A History of the World in 6 Glasses summer reading assignments 1. Tom Standage’s choice of beverages, such as beer and wine, represent the major periods of history. I find that I agree with the author’s choices after studying ancient (pre-600 BCE) and classical (600 BCE- 600 CE) history. In the beginning of the novel, beer is introduced as the beverage that improved humanity’s way of life. Beer in Mesopotamia and Egypt was introduced as a social drink and remains a social drink today. However, beer does not only serve as a social function; beer had a key role for agriculture and specialization in work. Beer contributed to food surpluses resulting in the first permanent settlements approximately 10,000 BCE. For instance, barley cultivation …show more content…
In addition, beer was much more safer to drink than water. This is because beer was boiled and water quickly became contaminated. It is clear why the author deemed beer an important drink that helped humanity develop from the neolithic time period to modern ways of live. In addition, Standage noted the importance of wine in the classical (600 BCE-600 CE). To the Greeks and Romans wine symbolizes wealth and power. Like beer in Mesopotamia and Egypt, wine was safer to drink than water, since it contained anti bacterial agents. Wine caused great philosophers, like Eratosthenes and Plato, to share their opinions about the beverage. Wine connected Greek and Roman values. Wine contributed to a social separation as the rich were expected to drink and recognize the finest of wines. Wine also was used for medicine. Wine embodied a civilized and …show more content…
Tea is one beverage in particular that would have to represent India. Tea helped to grow India’s economy and created an ample amount of jobs. In the late 1700’s, Britain was reluctant to trust China to supply them with tea. The head of the East India Company, Lord William Cavendish Bentinck, had the idea to grow tea in India which would benefit Indians and the British. This would create many jobs for Indians. The environment in India was also good for tea production and tea bushes were found in India. This resulted in the rise of India’s tea industry. Today, India is the world’s leading producer of tea. As a result, more jobs were created, and it helped the tea market flourish because the locals also consumed tea. Like India, tea is sometimes referred to as not sweet. Thus reflects the uneasy work the Indians had to do in order to produce tea. In addition, when talking about Europe, coffee, is one beverage that represents the continent the best. Coffee became popular in Europe in a time when European scientists began to challenge the old way of thinking. For example, Galileo Galilei challenged the old Greek scientists. Coffee symbolizes a new and alert way of thinking. Instead of Europeans drinking alcoholic drinks, that made them relaxed they began drinking coffee, which made them alert and not fatigued. Coffee represents the age of reason, which explains the development and flourishment of European ideas. Coffee also caused a more effective distribution of
It had become the center of religious, social, and economical life for the Mesopotamians. Standage claims that “[Beer] came into existence during… the switch from a nomadic to a settled lifestyle” (Standage p. 10). In this text provided, Standage infers that beer was a factor that helped the Mesopotamian society become a civilization rather than continuing on with the nomadic lifestyle, this shift led to a sudden increase in social complexity and the emergence of cities.
If one was able to afford wine, it showed the wealth of the individual. Later, it began to mark the social status of communities. As history progressed, the Arabs distilled wine to make a stronger drink known as spirits. The drink was utilized many ways: medicinally and pure enjoyment. While beer, wine, and spirits were alcoholic drinks, dry beverages built world civilization too.
Introduction In “A History of the World in 6 Glasses” by Tom Standage, the author makes the argument that certain beverages (e.g. beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola) have shaped and affected human history. He states that by examining the processes and lengths at which the drinks were made will allow for an in depth look of certain eras in time. Many factors play a part in the course of history and beverages are an intricate part of that development. The argument that Tom Standage makes in the introduction of the book is a compelling one that although is a unique take on history it is not one that is outlandish.
In John Standage’s book, A History of the World in Six Glasses, the history of the world is told through the history of six beverages; beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca Cola. The effect that each has had on the world is profound and immeasurable, however, of the six beverages, I have found that coffee has played the largest and most significant role in world history. One way that coffee affected world history is that establishments that served coffee created a social venue for members of the community to bond over various topics. Standage wrote that coffeehouses were hotspots for “gossip, rumor, political debate, and satirical discussion.”, similar to what they are in the present day. These topics led to Kha’ir Beg, ruler of Egypt, as well as his superiors worrying about coffeehouses being a popular meeting place for those wishing to overthrow the government.
