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fandomhigh2015-03-12 01:42 pm
glacial_queen) wrote in fandomhigh2015-03-12 01:42 pm
Entry tags:
History of Poisons, Thursday Per 2
Instead of the Danger Shop, class met at the Causeway today, with a portal ready and waiting to go.
"If I'd managed this better, today's class would have taken place last week because we're going back to Mexico today," Karla said with a grin. "Specifically, we're going to the Wahaka Distillery in Oaxaca. The Wahaka Distillery is known for its production of mezcal, an alcoholic beverage made from maguey plants. The more well-known alcohol, tequila, is a form of mezcal, made specifically from the blue agave plant. Mezcal, however, can be made from a variety of agave and maguey plants, and traditional distilleries use fermenting traditions that go back hundreds of of years."
Stepping through the portal led them out into warm sunshine, leaving them standing in a field filled with spiky-looking plants. "Alcohol is a poison, though not generally a toxic one. The human body is capable of processing ethyl alcohol and harmlessly passing it through the system, though that 'harmless' is gravely dependent on how much you drink and how often. Excessive drinking can lead to all kinds of unpleasant side effects, from vomiting and a hangover, to liver failure and death, because, again, poison." Karla explained how alcohol affected the body, including a breakdown of the blood alcohol content levels and what could generally be expected from each.
"As for how alcohol is made, it relies on fermentation, where yeast and certain kinds of bacteria break down sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol. Today, we're touring the distillery to see how this most popular and ubiquitous of poisons is lovingly crafted into a popular drink."
"If I'd managed this better, today's class would have taken place last week because we're going back to Mexico today," Karla said with a grin. "Specifically, we're going to the Wahaka Distillery in Oaxaca. The Wahaka Distillery is known for its production of mezcal, an alcoholic beverage made from maguey plants. The more well-known alcohol, tequila, is a form of mezcal, made specifically from the blue agave plant. Mezcal, however, can be made from a variety of agave and maguey plants, and traditional distilleries use fermenting traditions that go back hundreds of of years."
Stepping through the portal led them out into warm sunshine, leaving them standing in a field filled with spiky-looking plants. "Alcohol is a poison, though not generally a toxic one. The human body is capable of processing ethyl alcohol and harmlessly passing it through the system, though that 'harmless' is gravely dependent on how much you drink and how often. Excessive drinking can lead to all kinds of unpleasant side effects, from vomiting and a hangover, to liver failure and death, because, again, poison." Karla explained how alcohol affected the body, including a breakdown of the blood alcohol content levels and what could generally be expected from each.
"As for how alcohol is made, it relies on fermentation, where yeast and certain kinds of bacteria break down sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol. Today, we're touring the distillery to see how this most popular and ubiquitous of poisons is lovingly crafted into a popular drink."
Discussion
"So, because of alcohol's effect on the body, many cultures have rules about drinking, whether its a law about how old people must be to drink or rules against what may be drunk or in what quantities. Sometimes alcohol is used in specific religious and cultural practices, while other cultures may prohibit alcohol consumption at all. How does your culture handle alcohol? Why do you think that is?"