Posted by:
Stunted
(
)
Date: December 15, 2011 11:50AM
Last night I was home alone for a bit so I browsed Netflix and pulled up a documentary on Beer. "How Beer Saved the World" or something like that. Soon after it started my wife came home along with our youngest child - a ten year old. They watched with me.
It was a fascinating show on how brewing drove the agricultural revolution, how it was vital to the building of the pyramids, how it drove record keeping and writing etc. It even discussed how influential beer has been on medical advances, manufacturing practices and the elimination of child labor! Basically the show's entire premise was that beer is wonderful and humanity wouldn't exist, as we know it, without beer.
My wife's reactions were limited to little grunts of disgust and pointed sighs. I'm kind of surprised she didn't ask me to turn it off.
My 10 year-old was fascinated. Her mouth hung open and she had this incredulous look on her face. She kept looking at me as if to question the information she was taking in. Praising beer is the polar opposite of what she gets taught in Sunday School and Primary. Yet here was a scientist talking about how beer saved millions of lives during the middle ages when there was no clean drinking water anywhere. Even children drank beer because if they didn't, they be sick and probably die.
When the time is right, I'll follow up with that daughter and show her the actual word of wisdom - See honey, right hear it says that mild drinks made from barley are recommended. Remember on the show about beer? Yep, it's a mild drink made from barley. No, I don't know why the church now says beer is bad, why do you think they changed their mind?