Evian, according to their site, trace the origin of their water source to 16,000 BC when the aquafier and glacial sands are formed in the French Alps. The water originating there eventually winds up in those pleasing pink and blue bottles, or, my favorite, the "Evian Nomad" with the groovy handle.

Perrier, according to their site, dates as far back as the Roman times when it was popular (though not known by this name, I'm sure). Perrier didn't become known until about 1793 and originates in Vergeze. The Perrier we know today, we only know and can drink because Napoleon III gave the proclamation that it was a-okay to develop the source, and Voila!, green bottles of the Vergeze Fizz are suddenly chic. By 1903, under the management of Dr. Perrier and Sir St-John Harmsworth, Perrier's famous green bottle became popular throughout Europe and was the first bottled mineral water available in the U.S.(source: www.nestle-watersna.com). For the record, Perrier is now owned by Nestle, a little-advertised fact, as it doesn't really go with the high-end image so prized by Perrier and those who drink it.

So after all this, what I set to find out was who thought of this and when... How did this bottle from, let's say Evian at Vergeze, become an item that I could buy today. It seems there were were various individuals scattered throughout the world who all had the same idea during a few hundred year span, when mineral waters really gained more popularlity. That mineral water is naturally filtered through glacial paths and silt and rock is supposedly (if we are to buy into the marketing) naturally better for you because it picks up more minerals as it makes its journey and undergoes a more natural filtration process may or may not be true. I don't know. It certainly sounds healthier than mass-filtered urban drinking water which is often purified with bleach from the Clorox company, especially during times of natural crisis and disaster, when small amounts of bleach in the water, according to Clorox, have saved thousands of lives as they killed copious amounts of disease carrying germs. But is bottled water really any better for you?

As the National Resources Defense Council put it, "Sales of bottled water in this country have exploded in recent years, largely as a result of a public perception of purity driven by advertisements and packaging labels featuring pristine glaciers and crystal-clear mountain springs." We imagine ourselves filling up on healthful minerals, our cheeks pink and glowing, our flawless pseudo-Swiss skin all alabaster and white, our teeth shining like freshwater pearls. It all sounds very promising and attractive and teutonic and sort of junior year abroad somehow, but I have to say, I think it's all shit.