If you’re planning to visit Paris anytime soon, you might want to think twice before buying bottled water from street vendors. A viral TikTok video by an American expat living in the City of Lights reveals the unpleasant truth about where some of the water bottles may be coming from.
The video, posted by Amanda Rollins (@americanfille) on Nov. 14, shows footage of two men pulling a black garbage disposal bag out of a concrete sewer entrance on the sidewalk. She explains that the bag contains water and beer bottles that they sell to unsuspecting tourists at popular spots like the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower.
“Yes, it is true that they store the water, the beer, whatever they’re selling to on the street. They store it in the sewers, as you just saw,” Rollins says in the video.
She also asserts that the water bottles in the bags are not the worst-case scenario. “Are there still rats and cockroaches and stuff running around? Yes, but at least that’s in a bag. I’ve also seen them do it with like, just a bucket, like the bucket of ice and they just pull it out,” she revealed.
Rollins admits that she has bought water from these vendors herself, despite knowing the unsanitary conditions they are stored in. “I’m going to be real with you right now… On a warm day when it’s hot out, and if I’m desperate for water. I’m buying one of those. I know it’s disgusting. OK? I know it’s disgusting, but desperate times.”
The video. which accumulated over 1.1 million views, sparked a wide variety of reactions from viewers, with many disgusted about the practice.
@americanfille Storing waters in the Paris sewers lol #paris #parissewers ♬ original sound – Amanda Rollins
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Paris fact on tiktok that actually make me want to visit,” one commenter said.
“Is Paris having a water crisis? I don’t get why they are storing water in the sewers?! eek,” another wrote.
“Not me buying a water in front of the Eiffel Tower and now knowing it could’ve been in the sewer,” a third added.
“They also store crepe batter in there,” a fourth commenter alleged.
Beyond her recent exposé on water bottle storage, Rollins has posted videos delving into various aspects of daily life in France and how it differentiates from America, including a video complaining about “cold” customer service.
The Daily Dot reached out to Amanda Rollins via TikTok direct messages for comment.
