Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. —Benjamin FranklinHaving gone to a large catering hall here in New York for a party last night, I was struck by the importance of waiting in line at the bar during the festivities. When one goes to a restaurant, the waitress brings drinks to the table, but not in this situation. The partygoer is then thrust into the position of being his or her own connection to get a drink. While the queue for drinks got progressively shorter after what was ostensibly "happy hour," the fact is that the two bartenders were working feverishly for most of the night.
Why were the bartenders so busy? Well, one explanation is obvious: in social situations, people enjoy drinking alcoholic beverages, for it makes social interaction easier, thus alleviating some of the burden of saying, "Hi, nice to meet you." There is an intensity to these moments for many people, and a couple of good stiff drinks certainly paves the way for less inhibitions.
Another reason the bartenders were so busy was the recurring crowd: people coming back for another round. Much of this can be attributed to the use of very short glasses. Even a mixed drink like rum and Coke was being served in a small glass, thus the likelihood of return for another round in a much shorter time-frame.
This scenario is just one of many drinking situations that I have experienced over the years. In a restaurant bar where patrons wait to be called to their tables, the drinking can get quite frenetic as well. The obvious purpose here is getting a couple of drinks under one’s belt prior to moving to the table, where the priority will be the serving of the meal and less drinking. Again, glasses here seem smaller than they should or need be, thus guaranteeing a swift turnaround and a busy bartender.
Then there is the local tavern where one can see an enhanced level of a kind of speed drinking. In very popular establishments, it is not uncommon to find people lined up two or three deep waiting to get a drink. There are two things working to define that moment: too many people wanting a drink, and people wanting to get drunk. Okay, I’ve said it because it is true. People are drinking quickly, and there is a pervasive sense of beating the clock of some unseen time-keeper; it seems to be a question of how many drinks can we pour down our throats in an hour?
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - DrPat
My brother-in-law always says the same thing, upon pouring a glass of beer: "Ah! Liquid bread!"
So American beer is like puffy white slices of Wonder bread, while European ales are like whole-grain bread made with seeds and nuts, and stouts are like rye or pumpernickel.
And I say this as someone who hasn't eaten anything but Oregon bread for years...
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
I'd like to share your optimism that it would solve the unspoken epidemic of an alcoholic nation, but as long as the nation continues to emit a positive image of drinking, the problem will never be solved.
As positive as I am about many things in the world, this the one facet of the world I woefully submit will plague mankind until our demise.
3 - DrPat
To quote W.C. Fields, "My wife drove me to drink... God bless her!"
Drunkenness has been with us at least since Biblical times. Even so, those who can enjoy beer without getting drunk far outnumber the problem drinkers. That's why drinking has a positive image -- it generally IS a positive experience, for adult and intelligent imbibers.
4 - Matthew T. Sussman
The positive image today is that if you drink lots of beer you'll fuck two big boobed blonde girls and be the life of the party.
5 - Victor Lana
Matthew,
Sadly that is the perception, as you so keenly note. However, during my college days I saw so many of those guys bomb with the girls as they got bombed. They frequently went home blitzed and alone.
I grew up around homemade wine (Italian side of the family). Wine was always available; therefore, never abused or even used. There was no stigma, no big deal. Thus we children never saw drinking as a rebellious thing to engage in.
I'm not saying make wine and beer available to kids, but this whole climate of making drink into the great evil sort of inspires kids to sample the devil's brew even more.
6 - diana hartman
I'd like to share your optimism that it would solve the unspoken epidemic of an alcoholic nation, but as long as the nation continues to emit a positive image of drinking, the problem will never be solved. As positive as I am about many things in the world, this the one facet of the world I woefully submit will plague mankind until our demise.
perhaps you miss victor's point...it's not the thing, it's how you regard the thing...
german cars don't have cup holders because coffee is not a rush-it-off-suck-it-down-from-a-to-go-cup beverage...there is ritual, meaning, and history behind its consumption...germany's attitude toward beer and europe's attitude toward alcohol in general is very similar as is their attitude toward food...america lost more than just the quality that goes into these consumables, it lost the history, ritual, and sense of community that went behind them...in its place it has developed what can only be described as a dysfunctional relationship with the self...social drinking in america is a very individualized thing no matter how big the crowd...in this it's not so much social as it is a way to prepare for being social or rather a way to deal with socializing...elsewhere in the world, social drinking is just that: social...what you're drinking and how you drink it is every bit as important as who you're with and what you're doing...
my experience with beer in the 40 years prior to arriving here in stuttgart was that it gave me a headache, didn't taste good, and had others getting into fist fights...i knew some beer came from a river somewhere in colorado and that large horses brought a rival brand...it's very different here...after attending just two beer fests in 6 months i learned everything i ever needed to know about the history of beer, not just in germany but in other countries...did you know all german beer can only be made from the same four ingredients? did you know it's been like that for over 800 years? i have no idea what all goes into american beers because its consumption was no more important than cracking open a coke...
i like german beer...i actually have preferences and have developed a particular taste for body, texture, and temperature...more than that i like the respect and reverance surrounding the simple act of drinking a beer...in particularly crowded and diverse settings like the oktoberfest, beer isn't seen as a prerequisite to fighting but instead as a way to prevent or even end discord...you'll hear all kinds of people arguing back and forth about all manner of things in all kinds of languages and then, all of a sudden, someone holds up a beer...the next second the whole crowd that was arguing chimes in with their mug and it's all smiles, laughter, singing, and dancing on the tables...they're very big strong wooden tables -- made just for all the merriment that comes after differences are set aside...
those americans of european heritage would do well to learn from their ancestry...personally, i had a great time this weekend...
guten Abend!
