While discussing the merits of blended whiskeys with Jay the other night (specifically which was "better" - Black Velvet or Lord Calvert), he shared a bit of his memories with us. He said that his father, and men of his generation, preferred Lord Calvert. Not because it was better necessarily, but because the bottle was square and wouldn't roll around the floor of the pickup when it was stashed under the seat.
He recalled riding with his father out to check the crops and stopping at neighboring farms to visit the men in the fields. Of course, manners dictated that the bottle be brought out and a sip or two shared between friends.
Jay said his father always hated stopping by Clarence Yoch's farm because Clarence was a chewer. Long cut in one side and plug in the other. Rollie said that Clarence was a level-headed man because tobacco juice ran down both sides of his mouth. Only a true gentleman would offer Clarence a pull from his whiskey bottle. And Rollie is nothing if not a gentleman.
When Jay was 13 or 14 and working in the field on a hot July day, his father always brought him an ice-cold beer to drink with his sandwich while resting for lunch. Surprisingly, many fathers still do that for their sons today. Probably because their fathers did it for them as well.
Men still ride around with their bottle stashed under their seat. And, yes, it is usually square. Nothing much changes in my little corner of the world. I kinda like it that way.
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3 comments:
hey sally, i showed this article to gary and he was laughing his "u know what" off. Now i cant wait to show it to george, cause hes one of those people riding around with a bottle in his trunk.
talk to u later
Bettina
Habit/traditions are sometimes very strange indeed. Do they drink the beer and then operate machinery that they could injury to themselves? I've always wondered about the whiskey ration in the British armed forces until not too long ago.
Bettina - I'm sure he'll relate!
Tanna - That machinery could kill them even without the beer and they're well aware of it. One on a hot, sultry day wouldn't be the deciding factor. The British might have stopped the whiskey ration but they certainly didn't stop the drinking. I don't know about you, but I certainly would want a stiff one before putting MY life on the line.
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