“Thirsty work fixing bikes” that is how we give people the unsubtle hint to pay in beer. Usually when something is done for free or supplied for free. Like yesterday I scavenged some landscaping sleepers from a school yard renovation near here. The guys doing the work loaded them on my trailer for me. When I collected the response to my thank you was “thirsty work loading them”. I’ll drop off a beer or 6 next week.
OT @ Tencon: if you still think of/prepare a bicycle trip along the Danube feel free to contact me and/or have a look at http://malenki.ch/Touren/08/Sommer/ (attention: spoilers! )
This year I was also there but haven’t put online anything so far.
I have often pondered on the whole ‘thing’ about alcohol – Note that I am not making any comment for or against, just some thoughts about the whole social phenomenon.
A cup of tea or coffee is often appreciated when thirsty but for some reason it is alcohol that society most worships and regards as the best social gift…
I can never understand it when people take offence if I turn down the offer of an alcoholic beverage? I am an alcoholic. I gave it up in the 1970s and have had only had one or two glasses since. So why do some people take offence when I turn a drink down? I am willing to explain but the hurt they carry covers anything I might say after I say ‘no thanks’ even if I add ‘A glass of water or fruit squash would do fine instead’ – I might add that it is the ‘drinking class’ that do this. Those who don’t need a few pints before they can sleep of an evening are more accommodating.
Paying for your own, or someone else’s, drink has connotations that can lead to death! Especially in ‘westerns’ or similar movies. It is the idea that someone is buying anything for you when you don’t want to be associated with them I suppose.
In Yehuda’s case, a cyclist may be glad to be associated with their LBS owner/worker but a motorist might not be so inclined.
I don’t suppose that a box of fruit teas or Earl Grey tea would be seen as an appropriate alternative either. Even though it might cost more!
In Germany I was often seen as an ‘odd one out’ because I would not drink their Lager or a spirit drink. It did not help that the glass of orange juice often cost more too!
It is no wonder that I don’t frequent ale houses or the like – I am uncomfortable there and so are the clientele that have to breath the same air as a non-drinker
I am German, an never drink alcohol. But never faced any problem from other people. Some ask if I am an alcoholic (I am not) but nobody ever asked me twice to drink. (except my father who never get used to the fact his son refused to drink
I guess it’s a group psychology thing. If you’re part of the group you buy your round and crash the ash and wear the right clothes – shows you’re “us” rather then “them” – for people that are basically insecure at least. And with that goes a generally unspoken compulsion – you WILL drink the same, wear the same, smoke the same as us.["he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke the same cigarettes as me...."], (Who decides these things? The pack leader? Whoever the pack leader respects outside the group?)
I guess what I’m saying is that any group that aims to control what you do and think to such a degree is unhealthy, whether it’s drinking buddies, golf club, church, gang – even cycling club. Although (as this forum demonstrates) cyclists seem more tolerant of alternative views than a lot of sections of society.
Tencon, as a ‘retired’ drinker I often found myself in the same boat. It was rather awkward the first few times, but as time went by and I made it known among my friends and acquaintances that I was on the water wagon the feeling went away. My friends would still include me when buying a round; they came to know that I preferred a pint of draft root beer to a pint of lager; and the “problem” ceased to exist.
As you say Bill – My experience over time is the same. It is just the ‘alien in the room’ reaction when a stranger finds out that a teetotaller is present.
After they get used to us, they start to include us in their company.
My biggest problem is that I am never comfortable in any company. My dyslexia makes it hard to converse at normal speed and with my deaf ear I miss much of what people say, or struggle to re-assemble the jumble of words my brain makes from any sentence. I can be alone at home where I can play on the computer or surf the net etc without needing to compete verbally with those that are much better at it.
Anglosphere / Brit-speak for syrup-concentrate fruit juice. Ie, Orange juice is Orange squash. Used to be quite common, less so now. Usually highly concentrated fruit syrup added to water.
Drinking beer often has to do with defining virility; by seeking or providing beer as thanks, people are reinforcing their or the recipient’s sense of heartiness or some version of earthiness or robustness: “I don’t need money–beer is good enough for me,” etc. The way some people talk about beer reveals how it’s tied into their sense of salt-of-the-earthness. It sometimes verges on poetry/wistfulness. It’s a coded signal that you enjoy and understand “good” simplicity and “normal” values and hard work. And it does HAVE to be BEER. Other kinds of alcohol can be too fancy or complicated.
