What I did on my summer vacation ... Part 1
I had a lovely dinner last night at my friends' house, which is situated a bunch of miles and fields out of a small-sized Canadian city. The night was filled with great food, wine, 13 new mosquito bites, gun show-and-tell, a game of Monopoly, and two shots of Absinthe, which consequently resulted in a massive hangover that is keeping me from doing my job very well today. I was just looking for Patricia Wrede's Dealing With Dragons for some dragon-obsessed young man, and even though I was looked for "F WRE YA", I ended up locating Jane Yolen's A Sending of Dragons (F YOL YA). You see how I could get the two mixed up, right?
As I think sitting in one position will be the best strategy for the next few hours, I have decided to do some internet research on Absinthe. After all, if it comes from a Wormwood tree and is good enough for Vincent Van Gogh, then it's good enough for me.
This is taken from Wikipedia:
Absinthe is often referred to as la Fée Verte ("The Green Fairy") because of its coloring — typically pale or emerald green, but sometimes clear. Due to its high proof and concentration of oils, absintheurs (absinthe drinkers) typically add three to five parts ice-cold water to a dose of absinthe, which causes the drink to turn cloudy (called "louching"); often the water is used to dissolve added sugar to decrease bitterness. This preparation is considered an important part of the experience of drinking absinthe, so much so that it has become ritualized, complete with special slotted absinthe spoons and other accoutrements. Absinthe's flavor is similar to anise-flavored liqueurs, with a light bitterness and greater complexity imparted by multiple herbs.
Absinthe originated in Switzerland as an elixir, but is better known for its popularity in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers whose romantic associations with the drink still linger in popular culture. In its heyday, the most popular brand of absinthe worldwide was Pernod Fils. At the height of this popularity, absinthe was portrayed as a dangerously addictive, psychoactive drug; the chemical thujone was blamed for most of its deleterious effects. By 1915 it was banned in a number of European countries and the United States. Even though it was vilified, there is no evidence showing it to be any more dangerous than ordinary alcohol although few modern medical studies have been conducted to test this. A modern absinthe revival began in the 1990s, as countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale.
What I find most interesting about the drink is not its rarity or high alcoholic content (the stuff we had was 70% alcohol ... by comparison, the wine we were drinking was 12%) but the fact that my most honourable hosts thought it best to prepare it in the Bohemian style, where you pour some Absinthe in the glass, melt a sugar cube into it and then set the whole thing on fire, and add water, except with one little omission: the water. We had sugar and Absinthe but NO water. On Wikipedia it goes on to say that this method "enhances the effects of the high-strength alcohol", so without water, I'm assuming it enhances it even more. And my friend the security guard here just pointed out that to have 2 shots without water is sort of more like having 6 shots if you add up the 1:3 ratio. It was an amusing experience to have while playing Monopoly and eating berry crisp -- apparently I offered one player a blow job if he gave me Park Place (I of course had already purchased Boardwalk). Luckily he declined my offer. It was all good until this morning, when I was still a bit drunk, dizzy, nauseous and had a huge headache. Maybe I'll cut my ear off next time I have some and it will take my mind off of feeling sick.
3 Comments:
I'm going to say no, he wasn't possible dating material (but thanks - I think - for looking out for me). Granted he has a very impressive gun collection and is a nice guy, but he's not really my type. And I hear he has an online girlfriend already, so he probably doesn't need another one.
4:09 p.m.
A blowjob for Park Place...that is so much worse than my hunting of the French man.
I hate to think what you might of done for a pair of hotels...
8:58 p.m.
Maybe this New Year's we can do a Nip/Tuck drinking game with Absinthe...take a shot every time Christian has sex...and every time Matt is an asshole...and every time Julia whines about something...oh, and every time Sean looks perplexed. We'd be drunk before the opening credits...
10:44 p.m.
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