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乾杯!
雅子さんはパーティーを主催したり、参加したりするのが大好き。しかし、パーティーに付きもののお酒となると話は違います。実は雅子さんはお酒をほとんど飲みません。しかし、そんな彼女がなんと、ここしばらく、毎晩ナイトキャップを楽しんでいるのだそうです。さて、その理由は?
Cheers!
Every time I've gone to the Boston University health clinic for my annual physical exam, a doctor or nurse has always asked me how much I drink. The answer has always been the same: very little. I only drink at restaurants or parties — about once or twice a month.
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オレンジジュース、ウィスキー、酢の特製カクテル |
I've never been a daily drinker — I don't keep beer in my fridge — but nowadays, I haven't been drinking much even on special occasions. I haven't been drunk in years. I usually have only a couple of drinks even when I'm at a rowdy party with old friends.
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筆者はこれらの酒類をベースにしたカクテルを毎晩楽しんでいる。 |
This month, I've decided to have one drink every evening, which is roughly 30 drinks per month. This is about 10 times the usual amount that I drink. Why have I suddenly decided to do this?
I admit that this is another one of my health plans. Long-time readers of this column are probably quite familiar with my forays into different diets and therapies. For the past several years, I've been on a quest to 1) increase my energy levels and 2) reduce my chronic shoulder pain.
There are many different things one can do to improve one's general health. I've tried many of them, including diets, exercise, stretching, mind-related therapies (such as meditation and hypnosis), physical therapies (such as acupuncture and massage) and the ingestion of various herbs.
The problem is that I lose interest in these methods quickly, especially if they are unpleasant, or if they don't seem to work. Just a month or two ago, I tried eating only organic fruits and vegetables for a few days to clean out my system. I read that this detoxifying process would increase my energy levels and make my blood flow more smoothly, hence reducing muscle stiffness.
My friends rolled their eyes and said, "Haven't you tried that diet already?" I told them that this wasn't the vegetarian diet that I had tried before, since this time I wouldn't be eating any cooked grains such as rice or bread. Well, I ended up throwing out lots of tired-looking veggies after a week, and I quickly went back to eating doughnuts.
Taking a nightcap daily has been much easier to follow, and surprisingly my friends have not been so skeptical of this health plan. It's widely known that moderate drinkers of red wine live longer and have fewer health problems than people who don't drink at all. Apparently, the good effects are not limited to red wine: Any alcohol can provide similar benefits.
It's not entirely clear why the alcohol helps. It may be physical, in the sense that the chemicals thin the blood and increase circulation. Or it may be psychological, in the sense that alcohol helps one relax, thus reducing unhealthy tensions. Or it may simply be social, in the sense that most people drink in a leisurely setting with friends, thus making them happier about life. In any case, I've been satisfied with this routine. I've decided to make myself a cocktail every evening, since there is such a large variety of mixed drinks and it's fun to change flavors.
Many friends have contributed liquor to our apartment for parties in the past, so I haven't had to buy any alcohol on my own yet. The nice thing about spirits is that, unlike wine, it keeps even after the bottle is opened and it doesn't take up any space in the fridge.
I've used the different bottles in my pantry to make my drinks. I don't follow any recipes and I don't think too much about the proper proportions of this or that when I stir my drinks. Kahlua and chocolate, coconut-flavored rum and milk, sake and lime, vanilla-flavored vodka and ginger, orange juice and whiskey — these may not be the sorts of cocktails one orders at a bar in a hotel, but they are tasty. Compared to fine wines, it doesn't take too much expertise to enjoy a good cocktail.
As for the health effects, it might only be my imagination, but I think that I sleep better at night and don't feel so tired during the day. I only have one drink (equivalent to a glass of wine), so I don't get drunk, but I do feel pleasantly warm and I suspect that the flowing blood is bringing fresh oxygen to my muscles. For whatever reason, I enjoy mixing my drink before I go to bed. I think I'll be able to continue this routine for longer than the others I've tried.
Shukan ST: July 12, 2002
(C) All rights reserved
- Cheers
- 乾杯
- annual
- 毎年の
- physical exam
- 健康診断
- daily drinker
- 毎日お酒を飲む人
- fridge
- 冷蔵庫
- haven't been drunk
- 酔っ払ったことはない
- in years
- 何年も
- rowdy
- 大騒ぎの
- roughly
- だいたい
- per month
- 1ヵ月につき
- about 10 times
- 約10倍
- (are)familiar with 〜
- 〜を知っている
- forays into 〜
- 〜に手を出していること
- diets
- 食事療法
- therapies
- 療法
- (have)been on a quest to 〜
- 〜しようとしてきた
- increase my energy levels
- 活力を増す
- reduce 〜
- 〜を軽減する
- chronic shoulder pain
- 慢性的な肩凝り
- general health
- 健康全般
- mind-related
- 心に関する
- meditation
- めい想
- hypnosis
- 催眠術
- physical
- 身体的な
- acupuncture
- はり治療
- ingestion
- 摂取
- herbs
- 薬草
- methods
- 方法
- unpleasant
- 不快な
- organic
- 有機栽培の
- system
- 体内組織
- detoxifying process
- 解毒作用
- make 〜 flow more smoothly
- 〜の流れをさらによくする
- hence
- 故に
- muscle stiffness
- 筋肉の凝り
- rolled their eyes
- あきれた
- grains
- 穀物
- ended up 〜
- 結局〜した
- tired-looking veggies
- よれよれの野菜
- nightcap
- 寝酒
- follow
- 従う
- surprisingly
- 意外にも
- skeptical of 〜
- 〜に懐疑的な
- moderate
- 適度な
- provide similar benefits
- 同じような効用がある
- entirely
- まったく
- in the sense that 〜
- 〜という意味で
- chemicals
- 化学物質
- thin 〜
- 〜を薄める
- increase circulation
- 循環をよくする
- psychological
- 心理的な
- thus 〜
- 従って〜
- tensions
- 緊張
- in a leisurely setting
- くつろいだ状況で
- In any case
- いずれにせよ
- routine
- 習慣
- have contributed 〜 to 〜
- 〜に〜を持ってきた
- liquor
- 蒸留酒
- on my own
- 自分で
- spirits
- 強い酒
- take up any space
- 場所をとる
- pantry
- 食器棚
- recipes
- レシピ
- proper proportions
- 適量
- stir
- 混ぜる
- Kahlua
- カルーア酒
- rum
- ラム酒
- lime
- ライム
- vanilla
- バニラ
- vodka
- ウォッカ
- ginger
- しょうが
- tasty
- おいしい
- fine
- いい
- expertise
- 専門知識
- equivalent to 〜
- 〜に等しい
- oxygen
- 酸素
- For whatever reason
- 理由はどうであれ