In History classes, important events are usually described in a way of using dates, conflicts, agreements, cause and effects. Even the smallest things that we think wouldn 't even matter, have had the greatest impact on our history. In this book, Standage chose to pick out the little things; Drinks. The six most important drinks throughout our history. I really like the way Standage wrote the book. It talks about certain periods in our history that i 've learned about and already have a background on, but then includes the big drink in that period and what effects it had on the people in that time. The alcoholic drinks mostly had to do with philosophy, agriculture, and religion. Caffeinated drinks influenced commerce, technology and medicine.
Water. We swim in it. We bathe in it. We drink it. We waste it. Early nomadic tribes would follow animals for food but would try and settle in areas with water. In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, it was the only drink available. It also had a lot of contaminants in it. Then beer came along. Drank by
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Tea was originated in China and was popular for medical reasons. It was easy to prepare and helped kill bacteria that cause typhoid and cholera. But it had fallen during Mongols rule, luckily it had already spread to japan. In japan, Tea started to get associated with religion and a little with Status and culture. Then tea hit Europe before coffee got expensive. With trade from China and Japan to Britain, increased the british economy. Tea parties, afternoon tea, and tea gardens were a part of high status in britain. Since tea had to be boiled first, it helped prevent waterborne disease. Believe it or not Tea caused infant birth rates to go up because of its health benefits. This then caused more labor and helped with the industrial revolution. The roles Tea had in our history is amazing. Including the spread of religion especially Christianity, Taoism, and Buddhism. Also disease prevention, The silk road, and Rise of the