This summer, a strange phenomenon is happening to me. I seem to be
growing out of beers.
Ever since I started enjoying alcohol at the legal age of 20 (well, my memory
is actually rather fuzzy there), I liked beer the best, especially as a
starter. On a summer evening, ordering a pint of beer has been the thing to do.
It is a collective
phenomenon. Actually, in Japanese, there is a special
expression for the endorsement of beer as the first drink of the evening (Ask
any Japanese people around).
Then it started to weigh in. I noticed the small gradual changes within
me when it was too late. I find myself ordering other drinks (what a
sacrilege!) at the beginning of supper with colleagues and friends. Beer is not
the first choice any more.
I ponder why this change is happening. It is personally so interesting
and at the same time rather unnerving. Am I losing something, perhaps the
famous “mojo” (Austin Powers)?
I am watching my thirst and drive carefully as we Tokyo residents start
to prepare ourselves for the inevitable chills of autumn.