One of the problems with not accepting someone’s offer of beer is that you call into question their and your virility. The exchange is not so much about the beer, but about conferring a sort of approval onto someone. If you don’t accept, that calls the approval into question in some important, complex ways. To avoid this kind of beer/value exchange, you can just let them know clearly why you don’t want the beer. Some will still take offense, but explanation often removes the threat to a would-be beer buyer’s social psyche: “Thanks, but Earl Grey will do.”
Tencon, I’m with you. I’m a life long “straightedge” (before such a term existed), I don’t understand the silly rituals and ceremonies that surround alcohol. I don’t even understand why anyone would ever even START drinking (or smoking, or drugs, or whatever) – why all the pointless ingestion of poison? *shrug*
I don’t know many non-drinkers who appreciate the booze establishments and those who do frequent them at all complain as you do. The solution, of course, lies in finding alternate venues to socialize. Depending on your society this can be tricky. If you can’t find “dry” events to patronize, start drinking virgin drinks of whatever sort. You could even cultivate a relationship with the local pub and ask the staff to stock a brand of non-alcoholic beer for you so you can participate better. They’ll make money on it same as any other beverage and you can lift a glass of cold beer like the others. My hubby quite appreciates the stuff these days and I dare say it’s helped a lot with his cravings for beer. Beer’s got more than alcohol in it, after all, with a healthy dose of B vitamins, protiens, carbs and the soporific hops.
Well said Yolanda – I should add that my socialising as described ended in 1999 when I left the Zeiss job because of the stress. 13 years later I have observed a lot of changes – no smoking in public places etc – and when I go to some ‘do’ and order a lemon and lime or orange juice, it is assumed that I am the appointed driver (I usually am) so no offence is taken. After a few weeks the group training with me got the idea and I became their driver, so I rarely needed to pay for a round – they were glad to be able to drink all they wanted without fearing the Police I still felt guilty about them paying for my (more expensive!) Orange drink or whatever…
Its not just the alcohol – its the taste. Yuk! The body KNOWS that alcohol is a poison and rejects it. If the alcohol is removed, it still tastes just as bad though.
I know what you are talking about. I don’t drink, never have. Never liked the taste, and I was really turned off by the way teenagers acted/carried on about it. Odd thing, once I got away from family – who are casual occasional drinkers – I discovered that many adults act the same way! And I have never met a person that I like more after they have had a drink or four. I much prefer being around sober people. On the other hand, my friends that drink have decided I am so goofy/stupid (I say clever and funny) without it that they really don’t want to see what would happen if I drank!
While I do like the alcoholic beverage or two I am not a tea or coffee drinker and can totally relate to your experiences as being seen as the odd one out. When I refuse an offer of tea or coffee some people take offence too. It’s a weird old world.
I just realized, we never addressed Tencon’s primary complaint, why drinkers insist you join them. They get offended when you turn down the booze because they know they are also abusing it and you show them the good example they don’t want to follow. By refusing to join the vice, you are showing them up and shaming them. Not your fault, though. It’s the way addicts are. Addicts stick to other addicts, people who’ll support their addiction, and those who are not involved are unwelcome generally and expected to play along if they want to hang out.
I’m so out of my element with these things. I never would have even guessed that someone wanted me to go to the liquor store, pick up an unspecified quantity of beer, and return with it as a gift. I’d be more likely to bring sugar than booze, though, because I’m married to someone who gets far too ill off booze and it’s made me more aware how many people find the stuff bad for their health. (euphemistic way of discussing alcoholism) Lets face it, it’s a poison and we who imbibe are simply dancing a threshold of how sick we get before we stop drinking. We just like the sick it causes, LOL.
But for tips and gifts, bah, just charge me a bit more if I can afford it, or ask me outright to bring you a present and give me some suggestions and lets stop the pretending. Either I’ll get you one or I won’t, but we don’t have to play charades about it.
Growing up under an alcoholic father, I too am kind of dour on drinking, and find the over-infatuation of beer and biking here in the states to be almost depressing.
It seems to be a celebrated vice in the states, whereas from my time in France, it is just matter of fact / category of beverage to be enjoyed, but not basing entire cycling events around drinking as much as possible, to the point that even your riding club is named something like ‘Team Wasted’. (Looking at you Ragbrai)
All that said, I certainly don’t mind a beer after a ride. I kind of wish that small beer or Russian style kvass at around 1% were culturally common and accepted in the states.
