Polite Paradise

Do you drink your tap water?

I do. Here in Melbourne we have excellent and very clean tap water, but I know that is far from universal. I tutor international English students and we tell them they can drink water from the tap, but that seems so odd to them that they look at us quizzically or in disbelief, and I’m sure ignore us. In any case Chinese people rarely drink cold water, so that’s another impediment, however I don’t know if they use bottled water to heat or tap.
 

German tap water is generally safe to drink, but mine in particular is probably not (recurring issues with old, tight pipes). That said, I didn't like the taste of any tap water I've encountered so far, it always tastes chalky to me.

In Ontario, if you are on municipally supplied tap water, it is probably just about the safest water going, after the tragedy in Walkerton in 2000.  I grew up on well water from a drilled well, which is also a secure source.  You can get it tested for bacteria up to 4 times a year with your local health unit.  So I drink tap water pretty much exclusively, usually carrying my own water bottles when I'm out and about.

If I'm travelling, I'll ask my hosts if the tap water is good or if I'm going to be m/hotelling it, I'll do a little research ahead of time to see what the tap water is like.  There are a couple of places - in North America - where I chose not to drink the tap water because of my research.