Alcohol

[Helen]

I envy you people who can enjoy a few drinks. I had to give it up. It's easier for me not to drink than to drink and try to limit myself. It's a bad habit I picked up in college - but I had a damn good time !

[Gumby]

Originally Posted by ESRBob

One of the best things to happen in the U.S. in the last 30 years imho is the advent of good ethnic food and good English beer,

Thank God it wasn't ethnic beer and English food.

[Caroline]

In the 1700's the ration was replaced by a pint of rum, watered down. I'm sure that worked out much better.

Worked really well for my granddad (RN Signalman WWI, Dardanelles and Admiral Jellico world tour.)

He hated the stuff so he traded it to his drinking buddies for their shore leave. Saw the whole world that way!

[Leonidas]

Originally Posted by Cute Fuzzy Bunny

(I still cannot for the life of me imagine working a large sailing vessel...or doing much of anything at all...with ten large beers in me)

Then again, I think water was a bit of a problem on ships and they drank stored beer as a substitute. Might have been lousy 1.2% beer at that.

It wasn't just the sailors, apparently the English weren't drinkers of water. I think that back then everyone walked around halfway buzzed because they drank beer or wine exclusively.

"water is not wholesome solely by itself for an Englishman.... If any man do use to drink water with wine, let it be purely strained, and then [boil] it; and after it be cold, let him put it to his wine."

I think they got into the habit because their water was so contaminated due to using the rivers as a sewage system. But, apparently they came to like beer, a lot, and scorned water even when it was clean.

Even when water was not contaminated, it was scorned by the English because it was free. People drank water only if they could not afford to buy ale. "Would you believe it," wrote César de Saussure, a Swiss visitor to England in the 1720s, "though water is to be had in abundance in London, and of fairly good quality, absolutely none is drunk? In this country ... beer ... is what everybody drinks when thirsty.

Perhaps the generally accepted notion that English cuisine is abominable is because they were all too drunk to care what they were eating.

[laurence]

I don't understand, beer causes a net loss in hydration, were people just sucking on a lot of limes?

[Rich_in_Tampa]

Originally Posted by Laurence

I don't understand, beer causes a net loss in hydration, were people just sucking on a lot of limes?

Well, beer doesn't usually cause a net loss of hydration, it just hydrates a heck a lot less than the same amount of water. And since it fills you up, you are likely not to drink water later when you should. Wine and whiskey can, indeed, easily cause pure dehydration rather than hydration (same amt of alcohol in fewer ounces).

[Leonidas]

Originally Posted by Laurence

I don't understand, beer causes a net loss in hydration, were people just sucking on a lot of limes?

I don't know, hadn't considered the dehydration factor. The quality of water was originally the reason why they drank anything but water. Here's a pleasant description of toilet facilities from early London:

Against the streams and tributaries there were 'houses of office' too, although many consisted simply of wooden planks with holes carved out of them. More elaborate public privies were constructed some with fouir or more holes, culminating in Richard Whittinton's fifteenth century 'house of Easement' or 'Long House' over the Thames at the end of Friar Lane It contained two rows of sixty-four seats, one row for men and the other for women, while the refuse dropped into a gully washed with the tides.

Considering that, and the fact that all other sorts of refuse found its way into the water, I'd pick smashed and poorly hydrated over drinking the water.

The whole bad water thing may have been why the English took to coffee, and later tea, with such vigor when they were first imported. The colonists brought their old habits with them apparently:

In the Colonial era, a normal family would have gathered for breakfast and all of them -- children included -- would have routinely received beer to drink," said Mr. Wagner, who has spent 25 years researching the history and technology of brewing. "They drank beer like we drink water or coffee, and there are a number of reasons for that."

I remember reading once about something called "small beer" that was made with a similar process as beer (boiling water), but was different in some fashion that allowed for a much reduced alcohol by volume. (I wonder if they hung the guy who first said "Hey, the heck with beer - let's just boil the water!") Exactly when they started boiling water rather than relying on beer is not something I'm clear on. I remember reading a description of how army cooks could boil mud into clean water during the Civil War War of Northern Aggression. The Great Awakening took place before the war (I think - dim recall right now) and I wonder if there was not some sort of concurrent general turning away from universal use of alcoholic beverages.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Originally Posted by Leonidas

Perhaps the generally accepted notion that English cuisine is abominable is because they were all too drunk to care what they were eating.

