All I Want is Ice: Excited to Freeze My Teeth!

I’ll Have Extra Ice Please

No Actually, You Won’t Have Extra Ice. Stop Asking.

You’re probably thinking, why would you waste your time writing an entire section on ice? Boring! Don’t you know ice is frozen water and can be found anywhere? All I want is ice. For real.

I hate to break it to you, but ice is a very American thing. Ice is something we take for granted and a commodity the rest of the world blissfully lives without.

I don’t drink, smoke or do drugs but I do have a pretty severe Coke Zero with extra ice addiction. This addiction causes me (and subsequently my friends) a fair amount of drama every single time I leave the United States. 

I don’t remember the last time I had McDonald’s or Burger King at home, but I can tell you where you can find a McDonald’s or Burger King in most major cities across the world. 

Why?

Because they have ICE!

I’ll have a large Coca-Cola Light, Extra Ice Please

I’ve declared this request in every country I’ve visited and my experience is pretty much the same, regardless of where in the world I am.  The employee, who usually speaks perfect English and seems somewhat offended when I show them the local language “extra ice, please” translation on my cell phone, will smile and nod and then drop exactly five pieces of ice into my cup.

I’ll cry out that I need more. 

“Ice! To the top of the cup! Mucho mas!” I’ll exclaim and smile widely while I make a “more” hand gesture.

The well-meaning employee will shake their head like I’m a crazy person and let three more small pieces of ice drop into my cup.

So like the crazy American they already think I am, I’ll beg for more ice. 

Sometimes they’ll give it to me, usually they won’t. 

Why are they hoarding the ice when I so badly want it in my cup?

It’s Too Cold

I once met the nicest server in Frankfurt who told me that I couldn’t have a cup of ice for my drink because it would make it “too cold” and hurt my teeth. I told him that there was no way a few ice cubes would make my drink too cold. He shook his head and walked away.

I’m sorry, but there’s no way a drink could ever be “too cold”. Who’s with me?

After a few international trips, I realized I wasn’t going to convince any of these do-gooder restaurant employees to let me freeze my teeth. So I started to search out restaurants that would let me pour my own fountain drinks. You know, like we do in every gas station and fast-food restaurant across the United States (and some Canadian border towns who get “us”).  

Well ha! The joke’s on me! In all my travels I’ve encountered exactly TWO self-service soda fountains outside of the United States. One was at a Subway restaurant near the Notre Dame in Paris, the other was in downtown Luxembourg at a regional fast-food chain restaurant. 

For real. No one outside of the United States, except for some border towns in Canada share our very American affinity for ice.

Or free refills.

The Solution? Lukewarm Canned or Bottled Soda.

If you’re like me and addicted to ice, what do you do? 

You temper your expectations and deal with lukewarm canned or bottled soda, no straw. Or you steal a cup full of crushed ice from the salad bar at the roadside gas station. (Thanks Alex!)

That’s right. You’ll see plenty of ice scattered around keeping food cold. Somehow there’s no ice for our drinks.

Why?!?

That being said, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are you can always find a Coca-Cola, and sometimes quite cheaply. If your addiction is solely of the liquid-soda kind and you don’t mind drinking it lukewarm, you’re all set! 

What if you want a squirt of vanilla? Fat chance. A squeeze of lemon? Forget about it. A Dirty Diet Coke? Absolutely not!

Your Ice Options

If I’m staying at an Airbnb that has a freezer I’ll usually swing by the local grocery store and buy a bag of ice. When I get up in the morning I’ll make myself a nice cold Coke Zero and I’m good to go. If I need a little pick-me-up in the afternoon I might suffer through a lukewarm bottle of Coke Zero, but usually I’ll enjoy lukewarm bottled water. 

McDonald’s and Burger King always have ice, but you have to beg for it. Fast-food employees outside of the United States truly don’t seem to understand that if you put five pieces of ice in a drink it melts immediately, watering down your drink.

Starbucks has some very expensive but non-bubbly drinks made with ice. You’ll find Starbucks everywhere.

Some sit-down restaurants also have ice. Employees will often bring you a small cup of ice with a thin slice of lemon when they hear your American accent.

I never saw an ice cube in China. That was a very long 10 days.

Warning: Bottled Water – Gas or No Gas

I love the cool, crisp taste of Smart Water and occasionally I’ll find it in grocery stores outside the United States. I don’t really care for Evian, which you’ll find everywhere. Also, there’s a huge difference between gas and no gas water.  Go with no gas, but you’ll probably have to learn that on your own the hard way. Haha.

Avoid the Ice

There are places you don’t want to consume the ice, even if it’s offered. (Egypt would be at the top of my list for places not to eat the ice). If it’s recommended not to drink the water, you should definitely avoid the ice.

The big exception to this rule is Mexican tourist spots and resorts.

Mexican business owners both understand and appreciate our American affinity for ice. Their ice is made from filtered water and delivered daily in huge bags to restaurants, hotels, bars and resorts. I’ve never had any stomach problems or issues in Mexico and I always eat the ice. And all the tacos.

Ice Surprise

When visiting Crete we popped into a downtown McDonald’s. We ordered two large Cokes with extra ice which cost a whole two euros (about $2.25 USD). Expecting an eight-ounce soda with five pieces of ice, I almost fell over when the smiling employee handed over two 44 ounce cups of soda filled to the top with ice.

Aside from the random McDonalds in Crete, you’re going to have trouble finding icy drinks outside of the United States. If you’re addicted, come to terms with the ice situation before you step off the airplane.

That being said, I encourage you to ask for extra ice in your drink when you’re outside of the United States, you’ll be delighted when you get it! 

Let’s all get a good laugh. Post your world-traveling icy drink pictures on Instagram at #extraiceplease.

I love this Smithsonian article that explains why we love ice when the rest of the world shuns it. Our American mindset believes that more is always better, even when it’s something as simple as ice.

Thanks for Stopping By

Please feel free to share your questions or comments below. If you see any typos, let me know!

I encourage you to share my tribal knowledge with someone who loves or would love to travel.

The Art of Travel (TAOT) ~ Written by Kylie.