As you feel? Amichi |
Búsqueda personalizada
|
|
En Castellano | ||
|
|
|
This is undoubtedly more true in some areas and among some demographic groups than others, but I generally think no more of this strange habit than of the equally strange compulsion most of seem to have to say “Bless you!” after someone sneezes. I was even, for a while, a member of an organization called Toastmasters—whose name derives from the association of the word “toast” with speechmaking—even though our meetings never actually included toasts (not to mention toast). I think most of us over a certain age have absorbed the ritual at some point in our lives, even though it’s not something generally taught at home or at school. It typically begins with someone making a declaration—often in honor of a person or achievement, but sometimes an all-purpose utterance that basically means “let us now celebrate nothing in particular together.” So it could be “Here’s to Mr. Smith, the finest leader this institution has ever known,” or “Best wishes on your new life together,” or simply “Cheers!” During this speech, participants are expected to hold in front of them a glass containing some beverage, often alcoholic. At the conclusion of the statement, the speaker raises his or her glass as a signal that everyone else should do the same. (In a frequently occurring variant, the participants clink their glasses together; social custom usually dictates in such cases that unless the group is quite large or spread out inconveniently, each person should endeavor to touch his glass to every other person’s glass—a sometimes rather tedious affair.) And then, finally, everyone drinks. This process may repeat an indefinite number of times. Participating in a toast usually implies both agreement with whatever the speaker said and solidarity with the other people in the group. These are the basic facts we all know, but why do we perform this odd ritual? What’s the significance of the clinking glasses? And why do we call it a toast? It all has to do with poison. Stop By for a Drink and We’ll Talk About It Let’s go back a few millennia to ancient Greece, where one of the preferred means of disposing of an unwanted political rival (or spouse) was to invite the person to share a nice meal with you and slip a little something into the wine. |
|