RAGBRAI has changed radically over the past twenty-five years or so. My first time on the ride was something like 35 years ago, back in 1978. Yes, we did enjoy a couple of cold ones on the ride, but it was (at that time, anyway) first and foremost a bicycle ride. However, as reports of it spread around it tended to attract more of a “party hearty” crowd with their converted school bus/party HQ vehicles complete with rooftop decks and high-output stereo systems.
The ride lives on, and there are still purists who do the ride in the style in which it was begun, but as with everything else more and more of the riders are demanding more and more creature comforts, to the point where there are at least a half-dozen companies who do nothing but provide support re: setting up camp, bicycle repair and maintenance, baggage handling, and in some cases even food preparation so these “cyclists” need do nothing but wake up, get dressed, and pedal — in much the same manner as Sherpas doing most of the grunt work so that the “adventurers” are free to do nothing but concentrate on climbing Mt. Everest.
Wow guys, I’m surprised so many of you have a total disdain for drinkers as a whole. I haven’t drank for any other reason than it tastes good in a very long time. If my favorite IPA or stout had 1% or less alcohol content, I’d still drink it. By the same idea, I won’t touch a cheap beer, because it tastes like cat piss. I would stick with the “fruit squash” instead in that case. Many a good ride with a friend has ended in pizza, 1 beer, and copious amounts of water for body rejuvenation.
I do understand the attitude if one is a recovering alcoholic, or has suffered at the hands of one in the past. That makes sense.
Re: ‘total disdain for drinkers as a whole’ – I don’t see that in the comments above so far – What I see is an understanding of the social pressure put on people to drink what the groups is drinking. When anybody steps outside of the group activity they are, perhaps, viewed as a ‘stranger’ so that as in most social animal congregations, the group would rather not associate themselves. Perhaps they are scared of it ‘rubbing off’ on them and bringing them ‘down’ too?
‘alien in the room’ Humm, I don’t drink but don’t get bothered about it BUT, I do feel a bit like the above statement, when I ride with my local bike club. I’m the only “steel framed and forked” bike rider in a ocean of carbon fiber, LOL! Happy Holidays to all!
Vegetarian, car-free, generally green and, adding to the strangeness, recumbent rider. Not using alcohol or other drugs. The nice thing is, that in many parts of this (admittedly) sub-culture, striving for soberness is also quite common.
But still you can sit on a nice café break during a brevet and talk about Rivendell bikes or something with other randonneurs. Seems like sort of working way of connecting – realizing that this strange guy actually do have several things in common. Like the feeling of riding at 2 in the night with 300+ km in the legs, or the niceness of a good hub dynamo. Sometimes we talk about thing like transportation politics or food, but I try not to raise the issues myself but just give encouragement when someone else start showing interest.
I was just thinking about the gloomy days ahead when Rick (Hopefully) takes another sabbatical and there is no more new strips…
It occured to me that IF we can find a way to help him continue, it could make a diference. I know that we have been through all this before but here I go:
1. Think up new strip subjects
2. Find more ways for Rick and co to increase income
3. Show support by coming here regularly and making comments to show the comic fraternity how well-loved Rick’s work is.
Maybe Rick is hinting via YM that he would like a few ales sent his way for all his hard work??
From where I’m sitting it would be well into the new year before he got them however.
Wow – what a lot of alcohol related posts. It’s like bringing up the subject in some churches….
btw, there was a temperance preacher sermonising about the demon drink, who produced a worm from a matchbox and dipped it in a glass of water. “Look!”, he says, “The worm takes no harm from the pure life-giving water! But – if I dip it in this glass of whiskey – [worm thrashes and shrivels and dies horribly] – the results are lethal. Now, what do we learn from this demonstration?”
A voice at the back pipes up: “If you’ve got worms, drink whiskey!”
“Thirsty work fixing bikes” that is how we give people the unsubtle hint to pay in beer. Usually when something is done for free or supplied for free. Like yesterday I scavenged some landscaping sleepers from a school yard renovation near here. The guys doing the work loaded them on my trailer for me. When I collected the response to my thank you was “thirsty work loading them”. I’ll drop off a beer or 6 next week.
Like
I love the Title – ‘Sublimin – ALE’ – Not subtle but effective and humorous!
OT @ Tencon: if you still think of/prepare a bicycle trip along the Danube feel free to contact me and/or have a look at http://malenki.ch/Touren/08/Sommer/ (attention: spoilers!
