The Price of Ice: Paying a Premium for Cold Drinks in Hong Kong
<p>In Hong Kong, most restaurants charge extra money for cold drinks. Such a practice is rarely seen elsewhere. Many people argue that this practice is not reasonable—the drink is basically the same no matter hot or cold, the only difference is more ice cubes in cold drink. Are the restaurant owners being greedy, trying to make the maximum profit from nothing, or is ice genuinely more expensive in Hong Kong?</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:442/1*YC58E8EYqhn8xHOJymrw0g.jpeg" style="height:713px; width:442px" /></p>
<p>Ice lemon tea, a popular Hong Kong drink</p>
<p>The origin of the charge is the <em>Bing sutt</em> (冰室; literally “Ice room”), a type of traditional cold drinking house. In 1970s, the ice that <em>Bing sutt</em> brought from ice-production company was not small ice cubes, but rather a large block of ice. </p>
<p><a href="https://hkmoneymuseum.medium.com/the-price-of-ice-paying-a-premium-for-cold-drinks-in-hong-kong-96c6587e1675"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>