From "You’ve Heard of Fine Wine. Now Meet Fine Water. Bottled waters from small, pristine sources are attracting a lot of buzz, with tastings, sommeliers and even water cellars" (NYT).
It sounds like comedy, but it's really happening. As for that water pumped up from the "deep sea," it sounds salty, and it had me wondering if it's possible for unsalty water to somehow exist below the salt water. The NYT article doesn't impinge on the fantasy of the specialness of the water, but I believe these waters are processed, are they not? That deep-sea water must be desalinated and then a chosen mix of minerals is added, right? And "water gathered from nets"? Does that sound ethereal to you... or unclean? Why not water gathered from towels hung in a steamy bathroom? At least birds wouldn't shit on them.
But you have to admire the ingenuity. I remember when selling water was one of the challenges in Season 1 of "The Apprentice" (blogged here, in 2004). It's available here, free, on Amazon Prime. I just got distracted into watching some of that show. I hadn't remembered how incredibly good-looking everyone was. Were people better looking 20 years ago? I think there's been a decline. If so, why? There are changes in health, changes in mood, and changes in taste, including the taste for plastic surgery, injections, and makeup. I can barely stand to look at television these days.
But, anyway, water, yeah, it's something that can be sold at a jacked-up price, either because its exquisite details are real and detectable or because marketing has unlocked the imagination of the consumer.
Speaking of marketing, I've been reading "Leaders of 'Orgasmic Meditation' Group Are Convicted of Coercion Charges/Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz were charged with engaging in a forced labor conspiracy related to the sexual wellness company OneTaste." "OneTaste" suggests that the product is so good that if you had a free taste of it, you'd be transformed into a paying user.
***
Where did these ladies go wrong?
The verdict suggested that jurors had embraced an expansive definition of “coercion.”...
Ms. Daedone started OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004. Her goal, she has said, was to address what she called the gap in sexual satisfaction between men and women. A former prostitute who has described growing up in an abusive household, Ms. Daedone says her teachings were inspired by traditional Buddhist practices.
OneTaste gained attention for its central practice, orgasmic meditation, or “OMing.” The act typically involved a gloved man systematically stroking the genitals of a woman as she lay in a butterfly position on an array of pillows for 15 minutes. Variants included “male OMing,” in which a woman stroked a man’s genitals for 15 minutes....
Then there was an article in Bloomberg Businessweek magazine telling of "employees who said they had run up substantial credit card debt to pay for courses and had worked for free while trying to pay off their debts."
[A] half-dozen women who worked for OneTaste [testified that] the company had shaped their identities and that they believed leaving would end their path to enlightenment....
Ms. Daedone, according to videos shown by prosecutors at the trial, preached that orgasmic meditation could free women from past sexual trauma and that they could avoid such trauma altogether if they were always in the mood for sex.
“The real way to deflect rape is to turn on 100 percent, because then there is nothing to rape,” Ms. Daedone said at a OneTaste coaching seminar in 2013....
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62 comments:
What in the actual - "The real way to deflect rape is to turn on 100 percent, because then there is nothing to rape"?
Good God. A woman said that?
Rape is a crime against feminine modesty. Otherwise it's just assault and battery. There being no modesty in question these days, the specific charge of rape ought to be eliminated in favor of assault and battery. It would leave women less confused about why a contemporaneous police report is required.
Water does have a taste and when you drink copious amounts of it the taste does matter…but holy hell, the US government has worked sooo hard preventing a technical recession with all the helicopter money there’s just so few productive places for it to go, so we end up with disturbingly well funded protest weekends and carp like this…
Scams.
Shades of a pet rock.
…the pizza cooks are allowed to spend up for the fancy water recipe hardware but l propose we all agree everyone else needs to knock it off…
"Good God. A woman said that?"
A woman who had grown up in an abusive household and who had worked as a prostitute.
How does a prostitute keep from seeing herself as being raped?
She was articulating the prostitute's mentality.
TheOneTaste prosecution takes a pretty aggressive approach to the idea of coercion. In other contexts, the Supreme Court has been hostile to efforts by prosecutors to push statutes — mail and wire fraud particularly— to cover conduct outside the property focused core that fraud had traditionally meant. Perhaps the same will happen to the idea that making something too attractive can amount to coercion. It all comes down to interpretation of the words used by Congress to define the particular crime at issue, which cannot be expanded by a prosecutor’s desire to stretch those words beyond their normal meaning.
…gotta like the progress women have made, though. Ms. Prostitute and Liz Holmes are right up there with the Bagwans and the Joneses and the Madoffs. Lady boss!!
Another non-Buddhist approach is articulated as: "I am the resurrection and the life. She that believeth in me, though she [or a certain part of her] is dead, yet shall she live."
