4 ms·

I'm curious what you ever made, if anything, of the looks you would get for drinking ice water. I know it is considered very unhealthy with a strong taboo there

I'm curious what you ever made, if anything, of the looks you would get for drinking ice water. I know it is considered very unhealthy with a strong taboo there (at least, my data is from China, not sure if applies to other asian countries). I once asked a Chinese friend would they rather their hypothetical child habitually drink ice water or smoke cigarettes, and she knows the health risks of cigarettes, and she was genuinely on the fence and torn.

nefitty 6y ago
What is the feared effect?
- not2b 6y ago
  Water-borne diseases, I'm sure. It's easy for ice to be contaminated; if you go to a part of the world where tap water can't be relied on to be safe, skip the ice.
  - garmaine 6y ago
    No, that’s not what he’s referencing. There’s a Chinese belief that cold water makes you sick. Even sanitized, filtered water and ice made from the same. The fear is over the temperature, and is akin to Korea’s fear of electric fans in its irrationality.
    - not2b 6y ago
      I understand, but my guess is that the origin of this belief was from times when cold water would make you sick because it was likely to be contaminated. Given that, it's not irrational at all. If you believe something that increases your survival but you believe it for the wrong reason, it still increases your survival.
      - garmaine 6y ago
        That might be the origin of the belief, but it’s not what people are fearing today.
    - poulsbohemian 6y ago
      >Korea’s fear of electric fans Say what? Do tell.
      - garmaine 6y ago
        Oh my. You’re one of today’s lucky 10,000: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/05/is-this-going-to-kill-me-fan-death-korea/528243/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/05/is-this-g...
        hnick 6y ago
        I knew a girl from Hong Kong who carried the same belief so it's not just SK. It's interesting the article didn't mentioned suicide, which I've seen mentioned before as a cause of the myth. The story goes that papers popularised the concept as a way to avoid specifically naming suicide as a cause of death, as a kind of shared understanding while preserving the honour of the families. But a lot of people took it seriously so the idea gained traction.
  - tipoftheiceberg 6y ago
    I consider most, if not all, tap water unsafe and recommend further filtration practices like reverse osmosis. Secondly, I’ve seen many ice machines throughout my prior work and would strongly recommend avoiding ice cubes as most kitchens don’t clean these properly.
- hnick 6y ago
  Cultural habits don't necessarily need a well defined cause and effect. The effect in such cases is that people think you are strange for not playing along. The root of the habit in this case is Chinese medicinal beliefs. Here is a bit of a summary. https://www.cheng-tsui.com/blog/hot-water-in-chinese-culture https://www.cheng-tsui.com/blog/hot-water-in-chinese-culture "In traditional Chinese medicine (中医, zhōng yī), hot water is used to expel excess cold and humidity from the body, and it is believed to promote blood circulation. This helps detoxify the body and relax the muscles. Cold water supposedly has the opposite effect, slowing organ function and causing painful muscle contractions. Thus, hot water is often touted as the cure for everything from sore throats to stiffness to cramps to fatigue." Of course, modern people also know that untreated water is not safe. That doesn't explain an aversion to cold bottled water or other drinks though, which while far from absolute is more common than it is in Western countries.
newsbinator 6y ago
I remember somebody mentioned if they drink ice water after exercising and getting really hot, it can cause them to pass out. Anybody have the details on that effect?
- bonzini 6y ago
  It's true and it happens when nerves around the stomach (called vagus nerve) react to the cold by sending a signal to the brain. Because among other effects signals from the vagus nerve reduce cardiac frequency, you can indeed pass out as a result. Not a doctor, but it happened to my wife and it was a little scary.
HarryHirsch 6y ago
In China there was a longstanding practice of using nightsoil (i.e. human feces) as fertilizer. The health risks are great and doing it safely requires strictest adherence to hygiene protocols. Everything is boiled for safety, even lettuce is wilted in the pan. It's no surprise that ice water gets you the crazy look. Food taboos oftentimes make sense. Sometime ago someone mentioned traditional, cyanogen-rich varieties of cassava, which are pest-resistant but require boiling for hours in an open pot. If you omit that you end up with motor neuron disease, konzo as they call it, but only after several years. So it's not surprising that superstitions sprang up around the plant, some of which are actually protective.

