I understand it's probably easier for girls because
maybe, and I mean MAYBE, in the mysterious “men's world,” the leader of the pack
should always drink the largest quantity of alcohol and sleep with the most
beautiful woman if not with the largest number of women – not very different
from "The Animal Kingdom" on Discovery channel I suppose.
Fortunately I’ve been blessed with a near-zero
alcohol tolerance. So it comes natural for me to relax and enjoy myself without
drinking a drop. Oh yes, I get high on a glass of ginger ale and some good
company.
I know many people depend on alcohol for a
good time. The world simply looks brighter when they have some beer in them - people
are nicer, jokes are funnier, and they are nicer and funnier themselves too.
Having said that, I do enjoy a glass of wine with
my food sometimes. I like the taste, but not the effect on me – I just laugh
louder and then fall asleep. I don't really care if people see me drunk, since
I have already seen most of them drunk anyway. But I also don't care what people
think of me even when I am the only one not drinking at the party.
Japanese are very relaxed about drinking, among the
other issues such as smoking and sex. Most people don’t drive here anyway, so
drinking is usually not considered as a problem at all.
But then again if you live with your family and you
can’t control the amount you drink – oh well, it depends. If you are a man,
lucky you, you could go home drunk every day and your wife would most likely
stay as long as you didn’t beat her. But oh no, if you are a woman, your
husband will not wait around and see if you can sober up because let’s face it,
who wants to go home to a drunk wife?
Of course it’s an entirely different story if you
are single. Come to think of it, it’s great for the economy if you go out and
drink every night. In fact, our society is in urgent need of single drunks.
So now if you are with me, raise your glass – kanpai!