Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Alcohol and women...

Being a teetotaler makes life seem futile. And the conception turns silly when the friends of opposite sex, one goes out with, drink margaritas and vodkas. Asking for a virgin drink in a bar is almost considered a capital offense or so the looks of the waiter/waitress convey. But one does not deter. With self-amusing composure, one rephrases and asks for fruit juice. And it indeed is a little sappy to be sipping cranberry juice, when the tablemates are gulping down cocktails.

But perceived with the truest of the thoughts, one feels a little untold pride. And the haze of being called a 'loser' fades away in the pride. One personally enjoys whenever people invite for arguments centering on the 'beaten-to-death' topic of drinking Vs abstaining. Such arguments are delightful and that too, it becomes all the more funny when the arguing person’s blood is so filled with ethyl alcohol.

Talking about drinkers, the other day I went out with a couple of friends to a local Italian restaurant. I was having regular coke and they were having wine. As soon as they said the wine is just so perfect for the evening, I added saying Coke is definitely better at that restaurant. They didn’t seem to understand. In fact, for somebody who drinks, it’s hard to appreciate the 'kick' of a non-alcoholic drink. One of my friends, for the sake of argument, asks me for one good reason for me being a teetotaler and I tell her honestly that the pride of not having touched alcohol yet makes one a stronger abstainer.

She could not readily agree, my other friend joined her and both of them were enjoying this 'lets-convince-Arun-today' business than the wine in the first place. I was having equal fun, trying to come up with answers for all the 'otherwise-valid' questions. After some 20 minutes of vain attempt, one of them showed a little frustration and resorted back to the wine. The other joined. For me, the pride sneaked in. I smiled.

I have always been the solo non-alcoholic person in a alcoholic group. I accompany folks to bars/hotels and invariably hog at the side-dishes meant for the drinkers. And as soon as the drinking starts, if any of the guys talk, I keep telling them to stop the gibber-talks. And if one of the guys walks to the restroom, I mockingly warn him not to dance along the way or bang the waiter.

As more alcohol mixes with the blood and as the guys get 'high' by the drink, triggering them to unexpected expressions and ridiculing is what makes me high.

In spite of the sporadic kicks and blows one might receive, such attempts of ridiculing a drunkard is the funniest experience one can feel thru. Not even watching all the seasons of Seinfeld in one shot can come close. Of course the side and the after-effects of the 'puke' episodes would be like interrupting ESPN abruptly and switching to Doordarshan.

Yet, what I missed to figure out was why some women have a strange attraction towards guys who drink. Maybe they mistakenly think drinking has got to do with manliness or something. Or that’s what I assumed.

But a few days ago, a few of my friend were saying that their strategy is to 'go out' with guys who drink, who dance, who smoke and who call them 'babe'. But at the end of it, they settle down for a guy who symbolizes 'chamathu' types. As much as that logic is confusingly stupid, it blurs me as I don’t fall in either of the cults. And all this when I'm not drunk.

I'm sure only women can confuse and increase the thinking time of men. Not even alcohol!

19 comments:

Zeppelin said...

besha sonneL pongo! naanum thertham shaapadradhillai...pazha rasam dhan.

cheers on that dude! :)

Anonymous said...

i would suggest u let the so called 'men' to babble after a high...

that would be a smashy performance all over the cafe .. and may be would give u many laughs that night ...

ps.. accompanying sales/marketing guys for a drink is the best...

Narendra shenoy said...

Good for you! And good for us drinkers too. You see, the fewer people drink, the lesser the demand for alcohol. The lesser the demand, lesser the price, following a well known law of economics. The lesser the price of alcohol, the more I can afford to buy. The more I buy, the more I consume. The more I consume, the happier I will be. Thus, as far as I am concerned, Arun Sundar rocks!

On a more serious note, I am impressed by your steadfastness. Keep it up.

The Maverick Blog said...

Naalu perukku nalladhu nadandha edhume thappilla! :D

You cud have gone a step ahead and convinced them to drink coke :P

Anonymous said...

i look up to you da! Been avoiding for a long time now.

And btw, ethyl alcohol da. Methyl alcohol in blood na, he is dead!

Arun Sundar said...

Zeppelin,
Illaya pinna?!!

Narayan,
Sales/Marketing guys - I agree. But yet, being the odd one has it own attraction.

Naren,
Economics from my post!! Only you can do it saar :)

Maverick,
Coke bottle would have been broken by a bang on my head. I wouldnt dare :)

Grad,
Ethyl alcohol?? Did they change it recently? ;) hehe...nandri - i'll edit the post.

m said...

It is the attitude of Indians that amuse/irritate me when it comes to drinking....people who don't drink claiming that they are full of holiness and the people who drink claiming themselves of being so progessive, open-minded and hip. Why can't people leave it as a matter of taste, likes and dislikes. Just my opinion!

That said, I am intrigued by the difference between the Indians and the foreigners who drink....my foreign friends know when to stop and usually don't start blabbering nonsenses and never ever make fun of me for not drinking alcohol whereas I have to shrink in embarassment the way the Indians behave after few rounds of drinks.
"Trying to be an typical Indian girl full of virtue, haah?" was the comment i heard from two Indian girls when i refused alcohol and was supported by the husband of one who was an European.

