Booze
Christmas. A time of complexities for most purists. Social pressure to brake the 'rules' increases tenfold.
And it's not even the food nowadays that causes discomfort for raw fooders. So many people are on some sort of diet nowadays that your excuses to pass that mince pie actually sound.. er, normal? [Unless of course you're visiting your grandma..]
Instead it's the drinking binge that most of my peers enjoy which makes me shy away from many social events.
I didn't drink anything alcoholic for 2 years. Then came December and I tried some organic, un-pasteurized, no-CO2-added french cider. No big deal.
But couple of days ago I attended an event where I shouldn't have gone at the first place if I had wanted to refrain from drinking. But I decided to treat myself like an experiment and went anyway. Half a bottle of aforementioned cider didn't seem to cause any unpleasant side effects.
6pm. First bottles of champagne are being opened. I go with Espumante - a Portuguese version of sparkling. Tastes fine. I stretch 4 glasses over 2 hour period. No big deal, I say to myself.
Then someone suggests to crab something to eat. We end up in Eagle Bar Diner near Tottenham Court Road. Menu consists of 30 different types of burgers including crocodile and kangaroo. I choose a Caesar salad w/prawns.
15 minutes later the table is covered w/bottles. I go w/Pinot Grigio. Luckily one girl prefers it too, so we share the bottle. I keep filling her glass so I only have to drink 1/3 of it. For every sip of wine I drink some water as well. And it's not too bad. I don't stumble, words flow out of my mouth normally. I'm definitely the most sober person at our table. Waiters keep bringing new bottles. I laugh.
9.30pm. We end up in new wine bar on Maddox St that's surprisingly not very crowded. I opt for a glass of expensive white wine. A large glass. Fine, I'm not drunk yet, I reason.
The rest are knocking back tequilas and washing them down w/Dark & Stormies and Mojitos. I feel uneasy and disgusted when I see the shotglasses filling the table. And that's what I used to do just 3 years ago! Why on earth did I drink that stuff? It felt disgusting then as well but it was a cool thing to do! That's what party is all about! Everyone's so pissed by now that no one notices that I'm still sipping the same glass of wine.
12am. Afterparty. Hotel suite. Fridge is filled with Piper-Heidsieck champagne. I'm definitely 'warm' now. The good part of drinking. The laughing part. Good jokes. Champagne keeps flowing. Can't remember how many glasses I have. Not more than a bottle, I think.
Early morning. I arrive home. Eat 0.5kg venison & some suet.
7am. I wake up in my bed. Toilet. Shit. Prawn Caesar. Not nice at all. I feel sick as well. Mild version of the times after vodka shots, I note. I have a shower and go back to bed.
10am. I wake up and need to pee. Bladder hurts when urinate. It smells foul as well. Slight numbness. No headache though. Luckily.
12.30pm. I get my arse out of the bed finally. Go for a walk in Holland Park. Eat 2 avocados and 2 bananas. Not too bad.
6pm. I have some venison steak again with suet. Stomach is still very slightly sensitive.
Conclusion. I was rather surprised that the alcohol didn't knock me out much faster. And that I didn't need to pee all evening was very strange as well. All in all I think getting pissed out of my brains once in a while could be justified. That is if I don't suffer for several days afterwards. And the company is worth it. But I have absolutely no love left for cooked food. Even a Caesar salad causes a diarrhea.
Cheers! :-)
