Description of Beer in History of the Worlds in Six...

In a History of the Worlds in Six Glasses, Tom Standage describes beer as one of the oldest beverage. According to Standage the discovery of beer was around 10,000 BCE, it was made from grain that grew in the region called Fertile that could be stored and made wet or soaked to turn into beer (p 15). Beer was shared with several people and goes on to become a social drink. Standage goes on to explain about another beverage made with wild grapes vines produced between 9000 and 4000 BCE in northern Iran (p 47). Wine became a symbol of social differentiation and a form of conspicuous consumption. In this essay I will describe how Tom Stranger’s text discusses the relationship between beer and wine with their social behaviors and their†¦show more content†¦The Greek practice mixing wine and water to make the correct strength for those who drink and those who do not. â€Å"The drunkard is insolent and rude. . . . On the other hand, the complete teetotaler is disagreeable a nd more fit for tending children than for presiding over a drinking party.† (Standage 59) Drinking fine wine without mixing it with water was savagely cruel by Greeks. Dinysus was the only one that they believed could drink pure wine without danger. Dinysus drank from a special vase, which shows that no water has been added. â€Å"Mere mortals, in contrast, could only drink wine whose strength has been tempered with water; otherwise they would become extremely violent or even go mad.† (p 57) However like Greek, Romans embraced the finest wines. The Romans stared wine as a universal staple. â€Å"Wine became a symbol of social differentiation, a mark of the wealth and status of the drinker.† (p75) The ability for a Roman to name the finest wines showed that they were rich enough to know the difference of which was which. â€Å"The obvious conclusion was that beer was a gift from the gods; accidently, many cultures have myths that explain how the gods invented beer and then showed humankind how to make it.† (p19) Egyptians believed that beer was accidently made by Osiris. Osiris being the king of afterlife forgot a mixture of water and grains out in the sun. Later on he found it, decided to drink it yet he