CULTURAL OR COMFORTABLE?

Cheers to Culture?

Unmasking toxic drinking behaviors disguised as cultural customs

Photo by Portuguese Gravity on Unsplash

If you ask a random Portuguese person what the epitome of a summer refreshment is, chances are they will describe to you the unforgettable experience of the first gulp of an ice-cold beer.

They might even go so far as to describe the condensation of the tall Sagres or Super Bock glass, the view, or the warm heat of the day lingering on their skin as they sip the bubbly drink down their thirsty throats.

There is something about a cold beer on a long summer day that screams Portugal. It’s a vignette of our laid-back, appreciate-the-rays-of-sun attitude and lifestyle.

When you’re sitting on the terrace of a café, in front of the ocean or river, drinking your Imperial (if you’re in Lisbon) or Fino (if you’re in the North), nothing can faze you. No one can bother you. All you can do is enjoy life.

And of course, with each new round of beers, you’ll hear an offering of a “chin-chin” or “saude” as glasses clink gently, or excitedly, depending on how many beers in you are.

The word “saude” literally translates into health, as I suppose is the case in many other languages and cultures. The irony isn’t dead on me. Health…