The SF Chronicle's Carol Ness reports on one of the area's newest trends: "At a small but growing number of sustainably inclined Bay Area restaurants, bottled water has become as much of an outcast as farmed salmon and out-of-season tomatoes. Instead of bottled water, diners now are served free carafes of -- gasp! -- tap water. It's filtered and comes still or sparkling, fizzed up by a soda-fountain-style carbonating machine." Incanto's been serving tap for years but Chez Panisse used to go through 24,000 bottles of Italian water, an ironic choice for a pioneer of sustainability to make. They investigated using locally made sparkling waters but found them too carbonated to go with their food; eventually they purchased a $400... More

Are those washes for fruit and vegetables worth your money? Alina Tugend of the New York Times thinks not, after talking with University of Maine food science professor Alfred A. Bushway, who found in a study that the washes were no more effective at cleaning fruit than using distilled water—he says you can go ahead and use tap water. If that still makes you a little antsy but you don't want to spring for the washes, you can just use "a mixture of lemon juice and water." [via Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen]... More

"For the third time in four years, the town of Montpelier, Ohio, can claim bragging rights to the world's tastiest tap water. Bosnian waters also performed well, winning four of the five top spots for sparkling water." Who knew?... More