7 - S. L. Cunningham
Enjoyed the perspective on drinking you present here. By learning how to enjoy the pint, we also slow down and learn to enjoy the people around us well. Our conversations become purposeful and meaningful. Not very many places where you walk into a bar and find that kind of atmosphere, but it sure would be nice.
8 - Victor Lana
Great comments from all. Dr. Pat, I should say that your notion of beer as a food is on target. In essence, what do we do when eating but pair our food with appropriate drink (usually red wine with meats and dark sauces; white wine with fish and poultry). Beer can similarly be broken down when pairing with food.
Diana's comments are also right on the money. I can remember the beer of Germany fondly, and the notion was not to drink to get drunk but to drink to enjoy, to celebrate life, to converse happily with others.
Perhaps some will say this is painting a too positive image of alcohol, but sometimes I think image is everything. When alcohol is seen or categorized in inappropriate ways, it tends to appeal to certain segements of our population, especially youth, as a thing to do to meet various peer expectations and pressures.
I remember one of my old Italian (great) uncles who died at 101; he drank wine everyday with lunch and dinner until his death. The funny thing is that he only drank when he ate.
Perhaps that was the secret of his longevity. I don't know.
9 - Matthew T. Sussman
So you justify a man-made evil by giving it a background story?
"This is my tumor. His name is Larry. We were there when Kennedy was shot, and he grew to the size of a tomato when the Blue Jays won the World Series."
You know, it might help to drink less (as quoted from Big Duh Magazine) but a smaller pile of shit is still shit.
10 - Victor Lana
Matthew,
The only man-made evil is the thing done to excess. Your excrement is yours, so deal with it, man.
11 - Matthew T. Sussman
Look, we agree there's a giant problem. Neither of us are part of it, and we both have convictions to solve it.
But suppose the problem, rather than alcohol abuse, was theft. Your goal is for less theft, mine is for no theft. Which makes more sense?
12 - Lazlo T. Dipsomaniacington
You foolish, foppish bastards! Oenophiles are phoney enough, but discussing beer like it has some sort of high cultural meaning is patently absurd. Like most ersatz intellectuals you think anything from Europe is better than anything else from the United States. By the way, do you know where most of the grape vines used to produce wine in France came from? Look it up some day. As for the "healthy social interaction" , have you really ever been in a bar in Europe? Have you ever walked around outside at night around bars in Europe? You must be "drinking" in places full of phonies like yourself. You must have missed the drunken, piss covered, brawling Euro yobs that populate most pubs in Ireland and the U.K. But I get away from what your article made me think in the first place. What possible reason would somebody have for drinking intoxicating beverages except to get intoxicated? What a waste of time it would be to "linger" over a pint or two and have some serious discussion about the illegal war for oil foisted on us by the idiot boy president when you could be getting blasted and solving much more important problems such as whos going to win the American League East this year. Lighten up, beer is not important and the only reason to drink is to get drunk, as Byron said, "man being reasonable must get drunk, the best of life is but intoxication". Enjoy the day, I'm getting a drink.
13 - diana hartman
"This is my tumor. His name is Larry. We were there when Kennedy was shot, and he grew to the size of a tomato when the Blue Jays won the World Series."
But suppose the problem, rather than alcohol abuse, was theft. Your goal is for less theft, mine is for no theft. Which makes more sense?
alcohol abuse is not about alcohol, it's about abuse...you could put any word in front of "abuse" and the problem would still be the person abusing and their reasons for doing so, not the thing being abused...comparing alcohol abuse to theft is still focusing on the object of desire rather than the person desiring and their motivation...
we could remove alcohol and things that could be stolen from the equation and we would still be left with those who have a desire to shut themselves down and those who have a desire to take something that doesn't belong to them...
the person's unmet needs and their lack of skills necessary to meet those needs is still a problem...
i don't know how someone logically draws a line between alcohol and a tumor...
