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I've never heard it expressed as though people did not (as in ever) drink water, but that beer and wine were far more popular as casual, everyday drinks than th
by nkozyra 12y ago
I've never heard it expressed as though people did not (as in ever) drink water, but that beer and wine were far more popular as casual, everyday drinks than they are now for purposes of sanitation.
Which makes some sense when you consider that the items mentioned - rainfall, melted snow, etc. - are not readily available all times of the year in all locales.
If anyone had said "they didn't drink water in the Medieval ages" I think that, like stagnant water, it wouldn't pass anyone's sniff test.
- kedean 12y agoThe reason you gave is exactly what he argues against. The author is saying that a) people DID drink lots of water, just as much as now, but thats uninteresting and nobody would record that, and b) nobody in the past drank because of sanitation reasons. They drank because it tasted good and we like to get drunk, with the pleasant side effect of slightly improved sanitation, but nobody at the time would have realized it.
- dragonwriter 12y agoWhether they realized or not may be immaterial to whether or not the benefit explains the prominence of the behavior -- a socially transmitted behavior (meme) that gives those engaging in it a slight survival advantage can easily be reinforced over time even without conscious recognition of the benefit of the meme.