This was a funny read for me - I live on the other side of the Bay, and in the days when people congregated like crazy there was definitely a whiff in the air everywhere you went, but post-Covid I don't spend as much time - even now - in crowded places. So while I have neighbors who are regular consumers, I don't perceive it as such a ubiquitous thing!
Wine, on the other hand - wine is everywhere. Northern California is the heartland of wine country. Much of the economy revolves around it. Almost every restaurant has both an extensive beer list and an extensive wine list. Everyone drinks wine here! Thankfully for me, I found that after a few months without it, wine tastes really awful (except for champagne) so it's not nearly as hard to say no if someone offers a glass. I'm lucky that when I do spend time with hard-drinking friends, or if it's something like a wedding, I can have one glass of champagne and stop.
But boy, the stranglehold that wine grapes and wine have on California is powerful.
This was a funny read for me - I live on the other side of the Bay, and in the days when people congregated like crazy there was definitely a whiff in the air everywhere you went, but post-Covid I don't spend as much time - even now - in crowded places. So while I have neighbors who are regular consumers, I don't perceive it as such a ubiquitous thing!
Wine, on the other hand - wine is everywhere. Northern California is the heartland of wine country. Much of the economy revolves around it. Almost every restaurant has both an extensive beer list and an extensive wine list. Everyone drinks wine here! Thankfully for me, I found that after a few months without it, wine tastes really awful (except for champagne) so it's not nearly as hard to say no if someone offers a glass. I'm lucky that when I do spend time with hard-drinking friends, or if it's something like a wedding, I can have one glass of champagne and stop.
But boy, the stranglehold that wine grapes and wine have on California is powerful.