Well, this will age like fine milk!
Fair enough, I guess.
Why not water gathered from towels hung in a steamy bathroom?
Sydney Sweeney is selling soap made from her used bathwater, so we are already half-way there.
"Good God. A woman said that?"
A woman who had grown up in an abusive household and who had worked as a prostitute.
How does a prostitute keep from seeing herself as being raped?
I was going to make a snarky remark about this, but your comment gave me a different perspective, and I will choose instead not to do so.
"how incredibly good-looking everyone was."
The entertainment industry has been nudging men and women toward an androgynous compromise. We still have attractive big stars, but good-looking people on TV used to be the default.
Now, supporting actors tend to be mopey soy-boys or hard, aggressive women. At least the athletic guy is going to take his shirt off. Cleavage is banned unless it is an intentional part of the narrative.
Imagine what their specification for container bottles must look like. For instance: What do you clean the bottle with, before filling it with this holy water? You have to remove everything, including any subtleties.
"Were people better looking 20 years ago? I think there's been a decline. If so, why? "
Because people are slobs now - they're fatter and taking long flights in their pajamas. What has been lost is pride in appearance, replaced by the kind of Pride that's blasting out all over the place, this month in particular. Maybe fewer people care to compete now, easier to give up and just buy another double latte. Maybe they don't think they want to compete, and play this game of stolen words.
Don't get me started about how whoever owns the Saratoga brand now shut down the store at the spring and now sells water from Pennsylvania or wherever they get it the cheapest, and brags about the "Iconic blue bottles." What made those bottles iconic was the world class Saratoga water, which I don't think anybody can get anymore for love nor money, or at least they are keeping it a pretty good secret.
Althouse said...
"I hadn't remembered how incredibly good-looking everyone was."
After 21 years, I'm still waiting for Althouse to say that about us commenters. We all want to feel sexy too!
"I think there's been a decline."
Okay, you didn't have to be mean about it.
I hadn't remembered how incredibly good-looking everyone was. Were people better looking 20 years ago? I think there's been a decline. If so, why? There are changes in health, changes in mood, and changes in taste, including the taste for plastic surgery, injections, and makeup. I can barely stand to look at television these days.
TV and movies play with the colors in post production. A lot. They especially amp up the intensity and saturation of colors and they seem to like clashing color schemes and nauseating colors (especially in commercials where they really like purple and orange). They often give the same cast to an entire scene which looks weird.
I agree, it's quite hard to watch TV today because of this.
W.T.F.
A fool and their money are soon parted, as they say. I'm just back from a trip to the bubbler. That's Drinking Fountain to you Coasties.
Too bad the Frasier sequel was cancelled. The water thing would be the perfect topic for them to visit from time to time.
Going back to the well, so to speak.
"Why not water gathered from towels hung in a steamy bathroom?"
WTF, Ann? Have you been following NY Times employees at Planet Fitness?
What made those bottles iconic was the world class Saratoga water, which I don't think anybody can get anymore
In high school I worked at the Hall of Springs where the old bottling plant was running in the building next door. Production was stopped decades ago. I think there’s a car museum or something there now…but anyone can get Saratoga water, just bring a jug to any of the many springs in the parl. One spring is a few yards from the old plant. The bad news is it all reeks of sulphur…
serious question..
how much does distilled water cost? is it tasty?
bonus fun question: WHY did the early astronauts drink TANG?
“One spring is a few yards from the old plant. The bad news is it all reeks of sulphur…”
Oh Hell, NO!!!
I prefer ICE water myself.
Were people better looking 20 years ago?
Well I was better looking 20 years ago than I am now. Aging sucks but the alternative sucks worse.
The odd one to me was to call water with lithium (El Paso tap water) "Crazy Water". The water-soluble lithium hydroxide form is the main active ingredient in many anti-psychotic drugs, like Elavil. There are trace amounts of it in the West Texas water. I've read that, as a result, El Paso has a much lower rate of mental illness than other cities of a similar size.
A small begging to differ. We have hydrogen infusing water bottles. My GP, a solid sort not given to fluff reccommended it to help my stage III renal failure. It gives the water a certain tang that is refreshing and supposedly death to the free radicals it attaches too. Or so the story goes... Inexpensive. I think we bought our two through the Althouse Amazon portal.
General Jack D. Ripper: Have you ever seen a Commie drink a glass of water?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Well, no, I can't say I have.
General Jack D. Ripper: Vodka. That's what they drink, isn't it? Never water.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Well, I believe that's what they drink, Jack. Yes.
General Jack D. Ripper: On no account will a Commie ever drink water and not without good reason.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Yes. I - I doubt quite see what you're getting at, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: Water. That's what I'm getting at. Water.
