Will you be having some wine?
Today is Thanksgiving ... or maybe it is tomorrow. Anyway, we went over to my parents' place for Thanksgiving dinner.
My dad asks me this question every time, despite the fact that I don't drink. Never have. Maybe he is hoping one day I will have changed.
This is not to say that alcohol has never touched my lips. I do occasionally sample, but, all the alcohol I've consumed in my life probably would not fill two glasses.
I have no idea why I never started drinking. Growing up, I expected that at some point I would be an adult and drink, smoke, womanize and gamble (or maybe I watched too many James Bond films). But ... somehow, I never felt the need or urge. Perhaps it was because peers who experimented with alcohol only consumed to become intoxicated. Maybe it is because I don't like the taste (although, I do remember once sampling a very sweet wine - probably it would be described as sugary - dry wines are absolutely the worst). Maybe it is because I never felt the need to be in a hurry to grow up and attain adulthood.
One factor that prevents me from consuming any intoxicants is intoxication. I don't want to risk damaging my brain. So, perhaps it is my fear of reduced mental functioning that prevents me from indulging and enjoying life.
I find the smell of alcohol on the breath a very big turn-off.
I do cook with alcohol, sometimes. Duck breasts prepared with a nice dry wed wine are very savoury. I also like rum soaked Christmas fruitcake (ok, so maybe this means I've consumed more than two glasses in my life - but, I still don't drink, so my 7 year old Cuban rum is now 14 years old).
Even my wedding was dry. There was only enough champagne for one toast (with sparking grape juice for my Muslim and Seventh Day Adventist friends). Fruit juices and pop were the beverages for the rest of the evening. I had some stiff opposition from my wife to be, who claimed you couldn't have a wedding without alcohol - but since we were short on money, economics swayed the decision in my favour.
So how did a 'dry' wedding turn out? Excellent. It was the best wedding I've ever attended (not withstanding that it was my own). I received numerous comments afterwards how much people enjoyed themselves - so I don't think it was just me.
However, I must confess that I do take the Sacramental wine (Blood of Christ) along with the bread (Body of Christ) at my church on Sundays - so yet again, my consumption tally is probably higher than I originally estimated.
My dad asks me this question every time, despite the fact that I don't drink. Never have. Maybe he is hoping one day I will have changed.
This is not to say that alcohol has never touched my lips. I do occasionally sample, but, all the alcohol I've consumed in my life probably would not fill two glasses.
I have no idea why I never started drinking. Growing up, I expected that at some point I would be an adult and drink, smoke, womanize and gamble (or maybe I watched too many James Bond films). But ... somehow, I never felt the need or urge. Perhaps it was because peers who experimented with alcohol only consumed to become intoxicated. Maybe it is because I don't like the taste (although, I do remember once sampling a very sweet wine - probably it would be described as sugary - dry wines are absolutely the worst). Maybe it is because I never felt the need to be in a hurry to grow up and attain adulthood.
One factor that prevents me from consuming any intoxicants is intoxication. I don't want to risk damaging my brain. So, perhaps it is my fear of reduced mental functioning that prevents me from indulging and enjoying life.
I find the smell of alcohol on the breath a very big turn-off.
I do cook with alcohol, sometimes. Duck breasts prepared with a nice dry wed wine are very savoury. I also like rum soaked Christmas fruitcake (ok, so maybe this means I've consumed more than two glasses in my life - but, I still don't drink, so my 7 year old Cuban rum is now 14 years old).
Even my wedding was dry. There was only enough champagne for one toast (with sparking grape juice for my Muslim and Seventh Day Adventist friends). Fruit juices and pop were the beverages for the rest of the evening. I had some stiff opposition from my wife to be, who claimed you couldn't have a wedding without alcohol - but since we were short on money, economics swayed the decision in my favour.
So how did a 'dry' wedding turn out? Excellent. It was the best wedding I've ever attended (not withstanding that it was my own). I received numerous comments afterwards how much people enjoyed themselves - so I don't think it was just me.
However, I must confess that I do take the Sacramental wine (Blood of Christ) along with the bread (Body of Christ) at my church on Sundays - so yet again, my consumption tally is probably higher than I originally estimated.
Note: Spell checking this document with blogger's spell checker resulted in some weird suggestions for fruitcake: 'britches' or 'proteases'.
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