The Influence of Drinks: Beer, Wine, Distilled Spirits, Coffee, Tea, and Coca-Cola

Part One:

1. The discovery of beer is linked to the growth of the first civilizations because beer played a central role in the adoption of agriculture. Farming was adopted by civilizations in order to maintain the supply of beer. Farming created food surpluses which allowed civilians to specialize in other activities. The consumption of beer tipped the balance away from hunting and gathering lifestyle towards farming and a settled lifestyle.

2. The history of beer tells us that early civilizations like Egypt and Mesopotamia were made possible by agricultural surplus, in particular an excess of grain. Grain became the basis of national diet in Egypt and Mesopotamia. It was also consumed in solid and liquid forms, as bread and beer.

3. The author used variety of sources to gain information on the use of bear. Such as the “Pyramid Texts”, funeral texts that mentions several varieties of beers. He also used “The Ebers Papyrus”, an Egyptians medical text that contained hundreds of recipes for herbal remedies, many of them which involve beer. He also used Epic of Gilgamesh which showed how beer made Enkidu human.

4. Ancient cultures used beer in religious ceremonies, agricultural fertility rites, for funerals, forms of payment and currency and it provided a safe form of liquid nourishment. Beer’s consumption was socially and ritually important.

5. According to Standage beer civilized man because beer created a settled orderly lifestyle for man. Beer also formed part of their cultural and religious identity, and had great social importance. Beer also allowed man to specialize in other activities and also led to the developments of tools to collect, process, and store grain.

Part Two:

1. The Use of wine differed from beer in an...

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...isen to nearly 100,000 tons.

Part 6

1. Coca- Cola originated in the United States and was invented by John Pemberton.

2. The beverage was used medically it was as valuable as Brain tonic. It had a cure for all nervous infections, such as sick headache, Neuralgia, Hysteria, Melancholy, and more. The ingredients were coca, kola, and sugar.

3. Coca- Cola and the World War II reminded soldiers of home. Coca-Cola became the major drink of World War II. American servicemen identified this drink with what their country stood for.

4. Coca- Cola was thought by communist during the Cold war as standing everything wrong with capitalism. It was particularly the notion that satisfying consumers’ often trivial demands should be the organizing principles of the economy. Communist also regarded the Marshall Plan as imperialism and coca- cola is a reason for their anger.