When the sommelier of a deluxe New York hotel wheeled a trolley of fancy aperitifs into the dining room so guests could grandly start their meal, his job was only half done. Minutes later, he returned with another cart, this one displaying six different bottles of water. Bestowing water with the same pomp and dignity as liqueur indicates how far H2O has risen up the dining chain.

But you don’t have to dine at the Ritz-Carlton or any respectable restaurant to notice the impact bottled water is making on eating and drinking habits. Just visit a shopping mall or other gathering place and chances are a high percentage of the people there will be sipping water from a plastic container.