The National Wine
UnClub
Newsletter
Sept./Oct. 2006
Looking Forward In Remembrance
It's been five years since the horror of 9/11 and, as all reading this within our beloved country now know, nothing is quite the same as before in the good old United States of America. Life goes on of course: we get born, go through school, get married, get a job, have children, and raise our kids like other generations before us - but with important differences.
These are modern times but there's something 'medieval' about life today with the increased polarization between East and West as was once the state between those unenlightened crusaders and saracens of the Middle Ages. Why have we slipped backwards in this seeming manner; why can't we all just get along?
What does any of this have to do with the world of wine, you might be thinking? Well, as you may know, alcoholic beverages (including wine) are illegal and not tolerated in Muslim countries like Iran or Saudi Arabia. So, one of the things readers of this column take for granted as a God-given privilege is seen as a heathen crime against Muhammed's Koran, against the religious law of Islam.
Why should we care? Well, perhaps we shouldn't be concerned, but the warlike/terrorist factions in the Islamic world are not fighting the Western governments so much as they are fighting against our way of life in the West. We aren't about to change our lifestyles in this part of the world so this conflict will go on at some level until a resolution occurs, hopefully sooner than later.
Still not impressed about how all this affects you or I? OK... let me recount for you a couple of recent, post 9/11, personal experiences that I've had that brought this all home in my mind. My wife and I were in Paris after a wine country tour of vineyard districts in southern and eastern France a couple of years ago when, on a pleasant February afternoon near the Cathedral du Notre Dame, we descended the steps into the Metro subway to catch our train for the Eiffel Tower. As we purchased our tickets, a north African, young Arab fellow picked my pocket, stealing my $500 video camera. He ran off and I proceeded to chase him, thinking he might be caught or he might drop my camera (which contained some great footage of the Louvre and Notre Dame).
It was stupid of me to chase him but I fully expected him to get away as he was half my age. What I didn't expect was for him to turn around on the subway stairs and begin attacking me. Not very petty pick-pocket thief-like! I held onto him in a boxer's embrace, as he tried to pummel me over that insignificant camera, wondering why this was happening. His Arab accomplices were shouting at him at the top of the stairs to leave, as the authorities were nearby and would be coming soon. He then threw my camera down and bounded up the stairway to escape arrest. But, he couldn't leave well enough alone, and came back down to deal out more punishment to this annoying American tourist who foiled his attempt at thievery. I was incredulous at this as I stood holding my sobbing wife and my broken video camera.
The next year, when my wife and I were in Barcelona, Spain, after another wine country tour, we stayed in a downtown hotel where the proprietor told us to exit the building and only go to the right as the Muslim neighborhood of Barcelona bordered his hotel location and he feared there might be some trouble for his American guests. After a couple of days of following his advice, I decided to go left just to see what all the fuss was about. While nothing awful happened, I did receive a few unwelcoming stares as I strolled the 'forbidden' neighborhood.
Of course these negative experiences didn't happen to me because of my affiliation with the wine world, but it's fairly certain they did happen because I am an American. Apparently the French and the Spanish have learned to live with their Muslim population, albeit this is an uneasy truce of sorts. A clash of cultures is occuring there that is somewhat akin to tectonic plates that press upon each other creating friction and the occasional massive eruption.
What should we as freedom-loving Americans do that we are not already doing? Muslims live in our country peacefully and for the most part are happily enjoying their liberty within our open society. Extreme adherents of the Muslim faith (or any other faith for that matter!) must be dealt with accordingly when laws are broken or harm is done.
Perhaps we could be less obvious in flaunting our wealth (although I wouldn't be considered as 'wealthy' except as compared to people living in a Third World nation!). I guess what I'm trying to say here is that we might seek to live our lives as Benjamin Franklin, a wine-loving Founding Father said, "All things in moderation". Living 'lightly', considerate of the sensibilities of others - no ugly American antics while traveling abroad, this kind of thing, so simple, might go a long way to easing the tensions now ratcheted up so high on the world stage. Perhaps then it might become more clear that enjoying the simple pleasures of life, like a fine wine, is more desirable than extreme cultural/religious views which lead to very unpleasant behaviors of the opposite variety.
Cheers!
Donald W. White