When you think of water, what do you think of? Swimming? A peaceful beach scene? A refreshing glass of something clear? A huge cup of bright blue water with some ice, powder, and syrup mixed in?
As it turns out, the latter is exactly what the unironic denizens of ‘Watertok’ have in mind.
If you haven’t heard of the latest trend sweeping TikTok, allow me to explain. Watertok is a hashtag used by people sharing how they drink their water. When I first heard about it, I was confused.
Pretty much all of us drink water every day, and it’s an extremely boring liquid in its standard form. It’s literally colourless and tastes of nothing. That was my first error. Apparently, our friends in America have a different definition.
On #Watertok, I witnessed someone put salted caramel syrup and green apple Jolly Rancher powder into a bottle of Fiji water. It opened my eyes to a whole new definition of old reliable tap water – one that horrified me.
Of course, it’s great to aspire to drinking more water. Pretty much all of us could do with refilling our glass a few more times throughout the day. But in their quest to hydrate, I fear many of these TikTokers are confounding the very beauty of the drink – its simplicity. There’s nothing more refreshing than a cold glass of tap water on a warm day.
Squash does the job too, but it doesn’t quite hit the spot. Syrups and powders can’t add anything good to the most natural of beverages.
Water is the undefeated champion. Still, it’s pretty fun to see the different flavour combos these people come up with (pineapple and pink Starburst powder anyone?!). I’ll stick with the classic – with ice as a treat.
Words by Caitlin Barr
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