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| Angelika/Mike Schilli |
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Angelika For a long time, I have wanted to write about American "water fountains" that are found on every corner here. These small splashing faucets, also known as "drinking fountains," actually look like elevated bird baths. The difference is that you don't drink the water from a stagnant basin; instead, you press a small button on the side, which causes the water to spout upwards from a tap, allowing you to catch it with your mouth.
Drinking water fountains are located in America wherever there are many people who might suddenly get thirsty: in schools, universities, offices, parks, and sports facilities.
Drinking properly from a water fountain is not that easy and requires years of practice -- Europeans who did not grow up with it generally struggle with it at first.
For hygienic reasons, you should not touch the faucet with your mouth. Instead, gently start the water flowing by pressing a button and then carefully bring your mouth close to the saddle point of the rather wide, calm stream. Easier said than done: What every American child manages to do immediately through early and varied practice, I still haven't mastered even after six and a half years.
Even from a political perspective, drinking water fountains have quite a history. In the southern states of America, Black people were not allowed to use the drinking fountains designated for white people. There were "drinking fountains" for Black people and others for white people. The civil rights movement addressed this injustice in the 1950s and 1960s. And one thing that surely only exists in dog-loving San Francisco should be mentioned here: even Fido is taken care of in hot weather. He has his own, lowered drinking fountain. However, he can't operate it by himself yet, as his owner has to press the button for him to make the water flow. You can see it live nearby in Dolores Park here in San Francisco!
Your Frisco Kids!
Angelika und Michael
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