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Troglodyte
Joined: 06 Dec 2009
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 Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:12 am Post subject: |
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| english puppet wrote: |
| duke of new york wrote: |
| I drink it every day; it hasn't ever bothered me. Tastes pretty much like most tap water in the US. I wouldn't be scared of the tap water just because a lot of Koreans won't drink it. These are the same people that think you will die if you leave a fan running in your room at night. If you're really worried there is something harmful in it, just boil it and keep a pitcher in the fridge. |
Agreed. Never a problem.
On rare occasions I'll notice a slight shift in the drinking water. It's rare though (maybe 1x or 2x's a few months ago?) and then I just boil it up and throw it in the fridge.
Unless you're on a weird local water line or something you're just throwing your money out IMHO. |
I also agree. I've been drinking tap water here for years and never got sick from it. I can't say that I recall hearing about any other foreigners getting sick from it either.
Granted, if I'm at work and there's a water cooler, I'll drink from that but mainly because it's cold. The only time that I'll buy a bottle of water is if I'm travelling and I just can't find a place to fill up a travel bottle.
If you do feel that you can't risk it and want to boil it, then get a box of barley teabags to flavor it. I mean those huge teabags. Those are mean to have one bag in 2L of water. It's a very mild taste, and you can drink it hot or cold. |
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soomin
Joined: 18 Jun 2009
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:36 am Post subject: |
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| duke of new york wrote: |
| I drink it every day; it hasn't ever bothered me. Tastes pretty much like most tap water in the US. I wouldn't be scared of the tap water just because a lot of Koreans won't drink it. These are the same people that think you will die if you leave a fan running in your room at night. If you're really worried there is something harmful in it, just boil it and keep a pitcher in the fridge. |
if the locals don't drink it, I'm not drinking it, LOL~
Thanks for the tip, Binch Lover~ I will check it out ^.^ |
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Swampfox10mm
Joined: 24 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 2:23 am Post subject: |
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| Troglodyte wrote: |
I also agree. I've been drinking tap water here for years and never got sick from it. I can't say that I recall hearing about any other foreigners getting sick from it either.
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There's more to it than that.
Talk to us when you're 65 and the heavy metals have caused you to forget to unzip before you pee. |
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duke of new york
Joined: 23 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 3:19 am Post subject: |
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| soomin wrote: |
| if the locals don't drink it, I'm not drinking it, LOL~ |
All right, then also be sure to turn off your fan when you go to bed, open the windows if you run the AC, cut all whole grains out of your diet, never write your name in red ink, etc. Just because the locals do or don't do something doesn't mean there is any logic behind it, especially if the locals are Koreans. |
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motiontodismiss
Joined: 18 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:04 am Post subject: |
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Too much. I spent like $10 every 3 months on a brita filter in NYC.  |
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soomin
Joined: 18 Jun 2009
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:06 am Post subject: |
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| duke of new york wrote: |
| soomin wrote: |
| if the locals don't drink it, I'm not drinking it, LOL~ |
All right, then also be sure to turn off your fan when you go to bed, open the windows if you run the AC, cut all whole grains out of your diet, never write your name in red ink, etc. Just because the locals do or don't do something doesn't mean there is any logic behind it, especially if the locals are Koreans. |
There's a difference between superstitions and whether or not a country's tap water is drinkable. Just because your home country has pre-filtered/purified water, doesn't mean every country is like that.
Would you drink the tap water in Mexico? I mean, sure~ everyone *told* you not to drink it, but, pft~ who cares! They're probably just superstitious! Good thing you're smarter than they are!  |
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Pablo
Joined: 15 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:34 am Post subject: |
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| I started using my kitchen tap water just for brushing my teeth (swish and spit) until one day I poured some into a pot to boil an egg and there was an in-my-face petroleum rainbow floating on the surface. |
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duke of new york
Joined: 23 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:42 am Post subject: |
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| soomin wrote: |
| There's a difference between superstitions and whether or not a country's tap water is drinkable. Just because your home country has pre-filtered/purified water, doesn't mean every country is like that. |
Well, obviously not every country purifies its water...but Korea does, so what's your point?
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| Would you drink the tap water in Mexico? I mean, sure~ everyone *told* you not to drink it, but, pft~ who cares! They're probably just superstitious! Good thing you're smarter than they are! |
Americans who drink tap water in Mexico get violently ill. I've never heard of anyone--American, Korean, or otherwise--having health problems associated with drinking tap water in Korea. It's treated, it looks and tastes normal, it has never had an unusual effect on me, and I have never heard of it having an unusual effect on anyone else. If this is not enough to consider a source of water drinkable, then I don't know what is.
I'm not telling you that you have to drink it. Go out and buy bottled water every week if you really want to, I don't care. I'm just trying to help you guys save a little money with the power of common sense. |
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jfromtheway
Joined: 20 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 7:01 am Post subject: |
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What's the water fluoridation situation in Korean cities these days? Anyone have any information on that?
And, has anyone seen ONE Brita filter on sale anywhere, please? I know Costco sells packs of three. I also know I'm sounding like a cheap ass here, but I don't want three, and this much cheaper jackass I know used my Brita water filter basin as a bowl for his noodles, ruining the original. Been buying bottled water ever since, and I'm not too happy about it.  |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 7:11 am Post subject: |
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Well swamp you can have a filter installed on your tap water and that takes care of those pesky heavy metals but then do you eat fish?
Damn...mercury!!
ok..ok..meat?