BTW, ithae saaka vachu ponnungalae kala varura thangaludaya last sentence a naan vanmayaka kandikiraen!

Rayees Ahamed said...

hehe,

fact is that there are many practices in society which presume pretty/trendy/fashion/smart when they actually are harmful/foolish/stupid.

when every single able minded human is obvious of why one drinks/smokes, the adverse effects of them gets deluded by the kick of a peg, the forthcoming cancer gets masked by the warmth of a smoke.

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/health/Health_Effects_of_Alcohol.htm

Alcoholism is a well known contender of Infertility, Alcohol at pregnancy can play Russian roulette with the womb.

N.V.Prashanth said...

Well as a teetotaler... ahem...ahem.. I did enjoy these moments. Its really amazing what different things you can get to know from people getting high. Its a knack... you should know what to ask and how to ask and bang... you get all you want!

@ Ela - I strictly believe that these blabbering funda is bcos they believe that alcohol will turn them in to a different person... and all they wanted but could not say as "them" is said under the pretence of being controlled by alcohol!

The Maverick Blog said...

@ Prashanth

As a "teetotaler"?????? ahem ahem...

maxdavinci said...

i love goin out with women who drink n get drunk. It's fun recollecting the things they did and say in the morning after!

comin to the ladies principle it like this.

we all stare at teh merc/bmw in the showroom, always dream of one etc but then we go and buy a santro/swift with least EMI.

same logic diff situation.
we look at the LCD/plasma ads, go n touch at the showroom but then buy a 27/32 inch TV under a diwali exchange offer...

Anonymous said...

I like the discussion here. I agree with what Ela said. There are these extremes where people who do not drink think they are divine and ppl who think drinking is the coolest thing on earth. It has to be a matter of choice and something that is entirely personal. It very well is personal, but holding perceptions like I am cooler than thou or I am the nice guy, comes across as quite pedestrian. It is not a sin. As long as you don't make it your vice, it is definitely not a sin.

But am only reminded of hawkeye's post about the lack of creativity in the kind of fun ppl like to have. It's always eat, dance and drink alcohol. I am quite bored, like him. It's high time ppl come out with innovative things to do to have fun(I came across photowalks, barcamps-andha "bar" illa, blogcamps, poetry reading sessions etc) rather than putting "poojai" or "plans" at someone's.

-=A.R.N.=- said...

I'd like to agree with ela...
Europeans are no problem - no one asks me "why" I don't drink, "what" I don't drink and are polite enough to understand when I say I-don't-drink-by-principle.

Our desi dumbos on the other hand usually don't know when to quit:
"Yaar, you don't drink-a? Why da? Abey wine won't hurt you na.."

Why can't ppl mind their own business?

Arun B said...

"what I missed to figure out was why some women have a strange attraction towards guys who drink" --- very simple logic ... most of the time guys sponsor the drink & ride for the girl .. they also bodyguard the girl ... girls may play this down .. Not all but most of the girls like drinking guys:-) for the above mentioned reason.

Lavanya said...

Pah! Avlo nallavarra neenga? Besh Besh. Your amma must be proud. Anyway, where the alcohol and women part is concerned, I agree with max.

Anyway, keep it up! I know how great it feels to abstain cause I'm the only vegetarian in my group of friends. :D Peer veg!

RukmaniRam said...

its all a matter of personal choice, and when you've made the choice knowing fully what you would face, there's no sense in deterring. it goes for everything- smoking, drinking, being a vegetarian.

and the pride, oh the pride- i used to be so full of it :P

Anonymous said...

I like what Ela and Gradwolf said. Drinking does not make you 'cooler' than others, and also abstaining does not make you 'cooler' than others either. It irks me when I see the non-drinkers preaching about how they are so much better than the drinkers for keeping away from such 'bad habits', and at the same time, it really bothers me how drinkers look down on non-drinkers as party poopers and boring people. Neither is true. If you like to drink, go ahead and drink. If you don't want to get near alcohol, that's fine, stay away from it. But don't start belittling others for their choice in the process. Consuming alcohol or not is entirely a personal choice. Sure, the choice can be abused (on either sides), but whatever it is, the person decides what is best for them... so let's leave it at that, right?

Good post. I enjoyed reading it, Mr.Teetotaler. :)

P.S - I had never heard of the term 'teetotaler' until my mom started wasting her time on TamilMatrimony and noticed this particular word in a lot of the guys' profiles. Haha.

Nandini Vishwanath said...

I agree!

And I second Ela. It is not cool to claim coolness coz of alcohol affinity!

Bala said...

Nanba
Manasula irukrathellam apdiyae kottitada...
Yennamo poda... yellarumae nammla maathri irukka mudiyuma.. :)
Machi gulp adikrathu matterae illa... atha seiyama irukrathuthaan matter... Lets continue being what we are... yevlavo pannitom itha pannamaatoma??? :)