Breaking the ice

This piece is a musing on a simple facet of life in the United States.

“Let me get you started with waters. Ice, no ice”? The server smiled at us.

A few yards away the waves lapped at the shore. It was a gorgeous Christmas day in Lahaina, Hawaii as we sat down for brunch.

“Ice is okay” I replied, and the kids made their choices known.

“No ice for me, please” hubby added, as my cousin asked for warm water.

“You got it!” the server beamed.

Years back, we were new to the country and new to the concept of meals with a very cold glass of soda brimming to the top with large amounts of ice. Is this even a “concept” worth mulling, one might think. But yes, for some of us it was an uncomfortable new element of life. In a restaurant was it acceptable to ask for a plain glass of water? Sometimes especially in the winter months we’d be brave and say, “Can I have water with no ice please”? The server would often look quizzically and reply “Do you want tap water”? “No, no, cold water is okay, but no ice please”. “Okay honey, let me get you another glass”. And the ice and soda/water would go swiftly down the drain of the restaurant kitchen (thankfully out of sight) or in the drain of the fountain drinks dispenser (right before my sorrowful eyes- what a waste!)

Growing up, refrigerated water was something we had only in the hot summer months. And in any case, there wasn’t plentiful ice, it was only the small cubes that we popped out of that plastic tray with wedges. It was just cool enough as much as the hard-working small refrigerator could manage in the sweltering heat! With piping hot food, that was flavorful and sometimes spicy, water was the great neutralizer.

Initially when everything seemed large and abundant in this new country the chunky ice in the numbing cold soda also seemed excessive. And unnatural. We instinctively started asking for “Water, no ice please”. It worked well, especially with the theme of “No beef” or “No pork, please”. Gradually, it seemed there was a chorus. Soft, melodious like an acapella. It floated across the land from sea to shining sea and it registered. Restaurants picked up the preferences of their guests, and coincidentally the nation also grew more health conscious giving water an elevated status.  

We had indeed come a full circle. Watching the sun dance through the sprawling canopy of the Indian Banyan tree in Lahaina, we enjoyed our brunch with a medley of waters at the table.   

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~AK Irvinekar