I don't typically drink adult beverages at mealtimes. Nevertheless, on a Friday afternoon, after a long week of slaving over a hot stove - you know, "bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan," - I will succumb to a minor indulgence. Now, there are those of us who prefer wine and others of us who prefer beer. It is really no reflection on the degree of a person's manliness which way he leans. However, it is a reflection on the kind of manliness.
There is continental manliness, where one knows what wine to drink with what and when to do it and does it all with a panache that makes the ladies swoon. This kind of manliness certainly has its advantages and I do fake it whenever the situation calls. However, there is the other manliness under which most of us regular guys fall. We know enough to drink red wine with red meat and white with white meat, at least in most cases. Yet, more than this, we know that a good cold bottle of brew would taste better than either. Thus, throughout this book, for most main dishes I have recommended a particular brand of beer rather than a wine.
Don't worry if you can't find the brand mentioned, most others will readily supply the place. By the way, I reserve the hard liquor for when my wife decides to cook.
