“A History of the World in 6 Glasses” @ World Affairs Council

Event @ the World Affairs Council, 5/19
What: “A History of the World in 6 Glasses”
Who: Tom Standage, Technology Editor, The Economist, Author, "The Turk", "The Neptune File" and "The Victorian Internet" Presented by the Young Professionals International Forum
Event: Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period. A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. Beer was first made in the Fertile Crescent and by 3000 B.C.E. was so important to Mesopotamia and Egypt that it was used to pay wages. In ancient Greece wine became the main export of her vast seaborne trade, helping spread Greek culture abroad. Spirits such as brandy and rum fueled the Age of Exploration, fortifying seamen on long voyages and oiling the pernicious slave trade. Although coffee originated in the Arab world, it stoked revolutionary thought in Europe during the Age of Reason, when coffeehouses became centers of intellectual exchange. And hundreds of years after the Chinese began drinking tea, it became especially popular in Britain, with far-reaching effects on British foreign policy. Finally, though carbonated drinks were invented in 18th-century Europe they became a 20th-century phenomenon, and Coca-Cola in particular is the leading symbol of globalization.
When: Friday, May 19th; Check In and Drinks: (Coffee, Tea, and Cola): 6:00 PM, Program: 7:00 PM, Book Signing and Drinks: (Beer, Wine, and Spirits): 8:00 PM
Where: World Affairs Council, 312 Sutter St., 2nd Floor Auditorium, San Francisco
Admission Costs: Council members: FREE; Students w/ ID: $5; Non-members: $15
Info: (415) 293-4600, info@wacsf.org, http://www.itsyourworld.org/program.php?page=1610
Cosponsored by A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books