The "Say "Cheese" thread (Read OP for rules)

[Kyriakos]

(wrong thread ^_^ )

[Flinn]

Those were merrier times .. the Last Supper with my best friends, December 2019

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Nice pic.

I guess, you had fun that evening? If i guess from the glance in your eyes.

The man behind you is huge! Hands like a bear... A farmer?

[Flinn]

I was quite drunk to be honest, as much as I can get drunk of course (if you look at the table there are 3 different kind of wines on it...)

and he isn't a farmer, but a CNC machine operator, working for one of the multinationals still sitting here (Lombardini motors) .. he is huge indeed, shorter but broader than me .. there was a nice pic of us here from one of out annual wild camping sessions, but I uploaded it to tinypic IRC, so now is gone

there's actually a wide range of professionals on that table, even if we look like morons, we aren't that bad as dudes

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

I haven't had the impression, that you look like morons, quite the opposite. You all look very neat.

Because of the many landscape pictures you were posting, i thought there would be not much industry in your region and so i guessed farmer.

But as CNC machine operator you lift heavy tools and so its clear he looks strong.

[Turkafinwë]

I'm trying to think about the last time I had a nice supper with my friends. It's been awhile.

Better to be a moron on the outside than one on the inside

[Flinn]

I haven't had the impression, that you look like morons, quite the opposite. You all look very neat.

Because of the many landscape pictures you were posting, i thought there would be not much industry in your region and so i guessed farmer.

But as CNC machine operator you lift heavy tools and so its clear he looks strong.

Yes our area is a rural one in any case.. we have few technological industries here nowadays, but heavy industry has moved away over 20 years ago and more.

And he's strong because of DNA, mostly

I'm trying to think about the last time I had a nice supper with my friends. It's been awhile.

Better to be a moron on the outside than one on the inside

indeed, of all the things I've missed last year, not having our annual Xmas supper was probably the worst one

[Septentrionalis]

The man behind you is huge! Hands like a bear... A farmer?

If Roma_Victrix was here, he would probably guess the enforcer.

But anyways, a really nice atmosphere and I like the relaxed attitude toward wine, drinking it from ordinary glasses. People here have been kind of pretentious about wine because for a long time it was hardly consumed and then was reintroduced as something fine and sophisticated. I dare say that many would not accept serving wine from anything else but those special wine glasses.

If you are interested in some local history around wine, read on, but otherwise don't bore yourself.

We had prohibition in 1919 after which the nation kind of degenerated into drinking very strong hard liquor that was easy and logistically profitable to smuggle on small boats mainly from Estonia. Crime, violence, and corruption became rampant as smuggler leagues grew ever more influential and people were drinking really hard liquor (I understand much stronger than modern vodkas and the like) that they either bought from the smugglers or prepared themselves in the woods. Instead of enjoying beer in salons and dinners with wine.

The prohibition was lifted in 1932 because the society could not tolerate the crime anymore. But by that time the culture of wine drinking was gone, import routes were dead, and the country that wasn't very wealthy to begin with was in recession and wine would have been an expensive luxury item. Alcohol could mostly be sold only in government-operated stores as a compromise in between the prohibitionist and anti-prohibitionist viewpoints; an arrangement that lasts until today (albeit light alcohol such as beer found its way to grocery stores later).

My older relatives tell me that the government alcohol stores in the post-war decades would carry only a couple of very generic wines for a long time and few people enjoyed them. Only in the early 80s interest towards wine started to grow and it was long considered something of an elitist taste. Hence all the pretentious behavior of how one should act and look while drinking wine. Now wines are much more popular at the expense of hard liquor particularly in Western and Southern Finland, and the strange behavior around it is slowly receding.

[Flinn]

If you actually look closer at the picture, you will notice that not only we are drinking wine in ordinary glasses, but that none of them is the same Same goes with the cutlery.. fact is, we Italians keep good food in high regard, but we also like to eat informal, especially between friends. And of course wine is so deeply routed in our society that to us is like water, we do not formalize at all regarding its consumption.

We had prohibition in 1919 after which the nation kind of degenerated into drinking very strong hard liquor that was easy and logistically profitable to smuggle on small boats mainly from Estonia. Crime, violence, and corruption became rampant as smuggler leagues grew ever more influential and people were drinking really hard liquor (I understand much stronger than modern vodkas and the like) that they either bought from the smugglers or prepared themselves in the woods. Instead of enjoying beer in salons and dinners with wine.

The prohibition was lifted in 1932 because the society could not tolerate the crime anymore. But by that time the culture of wine drinking was gone, import routes were dead, and the country that wasn't very wealthy to begin with was in recession and wine would have been an expensive luxury item. Alcohol could mostly be sold only in government-operated stores as a compromise in between the prohibitionist and anti-prohibitionist viewpoints; an arrangement that lasts until today (albeit light alcohol such as beer found its way to grocery stores later).

My older relatives tell me that the government alcohol stores in the post-war decades would carry only a couple of very generic wines for a long time and few people enjoyed them. Only in the early 80s interest towards wine started to grow and it was long considered something of an elitist taste. Hence all the pretentious behavior of how one should act and look while drinking wine. Now wines are much more popular at the expense of hard liquor particularly in Western and Southern Finland, and the strange behavior around it is slowly receding.

the very concept of "prohibiting" is a dumb thing.. but well this is the TD, let's not pretend to be serious

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

My grandfather destilled his own hard liquor from every fruit, which had grown in his region.^^

It was very common for own consumption in poor mountainous regions like Eifel, Hunsrück, Westerwald.

[Sir Adrian]

We have that tradition here too. Every autumn my grandparents would make wine and hard liquor from everything from plumbs to apples to pears.

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

In my region you can buy in the local destilleries mirabelle liquor or rasberry liquor ("Himbeergeist").

Good after a oppulent lunch.

[Septentrionalis]

If you actually look closer at the picture, you will notice that not only we are drinking wine in ordinary glasses, but that none of them is the same Same goes with the cutlery.. fact is, we Italians keep good food in high regard, but we also like to eat informal, especially between friends. And of course wine is so deeply routed in our society that to us is like water, we do not formalize at all regarding its consumption.

I actually paid keen attention to the glasses being all different and that really had an effect to a person who can only name two people who drink wine from a regular glass to begin with. Out of whom one is something of a hippie and the other one something of a hermit . But I did not catch the cutlery! Thanks for confirming my understanding that Italians have a very casual approach to wine.

[Septentrionalis]

We have that tradition here too. Every autumn my grandparents would make wine and hard liquor from everything from plumbs to apples to pears.

Interesting, but where is that? I apologize if you made it clear before but I do not remember right now.

[Derc]

This image literally screams to get a Mafia themed makeover.

[King Athelstan]

Is that cola or wine in the mug?

[Sir Adrian]

Interesting, but where is that? I apologize if you made it clear before but I do not remember right now.

Romania, Transylvania to be more precise. Though everyone in the countryside still makes thier own hard alchohol. 60+ degrees or plum flavoured fire water.

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Played around with photoapps and filters...

Yay, finally i get my germanic DNA to smile again.^^

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Flinn]

This image literally screams to get a Mafia themed makeover.

and you haven't seen the guns under the table

Is that cola or wine in the mug?

actually one of my friends doesn't drink alcohols, he's a professional in private security .. you know, weapons and such. Despite this clear handicap, we still love him.

Played around with photoapps and filters...

Yay, finally i get my germanic DNA to smile again.^^

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Thanks.