Celebration is something Ohio University students know well. In fact, some people go out of their way to define themselves by it. The ambitious don’t even need a reason to celebrate, for the celebration for them isn’t the means to an end, but the end in itself. A proper celebration, without doubt, deserves the proper food and drink to match its importance and intensity.
If you asked any passerby on the street what they drink on New Year’s Eve, the most common response is Champagne. Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin is famously quoted in saying, “Burgundy makes you think of silly things, Bordeaux makes you talk of them and Champagne makes you do them.”
The evidence is present from the luscious sparkling elixir from a specific French region (or loosely similar beverages made in the same process). Although Champagne flows with French passion like the river Rhine, it has been made accessible to even the most remote farming communities. This was a prime choice to celebrate this week, but foolish if the only one.
Like interns, wine serves many jobs and works with the utmost versatility. When the host of the party toasts a person or occasion, his hand is never without its companion: the drink. It is as if the wine orients itself as a focus to which it is used instrumentally to distribute comradery and well-wishes. So too can wine do this for our stomachs. Two hats that wine can wear are Aperitif and Digestif: the before and after dinner drinks of fortified wine or liquor to whet the appetite or aid digestion respectively.
For the joyous occasion my roommate was celebrating, the Champagne was, of course, a requirement. A few kinds of cheese were also picked out to go with the wine. A Robusto, Emmentaler, Comté, and a simple cheddar. What set apart the experience was the digestif. I picked an Athens favorite to aid this digestion: Jagermeister. Jager is accessible, budget-friendly and has a very poignant taste that acts as a charming punctuation to whatever meal one would offer to an associate worth celebrating.
Celebration is a double-edged sword. There is the side that expresses gratitude for every ounce of good tidings that brushes past our lives, and there is the side that leaves bruises from excessively patting oneself on the back. The fortune of this column and gastronomy in general is that our choice in beverage and cheese will have little impact on the ego of the celebrated, but it will surely make the event more enjoyable and meaningful either way.
Noah Gruenberg is a junior studying music composition at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Noah? Email him at ng119217@ohio.edu.
