Mouthing Off | Would you drink hot water on a scorching summer’s day? Many Hongkongers do
- Drinking hot water offers a number of potential health benefits to circulation and digestion
- Many Hongkongers also drink hot cola with lemon as a cold remedy
Of all the quirky local habits, one thing that many expats still can’t get their heads around is how Hongkongers enjoy drinking hot water.
We’re talking water boiled in the kettle and then poured into grandma’s old vacuum flask. Only it’s not just senior citizens who are drinking it. I even have hiking friends who still prefer heated water to cold drinks after climbing one of Lantau’s peaks. The content of their vacuum flask might not be scalding any more, but poured into a glass it’s hot enough to that you pull your hand back when you touch it.
In contrast, some Westerners don’t even like room temperature water; they have to add a couple of ice cubes before having a sip. For many, the only acceptable hot drinks are coffee or tea, or a night time mug of hot chocolate or warm milk if they have trouble sleeping. Other than that, they generally prefer their liquid cold.
In Hong Kong, generations of Chinese grandmothers have a preference for hot water. It’s not just because iced water hurts their sensitive gums or their irrational fear that too-cold liquid will give them an internal chill – the same way having wet hair or getting caught in the rain will cause a head cold. There is a sense that hot water is just more soothing and less stressful to the system.
Now, science is showing that they might have been right all along. Studies show that warm water helps blood circulation and protects internal organs. It aids digestion, calms the nervous system and decreases stress. If you have a cold, it can even help clear nasal congestion.
Some studies even claim that drinking hot water activates your metabolism thus encouraging weight loss. I’m surprised no commercial beauty clinic has tried to cash in by creating a grandma diet scheme.