Alcohol

Alcohol, ethanol or C2H5OH is just one of life's little pleasures. Produced by the fermentation of sugars by microorganisms such as Sacchromyces it has helped to lubricate all human emotions since our prehistoric ancestors stored fruit in the autumn for the winter.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYCqpUKs9H-9fC9Kecur6EG4v-jIlXnkPx__TrF-p2EwrZzER6D4Ae_sukuW9gt5KrKVm_f9CNkB7RG0w4k4RMRPeJCRHDIKmVrtBOTECKhsaVxLufzr58RKU5e8-pq5g5y4_SlGygpE/s1600/Ethanol2.gif

The fruit would have contained on its surface natural yeasts that helped to convert the fruit sugars into ethanol so on eating the stored fruit the cave people would have experienced a slight intoxicating effect. Probably leading to an interesting night of singing, playing spin the spear and grunting at each other I love you. Over human history the techniques for fermentation and brewing were perfected, leaving a legacy of literally hundreds of alcoholic beverages.

http://scienceprogressaction.org/intersection/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/alcohol.jpg

Alcohol is ingrained in our customs and way of life. Yesterday I went to a wedding reception. At weddings a sparkling wine is customary to toast the bride and groom, if you don't raise a glass you look strangely out of place. Of course in the weeks proceeding alcohol also plays a big part in the stag and hen parties. Always at a wedding reception there is dancing and a little alcohol helps to lubricate the inhibitions and encourage those dad dancing moves. As someone mentioned to me yesterday without alcohol they feel a bit awkward dancing. Thinking back on it I'm not sure if that remark was a jibe at my sober dance moves or not!

For some alcohol is essential to have a good time, for me it is not that necessary. I sometimes enjoy watching people getting drunk around me and besides as I get older the hangover seems to get worse, often my hangover starts before I even get to bed.

http://www.inquisitr.com/wp-content/2010/12/aspirin-cuts-cancer-risk.jpg

Of course if alcohol was a new drug on the scene there is no doubt that it would be categorised and it's use and distribution would result in some form of criminal conviction, but it is so woven into society removing it would no doubt result in a world revolution. For instance what would people drink on Sundays during holy communion?

So raise a glass of alcohol and enjoy your evening, just remember to drink in moderation.

I'm off to get a bottle from the fridge.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sparkly bathroom prevented by natural chemical equilibria

Image
I have had the pleasure of cleaning the bathroom today. I have used a number of different products over the years to find a chemical that will remove the annoying marks from the tiles, taps and shower screen. The hard water means that no matter how clean and sparkly I get the taps, they are only two showers away from being once again covered in the annoying white powder.   Crystals of limescale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kesselstein_k.jpg) There is a lot of interesting chemistry involved in limescale. It is essentially deposits of insoluble calcium carbonate left behind from the hot water. But how does it get into the water in the first place and why doesn't it stay in it? Limescale initially starts as limestone, chalk and other similar sedimentary rocks that formed from the bodies of tiny calcium containing sea creatures that lived in warm shallow tropical seas millions of years ago. See the BBC clip at this learning zone site. Since their formation these rocks have been
Read more

Polka dot, 7 inches, 15 minutes, luke warm

Image
January 2010 and a new craze hit Facebook. Across the social network women started to post colours as their status. Some posted beige, some ivory, some hot pink, some polka dot. For a while people across the world were confused, intrigued, indeed fascinated by what these colours could mean. In fact the colours referred to the colour of the bra the woman was wearing that particular day. This 'craze' was in aid of a breast cancer awareness campaign a fantastic cause and in my opinion a clever and innovative use of Facebook. Over the last couple of days some of the ladies have begun to post a length measured in inches followed by a time in minutes. This has resulted in a status that might read '6 inches 25 minutes'. Oh how amusing...I like a bit of smut but I found these updates strangely annoying. Obviously it doesn't mean what it says and is code for something fairly inane and boring. So slightly intrigued and determined to crack the code I did what I always
Read more

What's Your Station?

Image
One of my most vivid memories is completing my Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition in the New Forest one October half term. It must have been 1987 as Mike Smith was the Radio 1 breakfast host and I remember cooking bacon on the Trangia stove, in a field behind a scout hut in Fordingbridge, whilst listening to T'Pau's new single China in Your Hand, it was a gorgeous Autumn morning.  http://asymptotia.com/wp-images/2007/08/Radio_dynamo.jpg I had a red plastic battery operated radio that we listened to as we walked. That radio once got us into trouble on a snowy February in Dartmoor as the magnet in the speaker affected our compass, a rookie error that put us out a couple of miles searching for a postbox on Rough Tor.   Radio 1 was the station to listen to, the new music was heard first on this station, and alongside Mike Smith the line-up included Simon Bates, Mike Read, Simon Mayo and of course Steve Wright. Whilst at Uni I still enjoyed listening to Simon Mayo's breakfast
Read more