Just Say NO to the Waiter Peddling Bottled Water

water%20sommelier.jpg A few weeks ago we dined at a trendy Toronto restaurant. My wife arrived a few minutes early; the waiter offered her bottled water, twice. I arrived a few minutes later, and the first question from the waiter was, Bottled water? I said no. my Mother arrived, as did the waiter again, to offer bottled water? We are fighting a trend- bottled water has markups similar to wines, and is becoming a big revenue source for restaurants as people give up wine with lunch or worry about drinking and driving after dinner. Some are hiring water sommeliers and printing water menus. The Food Channel says it is a big trend this year. Resistance is not futile; Dame Yve Buckland, chair of the UK's Consumer Council for Water, urged people not to feel embarrassed about ordering tap water instead of paying for bottled water when eating out. "The last thing you want when you are out at a restaurant is to have your request for tap water snubbed, or be required to pay for it. Consumers should feel able to insist on tap water." Don't feel guilty or cheap rejecting the bottled water; refuse it on moral and environmental grounds, demand fresh clean water in a clean glass or carafe. It is your right. ::Manchester Evening News