)
This year I was also there but haven’t put online anything so far.
The fact that the title isn’t subtle is appropriate, insofar as Yehuda Moon himself is about as subtle as a hand grenade in a barrel of oatmeal…
I have often pondered on the whole ‘thing’ about alcohol – Note that I am not making any comment for or against, just some thoughts about the whole social phenomenon.
A cup of tea or coffee is often appreciated when thirsty but for some reason it is alcohol that society most worships and regards as the best social gift…
I can never understand it when people take offence if I turn down the offer of an alcoholic beverage? I am an alcoholic. I gave it up in the 1970s and have had only had one or two glasses since. So why do some people take offence when I turn a drink down? I am willing to explain but the hurt they carry covers anything I might say after I say ‘no thanks’ even if I add ‘A glass of water or fruit squash would do fine instead’ – I might add that it is the ‘drinking class’ that do this. Those who don’t need a few pints before they can sleep of an evening are more accommodating.
Paying for your own, or someone else’s, drink has connotations that can lead to death! Especially in ‘westerns’ or similar movies. It is the idea that someone is buying anything for you when you don’t want to be associated with them I suppose.
In Yehuda’s case, a cyclist may be glad to be associated with their LBS owner/worker but a motorist might not be so inclined.
I don’t suppose that a box of fruit teas or Earl Grey tea would be seen as an appropriate alternative either. Even though it might cost more!
In Germany I was often seen as an ‘odd one out’ because I would not drink their Lager or a spirit drink. It did not help that the glass of orange juice often cost more too!
It is no wonder that I don’t frequent ale houses or the like – I am uncomfortable there and so are the clientele that have to breath the same air as a non-drinker
In most bike shops I’ve worked in, a pack of Jaffa Cakes is a perfectly good substitute for beer as thanks for a mechanic…
I am German, an never drink alcohol. But never faced any problem from other people. Some ask if I am an alcoholic (I am not) but nobody ever asked me twice to drink. (except my father who never get used to the fact his son refused to drink
I guess it’s a group psychology thing. If you’re part of the group you buy your round and crash the ash and wear the right clothes – shows you’re “us” rather then “them” – for people that are basically insecure at least. And with that goes a generally unspoken compulsion – you WILL drink the same, wear the same, smoke the same as us.["he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke the same cigarettes as me...."], (Who decides these things? The pack leader? Whoever the pack leader respects outside the group?)
I guess what I’m saying is that any group that aims to control what you do and think to such a degree is unhealthy, whether it’s drinking buddies, golf club, church, gang – even cycling club. Although (as this forum demonstrates) cyclists seem more tolerant of alternative views than a lot of sections of society.
- Just so long as you don’t ride a recumbent…
Well said Troiker:-)
Tencon, as a ‘retired’ drinker I often found myself in the same boat. It was rather awkward the first few times, but as time went by and I made it known among my friends and acquaintances that I was on the water wagon the feeling went away. My friends would still include me when buying a round; they came to know that I preferred a pint of draft root beer to a pint of lager; and the “problem” ceased to exist.
As you say Bill – My experience over time is the same. It is just the ‘alien in the room’ reaction when a stranger finds out that a teetotaller is present.
After they get used to us, they start to include us in their company.
My biggest problem is that I am never comfortable in any company. My dyslexia makes it hard to converse at normal speed and with my deaf ear I miss much of what people say, or struggle to re-assemble the jumble of words my brain makes from any sentence. I can be alone at home where I can play on the computer or surf the net etc without needing to compete verbally with those that are much better at it.
what’s a fruit squash?
Anglosphere / Brit-speak for syrup-concentrate fruit juice. Ie, Orange juice is Orange squash. Used to be quite common, less so now. Usually highly concentrated fruit syrup added to water.
Drinking beer often has to do with defining virility; by seeking or providing beer as thanks, people are reinforcing their or the recipient’s sense of heartiness or some version of earthiness or robustness: “I don’t need money–beer is good enough for me,” etc. The way some people talk about beer reveals how it’s tied into their sense of salt-of-the-earthness. It sometimes verges on poetry/wistfulness. It’s a coded signal that you enjoy and understand “good” simplicity and “normal” values and hard work. And it does HAVE to be BEER. Other kinds of alcohol can be too fancy or complicated.
