eau" is
accepted more willingly in France than asking for tap water in an
English restaurant. I have never been charged for tap water in either
country, though I once found a restaurant (Old Siam in Reading) that
refused to serve it.

I think things have changed recently in the UK: I've never been keen on
paying for bottled water (except in countries where the tap water is
unsafe) but often used to get dirty looks in British restaurants when
asking for a jug of tap water while ordering my bottle of wine. In the
last month or two that has stopped, and a few times I've even be asked
if I want a jug of water (even iced water, maybe that's the effect of
American tourists?).
I suspect the recent scandals concerning impurities in bottled water
have finally had a beneficial effect.
Clive Page

I've just returned from a week in Grenoble and every time we ate out a
bottle or pitcher of water was put on the table, usually chilled.
Cheerz,
Baz