Tuesday, September 15, 2015

#41. Drink

41
Write about a drink – either the best you had in your life, or the most bizarre, disgusting, etc. Use your character if you prefer.
OPTIONAL: Work on your fiction and share.

When Favorite Becomes Not Favorite

I'm taking this prompt as an opportunity to capture this moment in my life when my taste in drinks is changing radically. I discovered the world of wine, actually, not very long ago. We'd already moved to the PNW from the Midwest, and along with our exotic living in the tiny beach house, we also found out that there are all sorts of grocery stores around about which we've never dreamed back in Ohio. One of them was close to home, a local chain called Metropolitan Market. It was based on the founder's experience traveling the world. Both Europe and Asia were the inspiration for starting MM in this area. One word: foodie. This was a store for foodies. You could find pretty much anything there - artisans bread and baked goods, different kinds of milk and meat, produce from local farmers and a huge department for cheese lovers - I mean, really, huge. But other than that, there were also all sorts of events (like cheese and wine tastings) and free cooking classes for anyone (surprisingly, not very big crowds gathered for classes). Justin and I took advantage every time they announced their free classes and wine tastings where we could learn about food and wine from both local producers and from around the world. I found myself in love with strong, aromatic, full-bodied red wines (Petit Sirah and Malbec would be a good example of my taste) and for a few years that was all I wanted to buy. I loved red wine as a compliment for lunch or dinner, as a drink I enjoy in the evening for a quiet relaxing time, as a celebratory drink with company... Until very recently when I found myself still purchasing my favorite wines and opening bottles, and then... not drinking them. It has never been the case before - I would have a bottle or sometimes two per week, and I would never let a bottle go to waste. Well, I don't remember when it started, maybe a year ago or so, but more often than not I would not finish a bottle (sometimes I would cook with it - it's good for pork or beef dishes, though I rarely cook pork and almost never cook beef, we are mostly chicken and fish people here). In summer, I would get white wine instead - crisp and light for hot days. But even white wine did not replace that passion for red wine I used to have for a few years. I still enjoy the taste of wine, but I dislike the heavy feeling in my head that wine (especially red wine) leaves. So to my huge surprise, I am rapidly loosing interest in this wonderful drink, and I really used to love everything about it - the taste, the smell, the feeling in my mouth, the color, the idea of it, the experience, the light-headedness after all. Not anymore. Not sure what to do with it, as now I simply don't have a favorite drink. Juices are too sweet for my liking, beer too bitter, and hard liqueur is just not my cup of tea. So I drink coffee or tea, and rarely still have a glass of wine, but more as a habit, really.

7-8 min

Rise and Write 43-49

2 comments:

  1. If you'd asked me a few years ago, say, when I was 40, whether or not my tasted in drinks changed much over the years, I'd have said "no, not much" ... I liked milk, milk-shakes, iced tea, and soda for the most part, hardly ever drank coffee and when it came to juices, mostly orange. Well, at 52, things have changed a lot. Milk is gone, coffee in many forms is here and happily so, and my favorite juice is Mango, which I'm not sure I'd even tried by the time I was 40. Beer? Guiness, which I couldn't stand when I was 40. Wine? Well, that hasn't changed much ... I'm still a Riesling man. :) As for a favorite? That's tricky ... taste ... probably mango juice ... mood ... probably coffee ... health ... water. :)

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    Replies
    1. That's it! Water is my old favorite drink. :) And yes, your taste changed radically over the years.

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