Water seems simple at the surface, two hydrogens, one oxygen. It is clear, and plain but is it tasteless? As an ardent water drinker, a connoisseur, one may say, I find the varying tastes of water aggravating. How can something so simple have so many variations? 

In grocery stores, there are shelves filled from top to bottom with different brands of water. Not only do the brands vary, but so do the tastes. Ice Mountain, is a classic one can never go wrong with it; it’s cheap, clean, and one of the most flavorless waters on the market. On the other hand, Dasani has a metal taste that stays in my mouth for the rest of the day, never letting me forget I made the fateful decision to take a sip of their water. Those are bottom-shelf waters. On the top shelf, there are “high-end” waters. How can water be “high end”? It’s water. My hockey coach would argue that “Fiji water is the only acceptable water.” Others will argue that Voss water is superior and are willing to drop $3.00 per bottle for its specific taste. 

I grew up on well water, so that is what I got used to and learned to enjoy the taste of. Well water is often described as thicker and having a more mineral taste than city water. I remember as a child going to a friend’s house who had city water, and I thought it was rotten. It was that day that my pet peeve was born. Why are the different tastes necessary? Why make something so simple so complicated and even controversial? Why is it so bothersome? 

This is what one may call a “first-world problem.” I am sitting here in my Lululemon leggings, Ugg moccasins, typing on a MacBook, complaining about the taste of water. Across the globe, there are people who live without a constant, reliable, clean water source. They savor every last drop, they wouldn't think twice about the taste or if it's their favorite brand or not. I should be thankful to have a plentiful supply and the variation rather than view it as a problem because, in the end, water is just two hydrogens and one carbon after all.