Bottle or a Glass?

Recently, a woman who had a few glasses of wine under her belt was approached by her waitress, who asked: “Do you know just how much wine you drink?” She then asked whether the lady “would prefer a bottle of wine?” The woman was so offended by the question and insinuations associated with the question that she posted on Mumsnet, a social media platform based in London. In her post, the woman alleged that the waitress was “judgmental” and tried to shame her into buying a bottle of wine. This unleashed a flurry of divided responses about how much is too much drinking and who has the right to determine what is enough. Some thought the waitress was rude and out of place, while others thought she was trying to help the woman be cost-efficient with her drinking. Personally, I think the woman’s indignation at the waitress reveals more about her internalized provincial perceptions of wine than it does about the waitress’s questions. Maybe it’s because I was raised in a culture of wine and food enthusiasts as an Italian. It was served at every meal and still is. In Italy, we drink wine at Pranzo (lunch) between 12:30 and 2:30. We might have a drink again at dinner between 8:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m. Wine is part of every meal; it is a cultural norm. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the apertivo, the pre-meal drink. (I wonder if the waitress would hold her cultural tongue in Italy?) <a href="https://medium.com/illumination/bottle-or-a-glass-93d0503bf808">Read More</a>