Penn & Teller did an ep of their showtime show Bullshit! On March 7,2003 on the stupidity of bottled water
John Henry
With these people it's all "Crazy Water" and no, you don't get to call yourself a sommelier just for sipping a water bottle. Ubiquitous drinkable water is a sign of our advanced civilization. It's easier than ever to "stay hydrated" and avoid water-borne sickness and disease and death.
Yet the same people who busied themselves with trying to keep a braindead man "running the country" are so bored with their easy civilized lives that they must find a way to struggle on, to set themselves apart.
"Look, we are so cool we have acquired this bottle of tap water from far off at a great price because an indigenous person told us a [ridiculous] story about how the water was procured. Marvel at our astute taste in oxygen dihydride!"
"The bad news is it all reeks of sulphur…"
That's a shame. Well, I have a friend who lives in the Adirondacks, and his well water is so good that you almost shed a tear to have to use it to flush the toilet.
>Ann Althouse said...
How does a prostitute keep from seeing herself as being raped?<
By seeing dollar signs, I presume.
I can think of a few cities where Penn and Teller might have done their comparisons where the result might have been different. Unless they are treating the water themselves after it comes out of the tap, not to mention that a lot of the draw of tap water is convenience, and we all put different prices on that. But if I go into a gas station after having driven for four or five hours, I am happy to be able to buy a large bottle of SmartWater or whatever, rather than taking a chance on whatever the taps in the bathroom of the gas station are offering for free.
I read somewhere that a lot of our drinking water is contaminated with dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO). Hopefully RFK Jr will put a stop to this.
Re Saratoga Water:
I grew up in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. From the valley a giant naturally occurring formation in the shape of an indian arrowhead was visible for miles. The point of the arrowhead marked a set of hot springs just a mile up state route 18 from the city. That is where Arrowhead Mountain Spring water was drawn from originally. Years later the company relocated and simply used municipal sources to fill their bottling plant. Then they sponsored the Chief's NFL stadium.
This reminds me of the 1985 comedy Water.
That'll be the next thing, exciting taste experiences for rich people's dogs brought to the house daily and poured into their toilets.
What does scholar.google.com have to say about lithium in the drinking water? This is from a meta-analysis of a large number of studies.
Lithium in drinking water is dose-dependently associated with reduced suicide mortality at least in ecological studies. However, we need well-designed clinical trials to confirm the protective effect of drinking water lithium intake against suicide. —Journal of Affective Disorders
Years later the company relocated and simply used municipal sources to fill their bottling plant. Then they sponsored the Chief's NFL stadium.
It's called "The Great Enshitification" and it's affecting everything from Google search results to old school bottled water. Some people call it "late stage capitalism" but I think that that is overly optimistic, the search for profit maximization above all, and the relentless search for "authentic" products and brands that can be bought by venture capitalists and gutted and financialized will be the boot on our necks forever.
Now they are economically gutting and financializing whole nations, because work can always be done cheaper somewhere else. It's called "globalism" and anybody who opposes it is a "nazi," BTW, did I mention that they also own the mainstream press?
"I hadn't remembered how incredibly good-looking everyone was. Were people better looking 20 years ago? I think there's been a decline. If so, why? There are changes in health, changes in mood, and changes in taste, including the taste for plastic surgery, injections, and makeup. I can barely stand to look at television these days."
I do think people are generally less healthy today than they were twenty years ago, but that may be changing (from our lips to MAHA's ears.) I think there is something else going on in media though where casting decisions are made to intentionally choose less attractive people so that some folks, mostly women with anxieties regarding their own appearance, potentially won't feel badly.
It's called "The Great Enshitification" and it's affecting everything from Google search results to old school bottled water.
I was just lamenting the low quality of search results now. Is it AI or what?
I was trying to find a clip from that old movie, ' A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum' where a guy drinks a glass of mare sweat. I know a clip exists. I found it before with no problem a few years ago. Maybe it's me. I'm not exactly a computer genius.
On the rape comment, a similar notion was stated by one time Texas gubernatorial candidate Clayton Williams. He was ahead in the polls until during an interview he was asked about rape (trying to recall why, but I think it was related to abortion). His response was along the lines that a woman being raped should try to enjoy it. It sounded as awful as it seems, but he was meaning to avoid the emotional trauma of it. Academic discussion on this subject and handling the psychology are not good to have in casual public conversation.
As for the business, I find it difficult to believe the solution for a woman overcoming the trauma of rape is to have a man masturbate her. Even if the notion is (re)learning to enjoy sexual touch, wouldn’t it be better to have a woman or even a device do the stimulation?
Without reading the NYT, and I’m not intrigued enough, I have no idea how we went from marketing water to rape. But I’ll note Liquid Death probably marketed water best.
