The Joy of Drinking

Apparently most of our ancestors greeted the dawn with a tankard of beer or a jolt of brandy, or both, and what was once called the "hair of the dog that bit you" restored the blood sugar and slowed the sickening drop of the blood-alcohol level. The modern hangover may be attributed partly to our stern morning sobriety and partly to guilt: we're being punished, and we deserve it.

The tavern, bar, pub, local, cafe, shebeen,or what-have-you has always been the evening refuge, escape from the dark and dangers of the night, witches and ghosts, family and work.

The tavern, bar, pub, local, cafe, shebeen,or what-have-you has always been the evening refuge, escape from the dark and dangers of the night, witches and ghosts, family and work. In the countryside, escape from silence and loneliness, along with a chance to hear some news of the wider world; a spot of gossip, crop prices, and the rise and fall of empires. In cities, the place to meet neighbors you would never otherwise meet and weave together a social family out of the loose strings of strangers. Everywhere, the nourishing contact with humans, known and new. What E. B. White called "the golden companionship of the tavern."

It's almost impossible to believe now, with limitless professional amusement at our fingertips, but for many thousands of years the only entertainment people had was other people.

Unlike, say, iron smelting, gunpowder, or venereal disease, drinking didn't need to be carried from place to place by traders and travelers from more sophisticated cultures. It came naturally, everywhere.