23 September 2012

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU, KID


That's only one of a wealth of great lines from the movie Casablanca.  The sentiment is offered in the form of a toast ~ "a ritual in which a drink is taken as an expression of honor or goodwill .... Toasts may be solemn, sentimental, humorous, even bawdy or insulting" (in a good-natured spirit).  One can toast a person, an event, or an object ~ newlyweds, victory in war, someone who has achieved a personal triumph, all are fair game.

Courtesy of The Daily Sip, did you know ~

  • The word "toasting" is said to come from the Latin tostus, which means parched or roasted.  It refers to the Roman custom of tossing a piece of charred and spiced bread into a vessel of wine.  Most sources say the goal was to improve the flavor of the wine, others say the host would eat the soggy bread after everyone had been served.
  • The host or hostess of the party should always be the first one to toast the guest of honor.
  • The Scandinavian toast skol comes from the word for skull, at one time a popular drinking vessel.
  • Don't drink when you're the object of the toast ~ it's like singing happy birthday to yourself.
  • Once a toast is made to you, it's considered good manners to stand and return the favor.
  • Some historians surmise that clinking glasses together when toasting was done to scare away evil spirits.  Others say clinking glasses is a way of adding a personal gesture to the good wishes being offered.
  • When you toast, always look the person in the eye.  Otherwise, you might be in for seven years of bad luck.  Other versions warn of seven years of bad sex.  (Oh no!)
  • A Greek host would take the first drink of wine from the communal pitcher to show everyone that it was good stuff and not poisoned, and then pass it around.  Since we drink from individual glasses today, a simultaneous toast revives that communal spirit.
  • Your toasting wine should be the best one of the evening, since everyone's palate is fresh enough to appreciate its flavors.  Later, move into the more affordable wine.
You can find a list of toasts from different nations at this link (scroll down to "Worldwide").  Here are several of my own favorite toasts ~

Traditional Spanish ~ 
"Salud, dinero y amor .... y el tiempo para disfrutario".
  Translation:  "Health, money and love .... and the time to enjoy them."

Traditional Irish ~
"May the road rise up to meet you.
 May the wind be always at your back.
 May the sun shine warm upon your face.
 And rains fall soft upon your fields.
 And may ye be in heaven a half-hour
 Afore the devil knows you're dead!"

Retrieved from somewhere in the dim recesses of memory ~
"Here's to our wives and lovers.  May they never meet."

3 comments:

  1. "Retrieved from somewhere in the dim recesses of memory ~
    "Here's to our wives and lovers. May they never meet."


    ......Hilarious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have a toast....adapted from a short story I just read.

    "May the lace on my linens never turn to scales..."

    Tell me what this came from. A friend of mine just turned me on to this author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'll take credit for the toast, but the lovely author is Anton Chekov...

    ReplyDelete