"After 21 years, I'm still waiting for Althouse to say that about us commenters. We all want to feel sexy too!"
Look at the avatar you chose for yourself!
As for me, I explained it in 2009: "One reason I enjoy blogging so much is that there's something about my brain that visualizes everyone as beautiful. If I don't see your photograph or hear some description that stops me, I picture the men looking like Cary Grant and the women looking like... Jennifer Connelly.... it's a problem when I try to step out of this life of the mind — oh, come on, humor me, blogging is the life of the mind — and interact with real people. I believe I'm swanning around at a posh cocktail party in a 1930s Hollywood movie, and it's quite a shock to see that things don't look like that at all."
https://althouse.blogspot.com/2009/02/one-reason-i-enjoy-blogging-so-much-is.html
When the heat's got you down (drip, drip, drip, drip drink a little)
Here's what you oughta (drip, drip, drip, drip drink a little)
(Coolin') get yourself in that cool cool water
(Coolin') get yourself in that cool cool water
(Coolin') get yourself in that cool cool water
(Coolin') get yourself in that cool cool water
“ I picture the men looking like Cary Grant…”
Please. Next to me, Cary Grant looks like a potato.
I look more like Lou Grant.
I knew Jennifer Connelly was beautiful, yet I didn’t expect her to steal the show in Top Gun Maverick.
In my case, the avatar is a better image. I’ll admit picking it to play off Meade’s cardinal.
All day I faced the barren waste, without a taste of water.....Cool, Clean, Water
"I was just lamenting the low quality of search results now. Is it AI or what?"
On theory is that if you have to repeat your search, you look at more ads, so they garner more filthy lucre by enshittifying their search results.
But AI is a game changer, Look at this search result from ChatGPT on how to use a rice cooker to cook a certain kind of rice:
Basic Arborio Rice in a Rice Cooker (Creamy Style)
Ingredients:
1 cup Arborio rice
2¼ to 2½ cups broth or water (use broth for more flavor)
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
Optional: pinch of salt, diced onions, garlic, herbs
Instructions:
Rinse (optional):
Rinsing Arborio rice can remove starch. If you want a creamier result, do not rinse. Yada yada yada.
No endless popups, no withholding key elements until you have scrolled past multiple ads, no annoying graphics, just what you want to know. I pay for it every month and it's worth it.
Now I have to go on a search for a non ugly avatar that still conveys the world weary and wizened man that I am. How about this?
There's a story from belle époque Paris of a famous dancer who would bathe in wine, which then would be re-bottled and sold to her fans. After she got out of the tub and they re-bottled it, they found that they had more than they began with.
Humans require not too few, not too many minerals from water.
Historical Examples of Water's Influence:
Burton-upon-Trent, England:
Known for its hard water with high sulfate content, this water is traditionally associated with full-flavored pale ales.
Munich, Germany:
Soft water with lower sulfate levels, ideal for the production of mellower, darker lagers.
Dublin, Ireland:
High alkalinity (alkaline) water profiles in Dublin are well-suited for brewing darker beers like Irish Dry Stout.
Modern Relevance:
Modern brewers actively study and adjust water chemistry to achieve specific flavor profiles, even if they don't rely on the exact water sources historically used. By understanding the effects of different mineral compositions, brewers can tailor their recipes to create authentic and desirable beers.
Smilin' Jack said...
“Please. Next to me, Cary Grant looks like a potato.”
My wife just now: Man, that Archibald Leach is one good lookin’ potato.
By definition, water has no taste, color, or smell. Anything else you may sense is not water, it is a contaminant. If these beers are impacted by the water, then they are not purifying their water, or they are adding something after the purification process. We go to great lengths to get rid of anything other than H2O when making personal care, food, or drug products.
Those contaminants, as you put it, play an important role in the brewing chemistry. It's not so much the intrinsic taste of the water as it is about the interactions between the impurities and the other parts of the wort. But yes pure water (distilled) has no flavor and is dreadful to drink. Likewise, vodka is legally defined as a neutral grain spirit. Any vodka that claims to taste good is just touting its imperfections.
I buy a six pack of Aquafina in January, because the bottles are sturdy, and refill them from the refrigerator water dispenser. By December I've lost most of them and start over.
Water should not cost more than gasoline.
Winston Churchill had this to say about alcohol vs. water (vs. cigars): {quoting…}
As I was the host at luncheon I … said to the interpreter that if it was the religion of His Majesty [Ibn Saud] to deprive himself of smoking and alcohol I must point out that my rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after, and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them. The King graciously accepted my position, and with perfect courtesy, while taking nothing himself, he soothed my conscience about smoking. He also had some very delicious water brought from a special source, which he commended to me as most refreshing and agreeable.
{/unQuote}
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