This week: Drinks Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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Show me how you drink and I will tell you who you are.
—Emile Peynaud
Wine is sunlight held together by water.
—Galileo
A philosopher is a man who can look at an empty glass with a smile.
—Tommy Dewar
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Everyone drinks.
Of course, by "drink," I mean swallowing liquids of any kind: water, orange juice, coffee, milk, etc., as well as the "hard" stuff.
Since everyone (or nearly everyone) drinks, you'd think it'd be one of the most mundane activities in the world. Like breathing, or blinking.
But, in many cultures, the act of drinking (whether it involves alcoholic beverages or not) is packaged in cultural habits, rituals, and rules. And that makes it suitable for discussion in the Fantasy newsletter.
Sometimes these cultural rituals are highly formalized, such as the Japanese tea ceremony, which is perhaps better translated as Teaism. As described at that Wikipedia link, the drinking of tea becomes elevated from the mundane, and takes on religious overtones.
Usually, though, the drinking and sharing of certain beverages, while culturally significant, isn't quite that formal. For instance, it seems to be standard practice in the US and other countries to offer coffee to a guest or visitor. In some parts of the US, it's expected that sweetened iced tea is served at certain meals. And what would American breakfast be without that glass of orange juice?
Things get far more complicated when considering fine fermented and/or distilled beverages. Some cultures ban them entirely, of course, but even where they're available, there's usually a whole structure of written and unwritten rules surrounding their manufacture, sale, and consumption. Not only is it usually age-restricted, but there are often laws concerning when and how alcoholic beverages may be sold, and by whom. But it's the unwritten rules and rituals that are interesting, from the social stigma sometimes heaped upon those who drink them during daylight hours, to the social ritual of clinking glasses for a toast before drinking.
In a fantasy setting, we can make up our own beverages—and our own rules and rituals. But we can use our own wide range of cultural practices surrounding the drinking of various liquids as inspiration. |
A few refreshing swallows of Fantasy:
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Fantasy: June 26, 2024 Issue [#12614]
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