Schema: Ice as Means of Explaining Cultural Differences

 

In our textbook Consumer Behavior by Michael R. Solomon there is an example of an American student visiting France and being surprised the water she ordered is not ice cold (p. 81).

This student has a schema that she applies to water. Being used to water being stored in the fridge and being served with a lot of ice cubes, she reacted repellent to water having normal room temperature.  

 I understand the opportunities of keeping water in the fridge when there are 95 degrees outside.

 However, the other way around it is very hard for me to understand, why somebody would want to drink his or her water ice cold with a lot of ice cubes in it when it is only 50 degrees outside. I am already freezing, why would I want to drink even cooler water, so that I am even colder? Being used to drinking water at room temperature I just cannot drink ice cold water because it really hurts on my teeth.

 

I came up with this topic, because it shows interesting cultural differences. Even though American and European cultures are not considered that different, I observe situations nearly every day where I cannot help myself wondering:

Yesterday an American friend of mine put ice cubes in her milk, because it was not cold enough (coming out of the fridge).

That was a situation where I realized that there are a lot of cultural differences in our everyday life.