Damn growth hormones!!
ok..ok...vegetarian then?
Oh forgot about chemical contamination.
breathe air?
Oh heck fumes, second hand smoke! Better hold your breath. 
In all seriousness, I did not and would not drink tap water straight from the tap in Korea. We had a filter system installed as do most of my wife's family. |
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Troglodyte
Joined: 06 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:15 am Post subject: |
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| Swampfox10mm wrote: |
| Troglodyte wrote: |
I also agree. I've been drinking tap water here for years and never got sick from it. I can't say that I recall hearing about any other foreigners getting sick from it either.
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There's more to it than that.
Talk to us when you're 65 and the heavy metals have caused you to forget to unzip before you pee. |
A Brita filter will filter out chlorine (which will normally evaporate within a few hours of coming out of the tap anyway), calcium, iron and some lead. If you have exposed lead pipes in your building, Brita isn't going to protect you against that much lead. You know what WILL help protect you against lead poisoning? Calcium and iron in your diet. Oh, but you just filtered them out of the water anyway. Better take some supplements.
Brita filters don't kill bacteria. They DO trap some of it in the charcoal which is good in the short term but is also why you need to change those on schedule or risk giving yourself a nasty case of Montezuma's revenge.
One thing that they definitely don't filter out is aluminum. How does THAT get in tap water? Commonly added by cheap water heaters. Do you know which metal is most often connected to Alzheimers? There's no proof that it causes Alzheimers, but it's usually present in larger than normal quantities in the brains of Alzheimers patients. But either way it's irrelevant because your Brita filter isn't going to remove it from your tap water anyway.
Those filters that attach to the tap or that fit in a water jug will not do much to clean the tap water. They're only for use when the water is a little questionable or if all you want to do is remove the chlorine, calcium and iron. If you suspect your water has other nasty stuff in it, get it checked out.
Speaking of long term health problems from water... you know what can also make you sick? Water that's been left too long in a plastic water bottle.
So my advice.... avoid water altogether. Stick to beer and whiskey. |
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OBwannabe
Joined: 16 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:48 am Post subject: |
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I don't believe the tap water is unsafe, but I reluctantly drank it on a couple hungover occasions and it tasted like absolute gash. But I just couldn't be bothered to leave the house to buy the bottled variety with a splitting headache.
Tap water in Seoul may be safe, but it's gross. |
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bobloblaw
Joined: 30 May 2010
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:44 am Post subject: |
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| My friend researched and told me the water in Korea is held to a high standard initially, but once it goes through those ancient metal pipes it picks up many things you don't want to drink. |
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bobloblaw
Joined: 30 May 2010
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:51 am Post subject: |
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| Troglodyte wrote: |
| Swampfox10mm wrote: |
| Troglodyte wrote: |
I also agree. I've been drinking tap water here for years and never got sick from it. I can't say that I recall hearing about any other foreigners getting sick from it either.
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There's more to it than that.
Talk to us when you're 65 and the heavy metals have caused you to forget to unzip before you pee. |
A Brita filter will filter out chlorine (which will normally evaporate within a few hours of coming out of the tap anyway), calcium, iron and some lead. If you have exposed lead pipes in your building, Brita isn't going to protect you against that much lead. You know what WILL help protect you against lead poisoning? Calcium and iron in your diet. Oh, but you just filtered them out of the water anyway. Better take some supplements.
Brita filters don't kill bacteria. They DO trap some of it in the charcoal which is good in the short term but is also why you need to change those on schedule or risk giving yourself a nasty case of Montezuma's revenge.
One thing that they definitely don't filter out is aluminum. How does THAT get in tap water? Commonly added by cheap water heaters. Do you know which metal is most often connected to Alzheimers? There's no proof that it causes Alzheimers, but it's usually present in larger than normal quantities in the brains of Alzheimers patients. But either way it's irrelevant because your Brita filter isn't going to remove it from your tap water anyway.
Those filters that attach to the tap or that fit in a water jug will not do much to clean the tap water. They're only for use when the water is a little questionable or if all you want to do is remove the chlorine, calcium and iron. If you suspect your water has other nasty stuff in it, get it checked out.
Speaking of long term health problems from water... you know what can also make you sick? Water that's been left too long in a plastic water bottle.
So my advice.... avoid water altogether. Stick to beer and whiskey. |
Excellent post, especially the last sentence. |
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adzee1
Joined: 22 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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| soomin wrote: |
| duke of new york wrote: |
| soomin wrote: |
| if the locals don't drink it, I'm not drinking it, LOL~ |
All right, then also be sure to turn off your fan when you go to bed, open the windows if you run the AC, cut all whole grains out of your diet, never write your name in red ink, etc. Just because the locals do or don't do something doesn't mean there is any logic behind it, especially if the locals are Koreans. |
There's a difference between superstitions and whether or not a country's tap water is drinkable. Just because your home country has pre-filtered/purified water, doesn't mean every country is like that.
Would you drink the tap water in Mexico? I mean, sure~ everyone *told* you not to drink it, but, pft~ who cares! They're probably just superstitious! Good thing you're smarter than they are! |
I drank tap water in Mexico many times and didnt get ill from it, in some states such as Jalisco the water is treated to make it "safe", in others such as Quintana Roo ( Cancun area ) it is not treated so technically you are not supposed to drink it. Although bottled water in Mexico is super cheap at $2 for 20 litres.
Here in Korea I just fill up a 2 litre bottle at work every and when that runs out I use tap water. |
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