Originally Posted By: hikermor
This does drift away from the original thread. I will reserve the water in my tank, flush by pouring water directly into the bowl, and when in doubt, boil the water. I like tea anyway.


All common sense precautions. Very wise.

Tea, beer, ale, and wine were all popular in part because there was far less chance of getting sick drinking them instead of water straight from surface sources. When they were laying rails across the Rockies Chinese workers were favored because they had a reputation for being 'healthier'. It is suspected that this had to do with their drinking brewed tea instead of drinking water straight from ditches like the westerners did.

Their more frequent washing, boiling of, clothes and bedding may have further helped by killing lice and limiting diseases. Staying clean, bathing and doing laundry, and preparing food and drink became the basis for many Chinese run businesses in the west.