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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/12614
Fantasy: June 26, 2024 Issue [#12614]




 This week: Drinks
  Edited by: Robert Waltz Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

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


Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

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.  Open in new Window. 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.


Editor's Picks

A few refreshing swallows of Fantasy:

 Prompt#7: Head or tails? Open in new Window. [13+]
The discovery of espionage leads to a dangerous race for safety
by Cupadraig~The Remote Country Author Icon


 The Ninth daughter Open in new Window. [13+]
The Ninth daughter of a ninth daughter
by Prosperous Snow celebrating Author Icon


 Tablet Magick Open in new Window. [18+]
Magick unleashes an evil banished since before man first walked the earth.
by Save the Turkeys! Author Icon


 
Image Protector
Theater of the Night [255] (1091+ words) Open in new Window. [18+]
Space Cadet is summoned Home. The voyage begins.
by Kåre เลียม Enga Author Icon


Image Protector
They Came To Take Bob Away Open in new Window. [18+]
Bob is dragged away for an enforced rest - for Distorted Minds Contest
by Christopher Roy Denton Author Icon


Image Protector
A Remote Chance Open in new Window. [18+]
Arnold finds a remote he's never seen before.
by Beholden Author Icon



 
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Word from Writing.Com

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Ask & Answer

Last time, in "Wrath and RewardOpen in new Window., I speculated about living in a fair and just world.

brom21 Author Icon: The good book says that evil doers may prosper for a time but will perish in the end. It also says that time and chance happens to all. Fantasy can give way to many facets of the ultimate outcome that in the end the knight defeats the dragon and the princess is saved! Fantasy can cause us to question the very fabric of the soul and what is real. More than any other genre, fantasy makes us suspend our belief and venture into the magical and supernatural. Thanks for the NL!

         I see Fantasy, in part, as a way to look at things in our world from different perspectives. Thanks for commenting!


Beacon's Anchor Author Icon: Hey there! I have always liked your Newsletter and you give good info on different topics. Well, I like Star Wars and I have the older movies and once in the while, I would watch it. I hope to see your next Newsletter.

         Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this one, as well.


So that's it for me for June! See you next month. Until then,

DREAM ON!!!



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