That also explains Denny's and the International House of Pancakes. Which by the way i've never seen in any other country.

I did see a Beekveld's in holland once. I think that was a Bickfords but I wouldnt bet on it.

[Leonidas]

Originally Posted by Cute Fuzzy Bunny

That also explains Denny's and the International House of Pancakes. Which by the way i've never seen in any other country.

I think IHOP stakes its claim on being international from menu items that are from different countries. Pretty thin evidence for that (Belgian Waffles and Vive La French Toast). They do have locations in Canada and Japan, but that's as international as it gets.

I don't have a problem with Denny's or IHOP - it's not fine cuisine, just breakfast.

[brewer12345]

Originally Posted by Leonidas

I remember reading once about something called "small beer" that was made with a similar process as beer (boiling water), but was different in some fashion that allowed for a much reduced alcohol by volume. (I wonder if they hung the guy who first said "Hey, the heck with beer - let's just boil the water!")

Actually, there are a couple of twists on this. Small beer was at different times and places either something fermented made with relatively little fermented material (and low alc.) flavored with herbs, roots, etc. that anyone could drink (small children, the elderly, etc.). Basically a middle ages version of rootbeer.
Small beer was also a low strength version of what we would think of as beer or English bitter. They would start out with a big load of malt and take the very sweet first running for the hefty stuff that the wealthy drank (and which was quite strong 8 to 10% alc. not uncommon), then they would take the middle runnings that were about what we drink today, and finally the twopenny or small beer, using extra water to rinse the grain and squeeze out the last bit of goodies to make a low strength beer that one and all could drink.

[Leonidas]

Originally Posted by brewer12345

Actually, there are a couple of twists on this. Small beer was at different times and places either something fermented made with relatively little fermented material (and low alc.) flavored with herbs, roots, etc. that anyone could drink (small children, the elderly, etc.). Basically a middle ages version of rootbeer.
Small beer was also a low strength version of what we would think of as beer or English bitter.

That explains a few things I read that referred to a "debate" on the strength and nature of "small beer".

Regarding how the US switched over from beer to other beverages, the Great Awakening did play at least a part in that process. My poor memory forgot that there were actually several different Great Awakenings, with one just before and another right after the war. An issue in the former, and much more so in the latter, was the general perception that alcohol was causing many of society's ills.

[kaudrey]

I'm with californiadreamin' - I drink Argentinean (and Chilean) Malbecs and Spanish Tempranillos, mostly, right now. I also like a good Pinot Noir and Australian Shiraz.

I usually go out with friends one night during the week and 2 nights on the weekend, so that's 3 nights (sometimes less) of 3 drinks each. The other days I don't generally drink.

Karen

[work4beer]

The advantage that beer has over boiled water is that it STAYS potable. Water might turn bad based on whatever you were storing it in.

Small beers for children and the elderly went up into modern times. When I was doing some work on the house, we found some bottles from the 10's or 20's for a malt beverage, around 3.5% alcohol; the label specifically state it was a health drink suitable for children and the infirm!

And, I've been to Denny's in Japan. It's weird.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Originally Posted by Will Work 4 Beer

And, I've been to Denny's in Japan. It's weird.

Okay, i've got some popcorn, lets hear it...

[Nords]

Originally Posted by Will Work 4 Beer

And, I've been to Denny's in Japan. It's weird.

Originally Posted by Cute Fuzzy Bunny

Okay, i've got some popcorn, lets hear it...

Shakey's Pizza in Yokosuka offered squid & corn as two toppings. On the same pizza at the same time.

Somehow they interpreted "Hawaiian" pizza as pineapple & Canadian bacon.

By the way, is that popcorn with furikake or kaki mochi?
http://islandprincesshawaii.com/prod...orn/053-1.html
http://starbulletin.com/2006/12/22/f...s/story01.html

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I poured coconut oil directly from the can on top of it.

Some ice cream place in mountain view or palo alto (forget which) has trout flavored ice cream, and as I recall that wasnt the most disgusting sounding flavor option. Just the one I remember best.

[califdreamer]

Originally Posted by Cute Fuzzy Bunny

Some ice cream place in mountain view or palo alto (forget which) has trout flavored ice cream

Reminds me of Dan Akroyd's bass smoothies a few years back.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

The bassomatic...

http://www.rmwaetjen.com/link_counte...bassomatic.mpg