This book reveals to us how beer and wine were used for cultural, social, political, and even medical purposes. Finally, Standage shows us how civilizations grew by the spreading of beer and wine, and how the spreading of these drinks spread culture around the world. To Standage beer and wine is a technology that played huge role in the developing and advancing civilization. In the introduction, Standage states that throughout history various drinks have/had such high significance
In A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage, the similarities and differences in the economic and political role of drinks such as spirits and coffee between the Colonial Period and the Age of Reason are presented. Economic similarities between these periods include that spirits and coffee were agriculturally produced and traded between areas for items and that both of these drinks slowly promoted the growth of capitalism. An economic difference is a trade of spirits being used as slave currency and encouraging slavery while coffee promoted equality between different economic classes. Political similarities include spirits and coffee shifting political power and the drinks’ role in challenging the government. A political difference
Throughout human history, various beverages have played a significant role in shaping societies and cultures. " A History of the World in 6 Glasses" by Tom Standage explores the impact of beverages such as beer and wine on different civilizations. This essay aims to argue that beer had a more profound impact on the history of humanity compared to wine. By examining the historical evidence presented in the book we can look into the societal, economic, and cultural transformations brought about by beer. Beer had a considerable impact on the development of human societies.
Over the course of human history a few major drinks have helped shape political, social, and economic aspects in countries and cities around the world. These drinks, described in the book A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage, are beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. All six of these drinks provided a safer alternative to water which at some times was not always clean enough for consumption. They sparked cultural changes in the countries that produced and consumed these drinks. Their are two drink in particular that changed the world in numerous ways.
A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage is not the typical history read that one might expect. To some who find reading history books quite tedious and overwhelming, this book is for you. Standage divides his book into 6 main sections via beverages: Beer, Wine, Spirits, Coffee, Tea and Coca-Cola. These drinks, which all started as a form of medicine, not only have great affects on today’s social culture but have also affected the historical spread of technology, religion, exploration, trade, slavery, and noteworthy worldwide events that changed society. As Standage describes it, Beer was a representation of both liquid wealth and health during the early civilizations in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Prior to the American revolution, America was a cluster of colonies mainly ruled by the British government. Additionally, tea was very popular than coffee in the colonies at that time. Back in 1773, the British government ceased the Townshend Act on its American colonies but the Tea act; which was not accepted by the residents of the colonies as they still had to pay taxes to consume tea. This led to the famous incident, the so called “Boston Tea Party”, which inevitably led to the American revolution. Since then Americans switched to coffee instead of tea, as tea was distributed to the world from England via importing it from India and China.
Both Buddhist and Taoist monks found that drinking tea was a crucial aid to meditation, since it enhanced concentration and banished fatigue with the presence of caffeine. In Japan, tea ceremonies had been taken to its greatest heights and the making of tea had become an honor reserved for the head of the household. The entire Japanese ceremony Is extremely intricate and can take more than an hour to accomplish. "The Japanese tea ceremony was the very principle of tea culture, the result of taking a drink from Asia, imbuing it with a diverse range of cultural and religious influences, and filtering it through hundreds of years of accumulated customs and rituals," Tom Standage said. Tea itself, had been used in the form of bricks which was used as currency.
Beer was an amazing discovery that changed the course of history forever. It was used for religious ceremonies, as a source of currency, and it had many other uses through the course of ancient and modern history. When exactly beer was first discovered is not
The author, Daniel C. Weaver depicts the story “Beyond the Glass” in a skillful way to engage the audience. Daniel C. Weaver does a good job on showing the struggle of the pathologist to identify the disease which makes the audience to ponder upon what is going to happen next. Although the story “Beyond the Glass” contains lots of medical terms, however, to make the story interesting and effective for the general audience, the author adds descriptive details and suspense to the story. The first technique in use to make the reader understand the intensity of the story, Weaver provides descriptive details while defining the medical terminologies.
Ernst Hans Gombrich was an Austrian art historian as well as a writer. E.H. Gombrich lived in the 20th Century. Gombrich graduated from the University of Vienna. After that he worked at the Warburg University of London as a Research Assistant in 1936. During the Second World War the BBC employed him as a Radio Monitor.
Over time, people have modified the way to prepare and drink tea. It is interesting to note the different ways tea is prepared and enjoyed in different parts of the world. For instance, the British drink their tea without sugar whilst the Tibetans mix salt and