Raedwald on Wine
Friday, April 27, 2007
Link: Raedwald.
The prigs at Alcohol Concern believe (like so many other Statist swine) that they know better than us how to bring up our children. Both my daughters were introduced gradually to alcohol from a young age in the French manner, with a view to their learning to appreciate quality wine in joyful moderation. Understandably, Alcohol Concern's demand to criminalise such an approach, has brought Devil's Kitchen into full, fine, fulminating, foul-mouthed form:
Personally, I shall be sending a letter to Alcohol Concern, expressing my concern at their authoritarian tendencies. Oh, and I'll probably call them a pack of ***** as well.
By comparison, Raedwald - the most articulate boat on the internet (and normally no slouch at invective) - comes over all lyrical on the subject:
When I think back on all the good things in my life - all those brief little scenarios of joy and pleasure, the warm laughter of friends, the passion of lovers, the sudden stunning realisations that you are gazing at a scene of true beauty, the closeness of companions who have shared past danger - always in the scene somewhere is alcohol. The old French vintner who declared "A day without wine is like a day without Sunshine" had it spot on.
Please go read the whole delightful thing. Then bookmark one of the best sites around; my blog of the week.
It's awfully ironic that the U.S. has such restrictive drinking laws and such rampant drinking problems.
Like you and your wife, my parents introduced me and my brother to wine very young, in tiny amounts. We've been drinking wine with dinner since we were nine or ten. As a result, we don't see alcohol as a means to get drunk as much as something to savor and enjoy with a meal.
I think it all depends on the attitudes toward alcohol that parents instill in their children. Americans in general (and ESPECIALLY on college campuses) don't have a healthy view of alcohol. Too many of my classmates revel in getting totally passed-out, falling down, sloppy drunk, especially on their 21st birthdays. Every year some kid or another dies on their 21st birthday of either alcohol poisoning or drowning (the campus is right off the river).
It's such a shame.
I'll definitely go read that blog. Thanks for the post.
Posted by: Ruthie | Saturday, April 28, 2007 at 08:52 PM
I'm actually starting up a new group called Alcohol Concern. Our principles are:
# supplies of good wine must be ensured
# a tipple a day keeps the doctor away
# wowsers need not apply.
Cheers, Tom, here's t'ye [as he scoffs his whisky].
Posted by: jameshigham | Friday, April 27, 2007 at 08:31 PM