nefitty 6y ago

What is the feared effect?

not2b 6y ago
Water-borne diseases, I'm sure. It's easy for ice to be contaminated; if you go to a part of the world where tap water can't be relied on to be safe, skip the ice.
- garmaine 6y ago
  No, that’s not what he’s referencing. There’s a Chinese belief that cold water makes you sick. Even sanitized, filtered water and ice made from the same. The fear is over the temperature, and is akin to Korea’s fear of electric fans in its irrationality.
  - not2b 6y ago
    I understand, but my guess is that the origin of this belief was from times when cold water would make you sick because it was likely to be contaminated. Given that, it's not irrational at all. If you believe something that increases your survival but you believe it for the wrong reason, it still increases your survival.
    - garmaine 6y ago
      That might be the origin of the belief, but it’s not what people are fearing today.
  - poulsbohemian 6y ago
    >Korea’s fear of electric fans Say what? Do tell.
    - garmaine 6y ago
      Oh my. You’re one of today’s lucky 10,000: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/05/is-this-going-to-kill-me-fan-death-korea/528243/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/05/is-this-g...
      - hnick 6y ago
        I knew a girl from Hong Kong who carried the same belief so it's not just SK. It's interesting the article didn't mentioned suicide, which I've seen mentioned before as a cause of the myth. The story goes that papers popularised the concept as a way to avoid specifically naming suicide as a cause of death, as a kind of shared understanding while preserving the honour of the families. But a lot of people took it seriously so the idea gained traction.
- tipoftheiceberg 6y ago
  I consider most, if not all, tap water unsafe and recommend further filtration practices like reverse osmosis. Secondly, I’ve seen many ice machines throughout my prior work and would strongly recommend avoiding ice cubes as most kitchens don’t clean these properly.
hnick 6y ago
Cultural habits don't necessarily need a well defined cause and effect. The effect in such cases is that people think you are strange for not playing along. The root of the habit in this case is Chinese medicinal beliefs. Here is a bit of a summary. https://www.cheng-tsui.com/blog/hot-water-in-chinese-culture https://www.cheng-tsui.com/blog/hot-water-in-chinese-culture "In traditional Chinese medicine (中医, zhōng yī), hot water is used to expel excess cold and humidity from the body, and it is believed to promote blood circulation. This helps detoxify the body and relax the muscles. Cold water supposedly has the opposite effect, slowing organ function and causing painful muscle contractions. Thus, hot water is often touted as the cure for everything from sore throats to stiffness to cramps to fatigue." Of course, modern people also know that untreated water is not safe. That doesn't explain an aversion to cold bottled water or other drinks though, which while far from absolute is more common than it is in Western countries.

newsbinator 6y ago

I remember somebody mentioned if they drink ice water after exercising and getting really hot, it can cause them to pass out. Anybody have the details on that effect?

bonzini 6y ago
It's true and it happens when nerves around the stomach (called vagus nerve) react to the cold by sending a signal to the brain. Because among other effects signals from the vagus nerve reduce cardiac frequency, you can indeed pass out as a result. Not a doctor, but it happened to my wife and it was a little scary.

HarryHirsch 6y ago

In China there was a longstanding practice of using nightsoil (i.e. human feces) as fertilizer. The health risks are great and doing it safely requires strictest adherence to hygiene protocols. Everything is boiled for safety, even lettuce is wilted in the pan. It's no surprise that ice water gets you the crazy look. Food taboos oftentimes make sense. Sometime ago someone mentioned traditional, cyanogen-rich varieties of cassava, which are pest-resistant but require boiling for hours in an open pot. If you omit that you end up with motor neuron disease, konzo as they call it, but only after several years. So it's not surprising that superstitions sprang up around the plant, some of which are actually protective.