Mensch tracht, un Gott lacht

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Walker Percy on Bourbon

Do savor this marvelous essay by the master of alienated existentialism. Don't be scared by the fancy words. Here's a sample to convince you:

I can hardly tell one Bourbon from another, unless the other is very bad. Some bad Bourbons are even more memorable than good ones. For example, I can recall being broke with some friends in Tennessee and deciding to have a party and being able to afford only two-fifths of a $1.75 Bourbon called Two Natural, whose label showed dice coming up 5 and 2. Its taste was memorable. The psychological effect was also notable. After knocking back two or three shots over a period of half an hour, the three male drinkers looked at each other and said in a single voice: 'Where are the women?' I have not been able to locate this remarkable Bourbon since.

3 comments:

Kathy Hutchins said...

And you can experience a lot more of Walker Percy dancing with gin, egg white, bourbon, and women in Love in the Ruins. And not so many fancy words, as I recall.

Hunter Baker said...

One of my favorites, but I've said so many times.

Hunter Baker said...

I'm with you, Burwell. I've read it all with the exception of Message in a Bottle. I've read part of that.