One of the problems with not accepting someone’s offer of beer is that you call into question their and your virility. The exchange is not so much about the beer, but about conferring a sort of approval onto someone. If you don’t accept, that calls the approval into question in some important, complex ways. To avoid this kind of beer/value exchange, you can just let them know clearly why you don’t want the beer. Some will still take offense, but explanation often removes the threat to a would-be beer buyer’s social psyche: “Thanks, but Earl Grey will do.”
Tencon, I’m with you. I’m a life long “straightedge” (before such a term existed), I don’t understand the silly rituals and ceremonies that surround alcohol. I don’t even understand why anyone would ever even START drinking (or smoking, or drugs, or whatever) – why all the pointless ingestion of poison? *shrug*
I don’t know many non-drinkers who appreciate the booze establishments and those who do frequent them at all complain as you do. The solution, of course, lies in finding alternate venues to socialize. Depending on your society this can be tricky. If you can’t find “dry” events to patronize, start drinking virgin drinks of whatever sort. You could even cultivate a relationship with the local pub and ask the staff to stock a brand of non-alcoholic beer for you so you can participate better. They’ll make money on it same as any other beverage and you can lift a glass of cold beer like the others. My hubby quite appreciates the stuff these days and I dare say it’s helped a lot with his cravings for beer. Beer’s got more than alcohol in it, after all, with a healthy dose of B vitamins, protiens, carbs and the soporific hops.
Well said Yolanda – I should add that my socialising as described ended in 1999 when I left the Zeiss job because of the stress. 13 years later I have observed a lot of changes – no smoking in public places etc – and when I go to some ‘do’ and order a lemon and lime or orange juice, it is assumed that I am the appointed driver (I usually am) so no offence is taken. After a few weeks the group training with me got the idea and I became their driver, so I rarely needed to pay for a round – they were glad to be able to drink all they wanted without fearing the Police
I still felt guilty about them paying for my (more expensive!) Orange drink or whatever…
Its not just the alcohol – its the taste. Yuk! The body KNOWS that alcohol is a poison and rejects it. If the alcohol is removed, it still tastes just as bad though.
I know what you are talking about. I don’t drink, never have. Never liked the taste, and I was really turned off by the way teenagers acted/carried on about it. Odd thing, once I got away from family – who are casual occasional drinkers – I discovered that many adults act the same way! And I have never met a person that I like more after they have had a drink or four. I much prefer being around sober people. On the other hand, my friends that drink have decided I am so goofy/stupid (I say clever and funny) without it that they really don’t want to see what would happen if I drank!
@tandemman – Like
@tandemman – I could have written that!
While I do like the alcoholic beverage or two I am not a tea or coffee drinker and can totally relate to your experiences as being seen as the odd one out. When I refuse an offer of tea or coffee some people take offence too. It’s a weird old world.
I just realized, we never addressed Tencon’s primary complaint, why drinkers insist you join them. They get offended when you turn down the booze because they know they are also abusing it and you show them the good example they don’t want to follow. By refusing to join the vice, you are showing them up and shaming them. Not your fault, though. It’s the way addicts are. Addicts stick to other addicts, people who’ll support their addiction, and those who are not involved are unwelcome generally and expected to play along if they want to hang out.
Ahhhhh.. foamy topped tall glasses…. pour another one dawlin…
I’m so out of my element with these things. I never would have even guessed that someone wanted me to go to the liquor store, pick up an unspecified quantity of beer, and return with it as a gift. I’d be more likely to bring sugar than booze, though, because I’m married to someone who gets far too ill off booze and it’s made me more aware how many people find the stuff bad for their health. (euphemistic way of discussing alcoholism) Lets face it, it’s a poison and we who imbibe are simply dancing a threshold of how sick we get before we stop drinking. We just like the sick it causes, LOL.
But for tips and gifts, bah, just charge me a bit more if I can afford it, or ask me outright to bring you a present and give me some suggestions and lets stop the pretending. Either I’ll get you one or I won’t, but we don’t have to play charades about it.
Growing up under an alcoholic father, I too am kind of dour on drinking, and find the over-infatuation of beer and biking here in the states to be almost depressing.
It seems to be a celebrated vice in the states, whereas from my time in France, it is just matter of fact / category of beverage to be enjoyed, but not basing entire cycling events around drinking as much as possible, to the point that even your riding club is named something like ‘Team Wasted’. (Looking at you Ragbrai)
All that said, I certainly don’t mind a beer after a ride. I kind of wish that small beer or Russian style kvass at around 1% were culturally common and accepted in the states.
