[Sca-cooks] Binge drinking

[Wanda Pease]

I'm puzzled.  There seems to be a view that drinking 3 pints of beer (six
8oz glasses?) a day is a binge.  Isn't the question what _else_ the person
was drinking?  Granted people did drink water if they had a good source
nearby, but if they didn't?  Wouldn't they tend to drink beer instead?

We tend to drink sodas and fruit juices besides the extraordinarily safe
water from the tap.  What would we drink if those weren't available?

A program I saw while in England recently mentioned that the working poor
began to suffer vitamin deficiencies when the tee-totalers and tea drinkers
discouraged them drinking their normal ration of beer.  I've certainly seen
beer referred to as "liquid bread".

Am I out in the fantasy dark ages?

Regina

> -----Original Message-----
> From: sca-cooks-bounces+wandap=hevanet.com at ansteorra.org
> [mailto:sca-cooks-bounces+wandap=hevanet.com at ansteorra.org]On Behalf Of
> Stefan li Rous
> Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 10:26 PM
> To: SCA-Cooks maillist SCA-Cooks
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Binge drinking
>
>
> Doc commented:
> > The diet table approved in April 1687 by the Governing Body of St
> > Bartholomew's Hospital contains the following references to alcohol
> > consumption.
> >
> > Sunday:  1 pint of Ale Cawdell, 3 pints of 6 shilling Beere
> > Monday:  3 pints of Beere
> > Tuesday:  3 pints of Beere
>