Hah. I feel so vindicated. On the front page of today's New York Times, there's an article about the dangers of drinking too much water. (It's particularly cool because they quote Tim Noakes). I've always felt that one should simply drink according to one's thirst. Everywhere you go here, you see people clutching their bottles of Aquafina - because, you know, if they were without them even for an hour, they would dehydrate! And then die! Immediately! I suspect that this obsession with hydration has its roots in a culture of early weaning. It's the water bottle as breast substitute.

My other current pet peeve is the fact that supermarkets have taken to dispensing antibacterial wipes at the shopping cart collection points so that you can wipe your cart down before you use it. Because, you know, if you touch an unsanitised cart handle - even if it looks clean - you'll die. Your immune system absolutely cannot handle any Germs From Other People's Hands. I think the wipes are probably a good idea if you're immune-compromised - if you're doing chemo or something - but if you're reasonably healthy then not only are they unnecessary, they're probably actually harming your immune system, not to mention helping create bugs that are immune to whatever antibacterial stuff they put in the wipes.

This article from the Onion has it about right. I can totally see certain local acquaintances buying anti-bacterial mustard.