Like most ersatz intellectuals you think anything from Europe is better than anything else from the United States. You must have missed the drunken, piss covered, brawling Euro yobs that populate most pubs in Ireland and the U.K. What possible reason would somebody have for drinking intoxicating beverages except to get intoxicated? What a waste of time it would be to "linger" over a pint or two and have some serious discussion about the illegal war for oil foisted on us by the idiot boy president when you could be getting blasted and solving much more important problems such as whos going to win the American League East this year.
matthew, case in point...remove alcohol from this equation and you're still left with someone whose crystal ball tells them what other people think, whose knowledge of geography is so limited he thinks ireland and the UK are two different places, and not only sees a problem in who wins the ALE, but sees this as a problem he could solve...
maybe this is where your tumor comes in...
14 - Victor Lana
Lazlo,
If the only reason someone takes a drink is to get drunk, then that person has a problem. Sorry. My opinion.
I drink a beer or a glass of wine because it is a pleasure. How does one enjoy something that is rushed? Not much. Even a glass of lemonade should be savored and not downed in one gulp.
Americans in general are to into speed: fast internet, fast food, fast drink, and it all leads to a too quick life. Where are we rushing? To the grave?
15 - Matthew T. Sussman
Diana, go back and check who wrote the second paragraph you quoted. I did not write that meandering nonsense.
16 - diana hartman
I drink a beer or a glass of wine because it is a pleasure. How does one enjoy something that is rushed? Not much. Even a glass of lemonade should be savored and not downed in one gulp.
Americans in general are to into speed: fast internet, fast food, fast drink, and it all leads to a too quick life. Where are we rushing? To the grave?
someone who rushes a beer isn't drinking for the moment, and pleasure is relative...whereas you are in it for the external experience of the drinking itself and those with whom you share the time, the other is in it for the internal experience and what is yet to come: drunk...
you might be apt to calling it quits when you can no longer throw a decent dart, but another might not muster the nerve to play without first squelching the fear that he'll look bad...
it's not a good idea to compare drinking in excess with social drinking because the motivations are as different as apples and oranges...while both people have the desire to socialize, one drinks in celebration of it and one drinks in fear of it...
i begrudge no one their need for speed as the autobahn is my friend, but speed does have its place -- and a social setting of any kind is not the place...one who possesses both the desire to socialize and a fear of it might walk past the bar to a therapist's office in an effort to resolve that conflict...
17 - diana hartman
Diana, go back and check who wrote the second paragraph you quoted. I did not write that meandering nonsense.
i know you didn't write it...i directed your attention to it as a prime example of a person having a problem rather than drinking being the problem, thus my use of "he thinks" and "he could" rather than "you think" and "you could"...
18 - Victor Lana
I think there are some grave concerns with drinking in America today, especially amongst those 13-30. I believe we must teach that moderation is the key in all things, and that is how we enjoy good food, drink, electronic games, sports, etc.
In the past I have posed similar questions to students in writing assignments. Those who react so vehemently (saying they're not addicted to TV, drink, drugs, gambling, sex, etc.) in comparison and contrast essays worry me the most, usually because what they write indicates they are indeed hooked and don't realize it.
To paraphrase Shakespeare, I think these ladies/gentlemen doth protest too much.
19 - Lazlo T.
Are you folks so serious about yourselves that you can't tell when someone is teasing you? We should really be trying to solve the problem of China owning too much of our debt. If we're not careful a six pack could cost forty or fifty dollars, then where would we be? I'm so worried about this I'm going to go get some Warwick Estate 1999 Pinotage and drink it right from the bottle. Warwick Estate is in Stellenbosch, South Africa, in case you were wondering. As far as my limited knowledge of geography, the Republic of Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom.
20 - Victor Lana
Lazlo,
After going over the comments, I don't catch where someone says that Ireland is in the UK. Of course, I could have missed it.
Let's remember, part of Ireland (N. Ireland) is still part of the UK.
21 - Lazlo
In comment 13 Diana writes "...someone...whose knowledge of geography is so limited he thinks ireland (her small I, not mine) and the U.K. are two different places...". As someone who has spent plenty of time in Ulster I'm aware that it's part of the U.K. You can't even buy a pint with a punt, you need a pound. When someone is talking about the Irish part of the U.K. they say Northern Ireland, not "ireland". If you say Ireland most people would rightfully assume you were talking about the Republic of Ireland. Anyway, great blog, enjoy what remains of the day.
22 - DrPat
Hmmm... solving the problem of China can come once I've finished my beer. There's time...
23 - Nancy
I know of a wine so lovely, I don't even sip it much: I pour a small glass, and then sit & smell it. Then another whiff. Maybe, after while, a tiny sip, then much more whiffing. The perfume of it alone is enough; it's almost a shame to actually drink it. If I thought it would last, I'd wear it as cologne. Definitely not something to be slugged down or even tippled.
24 - Victor Lana
Nancy,
Yes, you're right about that. When I look at a fresh pint of Guinness, I think it's a shame to drink it (because it is beautiful to watch the drink as it forms and turns and creates the exquisite foamy head in the glass.
I can also think of some fine cognacs like that. It is almost enough to swirl it around in the snifter and just inhale the lovely fragrance. This is not something for slurping or guzzling.
Cheers!
25 - Matthew T. Sussman
It's because alcohol tastes terrible.