The first time I rode the rails in China, I was caught off guard by the water dispenser.
Instead of the usual options for hot, cold and room temperature water, the machine on the train had only one button — for boiling hot water.
That meant if you didn’t want to buy bottled water from the wandering food carts, the only option was to fill up a canteen with scalding water.
But everyone happily did it. Young, old, male, female, train staff, train passengers — people made their way to the hot water dispenser to claim their fill.
For many outsiders, the Chinese love affair with hot water is perplexing, so much so that it is one of the most searched questions about Chinese people on Google.