I grew up in the 1960s in a household where 5 o’clock cocktails were de rigueur. When my father’s martini glass was empty, the gin soaked olives that remained were mine.
It was an unspoken agreement between the two of us. A matter of honor – I never sipped his drink and he never nibbled my olives.
I never really thought about it being a bad thing. I was allowed sips of wine on holidays and special occasions and when I was a teen, a tiny glass of cognac or Armagnac were an occasional treat.
Apparently, I should have become an alcoholic according to the opinions of some researchers.
I do have a glass of wine with dinner several days a week. Once in a while, probably less than once a month, I will have a cocktail with my dinner at a restaurant.
I have been known to drink an icy craft beer with pizza. Very rarely I will misjudge my tolerance level and catch a little buzz – hardly what I would call an alcoholic.
While I do not offer sips of my drinks to my children, I do allow them a sip if they ask. Gourmet foods, coffees, wines, and beers are part of our lifestyle.
I am a food writer and I have the opportunity to try a lot of different things from a lot of different companies. We’ve had triple cream Brie imported from France and we’ve had craft beer from a local brewery.
Honestly, I don’t think that a few tastes of wine will create an alcoholic any more than a bite of chocolate will create an obese glutton.
Do you allow your children tastes of wine or other drinks?
photo credit: Dinner Series
