Thursday 26 April 2012

Of Drinks and Demigods

Drinking. I don't do it.

I'm not referring to boozing up and going out on the razz here - though, admittedly, I would sooner have a mouthful of dental tools than do that either. I'm talking about drinking fluids in general. I just don't do it. I have, quite literally, very little interest in fuelling myself on that which is vital for my survival.

Tea? Yeuch.

Coffee? Nuh uh.

Coke? Let the plant have it.

Water? Passable only when hiking up the highest hill on Dartmoor, smelling like a vagrant and physically resembling a recovering heroin addict.

Though, admittedly, I'd sooner drink straight river water than boil it. I never knew microbes could be so flavoursome.

It's a problem I've had for a long while - much of my childhood was spent taking reluctant sips of apple juice, and testing a variety of highly unsavoury and suspicously coloured cordials. Thankfully I'm quite fond of fruit juice now - apple juice, blackcurrant cordials, forest fruit mixes, that sort of thing. I've even managed to persuade myself into lemonade, though it takes me a good twenty minutes to get through a glass that should take half a minute. The fizz and my nose do not compute nicely.

So, you can guess what my reaction was when, over easter, I was visiting my hugely energetic young cousins. After two hours of wrestling on the floor, playing sleeping lions and wanting to strangle the designers of a particularly ill-crafted netball hoop, I discovered a rare need for fluids and discovered my options were milk, water and cranberry juice.

I felt scuppered. Since the age of two, I had blatantly refused to drink milk - call it a desire to age fast, or the result of a particularly terrifying incident with a cow. Water, as we have already ascertained, holds no excitement for me. So I was left with the prospect of drinking the suspicious red-purple concoction that my grandmother is so fond of. The fact that my Duke of Edinburgh instructors had recommended it for clearing gut infections was also a teeny bit off putting. I like my internal balance just the way it is, thanks.

But, desperate as I was, I knew it was drink, or die of dehydration. Like a derp.

My reaction was thus:




.... Yup.

I like cranberry juice. This now brings the total of acceptable liquids in my life up to ... about ten. 

Why bother telling you this? Because I'm curious - what sort of dietary idiosyncracies do you guys have. I'm one of those people who believes you can tell a lot about a person from the sort of food / fluid they like. Exactly what, I'm not sure. I guess I just want to see if I'm weird becuase I drink something I previously thought was only a functional cure for cystitis.

Tell away! Free cookies for all who surrender their factoids!

- Charley R

25 comments:

  1. Hmm, I practically live on blackcurrant squash and green tea (not mixed...)

    Milk is something I CANNOT stand, unless it's mixed with Nesquik XD

    Water is.. okay. Obviously it's used in conjunction with the blackcurrant squash. However, I only ever drink it by itself when it's cold and filtered. Wow, that sounded kind of snobby, didn't it?

    Carbonated drinks are nice, but I tend to stay away from them as much as possible. Unless there's Vimto about, then we're all doomed.

    Coffee. Don't get me started. I can't walk past a coffee shop, without wanting to be sick just from the smell of the stuff.

    Juice is awesome, but I tend to get a headache if I drink more than one glass.

    I don't drink nearly enough fluids though, either, to be honest. My body has this weird habit, where it just doesn't like to tell me when it's thirsty. It's not a case of I'm not thirsty or that I don't like drinking, it's just that I don't feel thirsty. Does that make any sense?

    I have to keep reminding myself to drink throughout the day, otherwise I don't drink anything whatsoever. Which causes a very cranky Kirsty. Not to mention the underlying health issues it'd probably cause in the long run.

    In fact, when visiting my Granddad in Cyprus, this can be a real pain. Combined with the intense heat of that bloody country, I've found myself collapsing a few times while over there in the past. Green tea isn't something you want to drink when in Cyprus, for obvious reasons. I do actually drink just plain water while over there though, as Granddad has a water cooler in his house. Plus he has a recent habit of shouting "DRINK SOME WATER, BEFORE YOU KEEL OVER AND DIE AGAIN" about every hour. It scares the crap out of me most days, but it does work, Haha. Got to love him.

    I can see why you'd be put off by cranberry juice, if that's all you were told though. I have the same principle towards prunes - while I've recently started a new obsession with plums, the dried version doesn't seen very appealing at all D:

    Here's hoping you find other drinks, that make you do an impersonation of the mighty Thor XD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow... essay O_O sorry 'bout that

      Delete
    2. Essay indeed! I totally agree on the drinking, though - I just don't ever feel thirsty either!

      Heeheehee, indeed. Let's hope it's not anything caffienated either ... I might smash more than cups in that case. Though I'd sooner have Loki to Thor any day *giggles*

      Delete
    3. As yes, I have to agree with you on the Loki front aswell :D

      Delete
  2. PRUNEs! That's what I need to give my daughter... how could I forget... (Oh sorry, uh the kids have a habit of holing their p**p in so we'd have to give them prunes on occasion - aka giant raisins - to adjust their bowles and keep their tummies from hurting) *Ahem*

    I used to hate onions, I have since discovered that, cooked, they are yummy and add flavor, so now I eat them.

    However I do have an oddity. I can't eat Tomatoes unless they are of the right varity and perfect ripeness. I will actually gag, even if I don't mean to, if I eat a tomato that is not either of those, despite the constant badgering of my hubby. No, mind you I have no issues with tomato sauce, though if I"m going to make it, I have to do it in the crock pot, while I"m at work, or I'll start feeling sick/queasy. Even certain tomato based soups (like beef minitrone) will upset the tastebuds and tummy.