RAGBRAI has changed radically over the past twenty-five years or so. My first time on the ride was something like 35 years ago, back in 1978. Yes, we did enjoy a couple of cold ones on the ride, but it was (at that time, anyway) first and foremost a bicycle ride. However, as reports of it spread around it tended to attract more of a “party hearty” crowd with their converted school bus/party HQ vehicles complete with rooftop decks and high-output stereo systems.
The ride lives on, and there are still purists who do the ride in the style in which it was begun, but as with everything else more and more of the riders are demanding more and more creature comforts, to the point where there are at least a half-dozen companies who do nothing but provide support re: setting up camp, bicycle repair and maintenance, baggage handling, and in some cases even food preparation so these “cyclists” need do nothing but wake up, get dressed, and pedal — in much the same manner as Sherpas doing most of the grunt work so that the “adventurers” are free to do nothing but concentrate on climbing Mt. Everest.
Wow guys, I’m surprised so many of you have a total disdain for drinkers as a whole. I haven’t drank for any other reason than it tastes good in a very long time. If my favorite IPA or stout had 1% or less alcohol content, I’d still drink it. By the same idea, I won’t touch a cheap beer, because it tastes like cat piss. I would stick with the “fruit squash” instead in that case. Many a good ride with a friend has ended in pizza, 1 beer, and copious amounts of water for body rejuvenation.
I do understand the attitude if one is a recovering alcoholic, or has suffered at the hands of one in the past. That makes sense.
Re: ‘total disdain for drinkers as a whole’ – I don’t see that in the comments above so far – What I see is an understanding of the social pressure put on people to drink what the groups is drinking. When anybody steps outside of the group activity they are, perhaps, viewed as a ‘stranger’ so that as in most social animal congregations, the group would rather not associate themselves. Perhaps they are scared of it ‘rubbing off’ on them and bringing them ‘down’ too?
I but see a total disdain for drinkers with a total disdain for non-drinkers.
‘alien in the room’ Humm, I don’t drink but don’t get bothered about it BUT, I do feel a bit like the above statement, when I ride with my local bike club. I’m the only “steel framed and forked” bike rider in a ocean of carbon fiber, LOL! Happy Holidays to all!
Yea, well – I’m so “different/weird” to start with that no-one bats an eye about my not drinking!
@Zorba – Like
Vegetarian, car-free, generally green and, adding to the strangeness, recumbent rider. Not using alcohol or other drugs. The nice thing is, that in many parts of this (admittedly) sub-culture, striving for soberness is also quite common.
But still you can sit on a nice café break during a brevet and talk about Rivendell bikes or something with other randonneurs. Seems like sort of working way of connecting – realizing that this strange guy actually do have several things in common. Like the feeling of riding at 2 in the night with 300+ km in the legs, or the niceness of a good hub dynamo. Sometimes we talk about thing like transportation politics or food, but I try not to raise the issues myself but just give encouragement when someone else start showing interest.
I was just thinking about the gloomy days ahead when Rick (Hopefully) takes another sabbatical and there is no more new strips…
It occured to me that IF we can find a way to help him continue, it could make a diference. I know that we have been through all this before but here I go:
1. Think up new strip subjects
2. Find more ways for Rick and co to increase income
3. Show support by coming here regularly and making comments to show the comic fraternity how well-loved Rick’s work is.
Okay – that’s a start – any more?
Maybe Rick is hinting via YM that he would like a few ales sent his way for all his hard work??
From where I’m sitting it would be well into the new year before he got them however.
Wow – what a lot of alcohol related posts. It’s like bringing up the subject in some churches….
btw, there was a temperance preacher sermonising about the demon drink, who produced a worm from a matchbox and dipped it in a glass of water. “Look!”, he says, “The worm takes no harm from the pure life-giving water! But – if I dip it in this glass of whiskey – [worm thrashes and shrivels and dies horribly] – the results are lethal. Now, what do we learn from this demonstration?”
A voice at the back pipes up: “If you’ve got worms, drink whiskey!”
Well Said
I don’t drink, smoke, or chew – and don’t care to associate with those that do!
I like beer!
Wow, I come back after a month and you guys have found a whole new thing to be tiresome and moralistic about!
No morals, just ethics.
I love good beer. The alcohol is part of it.
I love good coffee. The caffeine is part of it.
Good beer and coffee are proof that God loves me.
Which God?
Which God? The one that gave me beer and coffee.