Asahikawa American English Conversation School
丂
BEER
價乕儖
The first time I drank beer, it was quite by accident. One day when I was about 7 years old, I discovered a short brown bottle in the refrigerator downstairs that was about half full of liquid. The metal cap had been removed once and then put back on. This of course means that someone had drank some of the liquid and then put the recapped bottle back into the refrigerator. When I picked up the bottle, I noticed that the liquid inside became foamy. Since I didn乫t know what beer was, I assumed the contents of the bottle was Coca Cola, Root Beer or some other carbonated soft drink.
It was a hot summer乫s day and I was rather thirsty so, I removed the bent cap and proceeded to chug-a-lug the remaining beverage from inside the bottle. To my great surprise, it wasn乫t Coca Cola, or Root Beer, or anything else that I had ever tasted before. I was so shocked by this new taste that I couldn乫t swallow what was in my mouth. Instead, the foamy liquid came gushing out of my mouth, and my nose. 乬Wow!乭 I thought to myself. 乬What in the heck is this stuff?乭
After I got over the initial shock of what had just happened, I took another sip. 乬This tastes pretty good乭 I said to myself. Later that evening, I asked my father what was in that little brown bottle in the downstairs fridge. He replied, 乬It乫s beer.乭 乬Beer?乭 I said, 乬What乫s that?乭 He proceeded to explain about beer and Germany, which is famous for its beer purity laws. I was fascinated.
My parents seldom drank any alcohol at all. They might have a very small glass of wine on Sunday evening with dinner, and My father would sometimes drink about a half bottle of beer after he was finished working in the garden, but other than that, everyone in my family were basically non-drinkers. As such, it would be a long time until I was able to get my second taste of beer.
Finally, about a year later during a summertime garden party, I was able to get my hands on another beer. I asked my father if I could have a sip of beer and he said 乬yes乭. This time, I drank it much more slowly. My second impression was that beer was absolutely delicious. I really loved the taste. I only drank a little bit, but I was looking forward to the next time I could have it again. That time would be much longer in coming.
As the years went by, I would occasionally have the opportunity to drink a little beer, and I always enjoyed it. But I never felt any effect from the alcohol. I suppose it was because I drank such a small amount. However, one day, I accidentally discovered what can happen if you drink too much alcohol.
In the USA, the legal drinking age in most states is 21. When I was about 16 years old I suddenly got the urge to drink a beer while on a long bicycle ride one hot summer乫s day. I spotted a supermarket just ahead on the road and decided to stop in and buy a coke or something. In my hometown of Spokane, Washington, the summers are hot and dry and a young lad on a bicycle can get very thirsty. As I cruised the aisles of the grocery store, I spotted the hundreds of cans of cold beer lying right next to the soda pop. I immediately lost interest in the sweet soft drinks and began to desire a beer instead.
I would have gladly paid money for a nice cold can of fresh golden brew, but I couldn乫t. Not because I didn乫t have the money, but because I wasn乫t old enough to buy alcohol in Washington State. 乬Damn!乭 I thought to myself. 乬That isn乫t fair. Why can乫t I have a beer just like every other adult in this country?乭 So, I did a very bad thing. I shoplifted two big 16 ounce cans of draft beer, and walked out of the store with them after buying a small can of Mountain Dew.
The store where I had just stolen the brew was way out in the countryside on the southwest side of Spokane. So, I rode my bicycle a short distance to a vacant field behind the store and popped open the first of the two tall cold boys. I took a small swig and swallowed hard. 乬Ahhh乧乧乭 I let out a loud sigh. My throat was parched dry, and that long cold beer really hit the spot. 乬This is the most delicious drink I乫ve ever had乭 I said in a low voice as I took my second and much larger swill. 乬Yum, yum. I wish I could buy this more often乭 I thought to myself as I finished the first, and then the second big can of barley malt. I felt very satisfied. In fact, I felt so satisfied that I began to feel sleepy. Very sleepy as a matter of fact.
Since it was summer, and I was on summer vacation from high school, and I had no special plans for the remainder of the long hot afternoon, I decided to lay down in the tall grass and take a short nap. It was only when I woke up again about 2 hours later, that I realized what drinking too much, can do to a person.
I woke up feeling a bit confused and disoriented. My brain didn乫t feel right. I couldn乫t remember exactly where I was, or what time it was. I sat up and looked around me. Suddenly, I remembered the grocery store which I could see directly behind me. The two empty beer cans laying beside me instantly brought back recent memories of my having quenched a powerful thirst with ice cold beer. What I couldn乫t understand was, why everything around me looked as if I were still asleep and dreaming. Was I really dreaming, or was I awake? I slapped myself in the face a few times to confirm fact that I was awake. I was, but I was also in a different world than ever before. 乬Is this what it means to be drunk???乭 I stammered to myself as I stood up to remount my bicycle and ride back home, a mere 5 miles away. 乬Wow! This is weird.乭
Riding a bicycle is easier than walking for me so I had no trouble getting back on my machine and starting to peddle. It was no problem keeping my balance, but the strange feeling in my whole body, made it seem as if the road was coming up to meet my tires, instead of the usual feeling that the tires are rotating down to meet the road. 乬Bizarre乭 was my only reaction.
I made it back home in one piece, being fortunate enough not to have any accidents along the way. But the leisurely 20 minute ride seemed to have taken an eternity. Time had lost all of its meaning. When I finally arrived at the garage door of my boyhood home, I felt relieved to be able to get off of my bicycle and lie down again. The short ride home in the hot sun had really added to my sleepiness and disorientation. As I stumbled through the door, my mother saw me and asked 乬What乫s wrong with you.?乭 乬I乫m hot and sleepy乭 was my only reply as I headed straight for my bedroom.
To make a long story short, I laid down, took a nap and woke up later in the evening feeling not so well. Another new experience. My first hangover. Well, you know what they say: Live and learn.
After I graduated from high school, I joined the US Coast Guard. Even though I was only 18 years old, I was pleased to learn that I could buy and drink beer on a military base. As a consequence, I began to drink beer almost every evening after work. This soon turned into a bad habit in that I would sometimes drink to much and feel sick the next day. I soon learned to drink in moderation.
When I first came to Japan in 1976 as a member of the USCG, I discovered that Japanese beer tasted much better than mass market American beer. After that, I would only drink Japanese beer while I was in Japan.
Even now, I never buy any of the imported American beers unless it is some type of micro brew.
By the way, there is a very delicious all malt beer called Sapporo Classic that is only available in Hokkaido. This is what I drink most of the time. Especially during the hot summer months. It is really good!
丂
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