When I was 18 years old I started and stopped drinking in the space of about 6 months. In fact I only had two real drinking sessions and I was at a legal drinking age too marking me as very different from your average western teen.
These are the two moments involving drink that defined a large chunk of my life.
Firstly was my first real alcohol experience. Myself and some friends went to the off license by the Silver granite in Palmerstown and got beer. Being new to beer, and being the sort of person I am I decided I did not know what to get so I picked one of everything. This turned out to be 8 cans of beer and each one different. I am sure even back then there was more choice than 8 beers but I had to walk and carry them so 8 was enough. Anyway I don't remember what I picked, I am sure there was a harp in there at the very least. After we got the beer we went to the Chinese and got Curry chips. Now that is a great combination (more on curry chips later).
We walked back to my firends house and started drinking beer and watching TV, typical teenager stuff. Later, perhaps 5 or 6 cans later my friends mother came in to check on us and brought us in some fruit cake as mothers do. Well I had a dilemma at this point. In one hand I had my curry chips and in the other I had this fruit cake leaving no appendage for my beer! Well this was intollerable so I did what any sane person would do, I put my curry chips on my fruit cake and grabbed my beer! What a Genius I was, it was fantastic! A mind blowing experience and of course everything became quiet so after a few minutes I looked up and saw everyone looking at me with dropped jaws. Well people, to this day I maintain that this was fantastic but I have never had the oppertunity to re-create this delicacy while sober. It is my mission to do so.
While on the subject of curry chips, a great (sober) combination is Pizza topped with curry chips. It requires a trip to two take aways but trust me, its worth it.
The second time (a few months later) I went to a garden party with my friends. It was at a friends Auntie. Again we visit the off license and get beer, this time we decide to be a little more sophisticated and get a bottle of wine between us. Many beers and a lot of wine later while myself and my friends were sitting in a circle on the grass and all the older people like the aunties and uncles were sitting around the table the real fun began. My best friend (same one whose mother served the fruit cake) decided to take the bottle of wine and pour it into my shirt pocket. Then as I stupidly look down he slaps the pocket splashing wine in my face. Well needless to say I grabbed the bottle of wine and he jumped up. I went to throw the wine (not the bottle) at him while he proceeded to act like someone from the matrix and move in slow motion past me (but in reality faster than my alcohol dulled reflexes could comprehend) and past the table of mothers, aunties and grandmothers. Well what happens next is pretty obvious. I missed my friend and soaked the table of elderly people! The next thing I know I am in his aunties kitchen and his younger sister comes in and says "If you can't handle your alcohol then don't drink!"
So that was the end of that, I listened to her and did not drink again until I was 24 and in Prague and had mulled wine for the first time.
The whole point of that story was to give you a little insight into the person you are reading about. I am now 29 (30 in August).
The other night I was on twitter and I had Mature red cheddar cheese and O' Haras Irish stout. A lovely combination and I said as much on twitter. I also had sitting on the shelf in my office (home) a jar of chocolate spread that I use to coat plain biscuits like rich tea or digestives. I had some chocolate spread covered biscuits after I had finished my stout and all of a sudden I noticed I had three little blocks of cheese left so I popped one in my mouth and had a sudden revelation. There was a little chocolate left in my mouth and the addition of the cheese was magic. I could not believe it, so I coated he remainging two squares of cheese with chocolate spread. My wife refused to even try it. It was heavently. After a google search it seems I am not the first to try this of course.
I love trying weird combinations of foods. The cheese and chocolate are not too weird when you consider that they are both dairy products.
Well thats it for now, have a great weekend and I will have more to write about (beer related) perhaps tomorrow.
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