World history is a long and complex argument. Although many authors as did Bill Bryson and HG Wells tried to condense the story into one book, very few have succeeded. Simply too much of it. Attempts are reduced to the last 10,000 years have resulted in superficial books with very little depth, or textbook as graves too large inaccessible to the casual reader.
Fortunately, a history of the world in 6 glasses by Tom Standage succeeds where others have failed. Standage book does not sacrifice the breadth of each topic can to impressive depth and focus. Instead of trying to summarize all human history, this book focuses a single argument in this case, drink, and takes the reader on a journey back in time to see how the theme is woven into the past. Standage is a wonderful writer, his heart light style mixed with exceptional historical sense, not just drinking, but in everything.
Despite my hours positive opinion of this book, I must confess that when I had a history of the world in 6 glasses, I was not expecting to enjoy it. Not only are skeptical of any book that claims to summarize the antiquity of man in 300 pages or less, but I do not drink any of the six drinks discussed in this book. As such, learning the history of these drinks did not sound immediately appealing. However, what I quickly learned is that this book is not a story of six shots, but just like the title says, a world history, told through the story of six beverages. As the book noted in the introduction, exceeded only by air, the liquid substance is the most vital for human survival. The availability of drinking water and other sources have “forced and guided the progress of humanity” and “continued to shape human history.” At the same time, drink more than quenches our thirst, which were used as currency, medicine and religious rites. They served as symbols of wealth and power and tools to appease the poor and oppressed.
A history of the world in 6 glasses is divided into six sections, one for each drink, the first of which is beer. man’s first civilization which is based on surplus production of cereals, many of which occurred. beers ancient days were rich in vitamin B, vitamin A previously obtained only through the flesh. This allowed people to focus their efforts more on the nutrition of cereal actually trigger the transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers. In addition, because the beers were boiled in advance (to convert more starch into sugar), beer was safer to drink significantly more water. This significant improvement in lifestyle “liberated a small fraction of the population have to work in the fields, and made possible the emergence of specialized priests, administrators, scribes and craftsmen.” Not only the first beer for Food civilization, but in many ways, has done everything possible.
The wine, the drink after the book has played an important role in Greek and Roman culture flourished. The wine did not originate in the Mediterranean, the Greek desire to drink has opened this great maritime trade, which spread its philosophy, politics, science and literature far and wide, and supports most modern Western thought. A history of the world in 6 glasses underlines how these advances was born and raised in formal Greek drinking parties, called symposia. The Romans, who absorbed much of Greek culture, the continued use of strong wine. As noted in the book, if you draw drinking wine areas of the world on a map, you find that you have traced the Roman Empire at its peak.
After many years of hibernation, Western civilization has been awakened by the rediscovery of ancient wisdom, preserved in the Arab world. However, in an attempt to circumvent the monopoly Arab, European monarchs launched massive fleets at sea. The age of exploration has been greatly enhanced by the knowledge of the distillation Arabic, which has a whole new range of drinks. A history of the world in 6 glasses describes how these condensed forms of alcohol (ie brandy, whiskey and rum) were so popular, especially in the new colonies of America, who “played a key role in the United States Constitution” .
The fourth beverage presented in this book is coffee. Due to the contrast effect in the mind, coffee became the drink of the intelligence and industry. Replacement of the taverns and sophisticated meeting place, coffee, led to the creation of scientific societies and financial institutions, the creation of newspapers and provided fertile ground for revolutionary thought, especially in France. “History of the world in 6 glasses goes on to say that coffee had in effect intricate Victorian culture, even to devote an entire chapter to what the book called” Internet Café “.
Although the birthday tea for thousands of years ago, I had not considered in Western culture until the mid-seventeenth century. Once established as a British national drink, tea imports from China and then led India for trade and industrialization at an unprecedented scale. A history of the world in 6 glasses describes the immense power of the British East India Company, “has generated more revenue than the British government and ruled over many people, armed with more power than any other company in history. This imbalance of power has had an enormous effect on British foreign policy and far-reaching ultimately contributed to the independence of the United States.
Like most of the drinks discussed in a history of the world in 6 glasses of Coca-Cola was originally conceived as a health drink. More than any other product, Coca-Cola has remained a symbol of U.S. “vibrant consumer capitalism.” Instead of reducing this challenge, Coca-Cola took advantage of the difficult times that it was in, gaining ground through the depression, and then travel to our soldiers in World War II, becoming a worldwide phenomenon. According to the book, Coca-Cola is still “30 percent of the consumption of” liquid today.
A history of the world in 6 glasses clear that human history is a story of our consumption. Whether you consume “liquid bread” in Mesopotamia, thinking the revolution in a Paris cafe, tea leaves or throwing into the sea to Boston, these beverages have had a profound impact on who we are. As Standage says in the introduction to his book “Living in our homes today as living reminders of past eras, fluid testaments to the forces that shaped the modern world. Come and discover its origins, and they can see their favorite drink all in the same way. “I recommend this book to all who thirst for knowledge about the world around them. . . or even if you are just thirsty to drink.