You wouldn't think that owning a water-carbonating machine would be any more controversial than having a toaster, but when the product in question is manufactured in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, things start to get a little complicated. New York Magazine has this week taken a look at the ethical objections to owning and using a SodaStream machine — by far the most popular way to brew up some sparkling water at home — and detailed the social struggles that result when you're "caught" with one in your kitchen. Beneath the tongue-in-cheek recounting of liberal guilt, the article does make a salient point about Scarlett Johansson's endorsement of the SodaStream brand.

Johansson claims her favorite thing about SodaStream is that she doesn't "feel guilty" when using it, since it's more efficient than buying bottled drinks, though how that can be reconciled with the broader issue of where the machine is manufactured is a question left unanswered.