> Warren Ockrassa <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
<snip>
> Alberto's ancestors are not unique; IIRC it's still
> common today in
> rural areas of Europe for wines to be served at
> every meal, the vintage
> diluted with 50% water for the kiddies. Whether it
> has anything to do
> with keeping warm (or cool, or anything else) is
> really a null point;
> it's just how life is lived there.
>
> I'm still curious about the "immoral" aspect of
> giving booze to kids,
> though (and I can't recall who said it was) -- I
> find it an interesting
> assertion, one that needs some support before I can
> accept it as even
> being a point that can be argued. At least as a
> blanket, all-inclusive and arbitrary declaration.
>From a modern medical standpoint, children drinking
alcohol is detrimental, as alcohol is a neurotoxin;
developing brains are more vulnerable than adult
brains (and since our brains are still remodeling
quite a bit through age ~21yr, college kids
binge-drinking is harmful). But from a survival
standpoint, it was sensible to for all to drink
(watered) wine, as decent drinking water was not often
available to our ancestors, and cholera/typhoid/polio
etc. etc. were frequently fatal. <shrug> After all,
how many brain cells do you need to do
near-subsistance agricultural labor? (As opposed to
more skilled labor, or reading/writing.)
A sip of communion wine is not going to
physiologically impact a child to any significant
degree, although - recalling my first taste of wine -
it might make them wonder why folk want to drink it!
[My parents let me drink a little of whatever they
were having when I turned 16...I assure you that
Lancer's Rose` nearly made me swear off all
alcohol...but Kahlua changed my mind!] ;)
I didn't know that the Eucharist wine and bread were
considered co-equal in the Catholic Church; we
(Lutheran ELCA) always used both, although grape juice
was available (in individual cuplets at the altar
rail) for teetotalers. In college, it was - for those
who had access to kitchens - a matter of pride to bake
a decent loaf of bread to use for Wed. night services.
Debbi
Watching The Ponies Parallel Prance Maru ;D
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