Reflection on the Folklore of Alcohol on a Global Scale

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Reflection on the Folklore of Alcohol on a Global Scale
Introduction
Throughout the semester we were introduced to the folklore of alcohol on a global scale. At the beginning of each class, we were asked to identify if the alcoholic drink in question was part of our cultural practice or held any symbolic association to our identities as members of folk groups, which included religion, ethnicity, regional association, and nationality.
On the other hand, before this class, the biggest obstacle for me was my zero tolerance for alcohol. However, through this class, I have gained new knowledge and thus being able to keep an open mind concerning the subject. I also realized that most negative attributes of alcohol border on excess and the only way to tame alcohol is to consume responsibly. In this paper I will focus on rice wine, as my group representative drink, then, I will give a detailed explanation of my interest in cider and palm wine, and finally, I will reflect on the course and my future drinking habits.
Rice Wine
As a 22-year-old woman of Chinese descent, I chose to focus on rice wine, popularly known as “huangjiu” in China and "rượu” in Vietnam, due to its close relationship with Asian culture. The Asian people have long been linked to rice wine due to our heavy reliance on rice. According to archeological reports, 2000-year-old Asian bronze vessels containing rice wine were discovered, proving a long history of rice wine brewing in China. Also, as a matter of fact, further archeological evidence suggests China brewed rice wine for the first time around 1972 to 1912 BCE. This evidence shows that rice wine brewing in Asia is an ancient art and not a recent discovery. Next, I also discovered that rice wine was and continues to be featured in various cultural activities, for instance, rice wine is a primary ingredient in cooking unique traditional delicacies. Again, in conventional Asian society men and women (to a minor extent) used to drink it before they headed to the farms, it was also consumed with meals and was believed to be a crucial component of healthy living. Besides, during wedding engagements, it was mandatory for the groom to bring the brides in eight or ten pots containing rice wine.
Moreover, during religious occasions, rice wine was shared among members to act as a bonding agent. After all these observations, it is my opinion that rice wine is a marker of Asian culture since it represents the heritage and prevailing practices among members of the Asian region. However, from my experience alcohol intake should be done responsibly due to the adverse effects that alcoholism presents.
Cider and Palm Wine
For this second part, I chose to focus on cider and palm wine, since I find their histories and brewing technology interesting. Historians report that when the Romans arrived in England about 55 BC, apple cider was already a favorite beverag...