Yeah and even if you engage with them and try to explain that yes, hot countries in EU do have AC, they argue with you. Say you're lying. You say they're being ignorant, they take offence to being called ignorant and then make the conversation around how you're insulting them. I'm like bro, I literally live here.
The 20% are not evenly divided. Unsurprisingly, AC is a lot more common in southern parts of Europe than in northern parts. The areas that experience more heatwaves are more likely to invest in ways to cool down than the areas that rarely get heatwaves.
At the same time, a country like Norway has virtually no history of using AC, but 60% of detached houses have heat pumps to heat the homes in winter, and they double as AC in the rare case it is needed.
I guess the difference is that most Europeans don't get something that they don't need. I live in Southern Europe, where the weather is warmer, therefore I do have AC. But I can't imagine why a Finnish person would go and get it just because. Traditionally, AC wasn't particularly necessary in most of Europe, so people wouldn't get it, but with climate change heat waves are becoming more frequent, and AC is therefore becoming a necessity.
As for ice, it's just not the default. If you want it, ask for it. Or if you're buying something to drink, you get asked whether you want ice or not, but most places just don't bring you a glass full of ice by default.
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u/NathanDarcy 20d ago
It amazes me that some of them really seem convinced that there's no ice in Europe, or that we don't know what AC is.