    I've since discovered that it has to do with the acid, so as long as I netralize that, I'm good. This apparently also applied to OJ, as I can only drink certain brands.

    As to your non-drinking habits, you can join my son. I'll each of my kids a glass of liquid, equal amounts of course, and Fiona will gulp her's down while Brendan will maybe take three sips. She's forever finishing what he doesn't drink - provided he hasn't dipped his meal in it. :}

    And Thor is awesome... I think I have a new crush, after all I ddi dream of him and I still remember the dream *giggles* I married him cause I like Epic (in the dream of course, my real life hubby is also epic in his own way)*giggles*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wubs onions! Nom nom nom nom nom :)

      Hehe, if I ever meet him, I could challenge your son to a drinking competition. If he's competitive, it'll persuade us both to drink, lol!

      Hehehe, I'm a Loki girl myself. Thor's hot, but ... god of chaos? That good-looking? COME TO SPOOKY! xD

      Delete
  3. I'm allergic to cantaloupe. Not anaphylactic or anything, but it makes my mouth itchy if I eat it and sometimes even if I smell it. That's okay, though - I don't particularly like it.

    Also, you do D of E! That's awesome. I was considering doing it but it really isn't popular in Canada so I would have trouble finding instructors and such.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gyeuch, D of E is hard enough in Britain, let alone Canada! I dread some of the places you'd have to trek around up there *shudders*

      Cantaloupe? I don't even know what a cantaloupe is, lol! Allergies suck, though - I have one too xD

      Delete
    2. *whispers* Psssttt... tis a type of melon

      Delete
    3. Aaaaaaaah .... all is revealed!

      Delete
  4. Personally, the only thing I drink is water. My family is extremely health-conscious, and water is the healthiest thing to drink! Plus, we're vegans, so of course milk is out. Never liked it much as a kid, anyway. ;) And I quite enjoy my water, I drink it all throughout the day and find it quite refreshing!

    I'll refrain from going on, because if I tried to outline all of my dietary eccentricities this comment would be longer than the post itself. Seriously. ;) We eat very, very strangely at my house! Glad you enjoyed your cranberry juice, though; I think it's supposed to be quite good for you. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're a vegan? Wow, that must be quite something. I've contemplated being pescetarian before, but I do love my chicken ... and a nice steak on occasion :P

      Heehee, no worries, we all have our quirks. I don't suppose you like cranberry juice, do you?

      Delete
  5. Yeah, my family is vegan...and we also eat all-organic, gluten-free, sugar-free, etc. Our diet is pretty extreme, much more extreme than anyone I've ever met. ;) I don't mind it, though; our food is healthy and delicious, so I'm good, haha. Good luck to you if you decide to give up meat!

    I've actually only drunk (drank?) cranberry juice a few times before, and it was basically just straight juice without anything added, which was extremely sour. I think if something was added to sweeten it I'd probably like it, but as it was I had kind of an "eh" reaction. My sisters LOVED it, though, haha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've contemplated giving up red meat, but I don't know .... I just seem to enjoy so many things it's in. Mebbe I'll try it for Lent next year or something :P

      Yeuch, I definitely had a slightly sweetened batch then - I was taking it for a urinary infection, which I'm sure you love to know. It's not half bad once you get over its general funny taste xD

      Delete
    2. There you go! Whatever works for you; even a small step is a step. Wait, am I being dorky? Sorry, my bad. ;)

      Delete
    3. Of course not - we're all dorks here ;)

      Delete
    4. Phew. That's a relief, it's always nice when I'm not the only one. xD

      Delete
  6. I'm a textural eater and don't have a super refined sense of taste so I hate really random things. I can't eat beans becuase they're mushy and grainy. *bleck* I hate peppers because the ones that aren't spicy are too sour for me. I love salty things, cheesy things and anything soft and creamy. I'm okay with cranberry juice, though I don't drink juice much (not enough carbonation, lol) but I love dried cranberries.

    And now I'm hugnry. Dang you Charley! *stomps off*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehehe, sorry! I shall send some minions with food to appease you ;)

      Eugh, I hate peppers too - namely because spicy things don't agree with me, haha!

      Delete
  7. As a kid I drank ridiculous amounts, and still do. Sometimes I have five or six cups of tea in a day (only about two of them are caffeinated - the others are often mint tea, for my stomach). I drink a lot of apple juice etc.
    However I'm a fussy eater, don't really like meat that much. I eat chicken. I eat sausages. That's about the lot for my meat eating. We eat a lot of veggie food in my house though, because my sister's veggie, so that's okay (although she has now moved out). I'm getting better at the whole learning to eat vegetables thing, actually :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I rather like veggies - with a few exceptions here and there. Chicken is a favourite of mine, along with fish. Red meat I like, but not in a great abundance, I must admit.

      You can drink that much!? Teach me your ways! xD

      Delete
    2. Well, the more you drink the less you need to eat as it fills you up and also you get the 'taste' thing you often crave between meals. So drinking herbal tea instead of eating sweets is a good way of losing weight! (Or so I have been told. I have yet to see it have any effect, curse it.)
      But find something that tastes nice and pour yourself a glass every two hours and make yourself drink the whole thing and then it'll become normal after a while, I think.

      Delete
    3. Aaaaaah ... I shall try this! Thank you!

      Delete