Helpers Helping the Helplessly Helped

[lar_laughs]

There is nothing that I dislike more than not knowing how to do something. Like tying my shoes. For years (and I was a slow learner so we are truly talking years), I had to wear velcro shoes because I couldn't tie my own shoe laces. It was horrid. And then one day, a nice person finally showed me something that clicked and VOILA! I could get shoes

Comments

Question

[oresteia]

Okay, this is one related to fandom kind of.

I'm a strange one that is- I've never drank before or smoked (I'm well over 25 hence the strange comment)

Natasha or Clint in most fics I read are doing one or the other. I have no idea the difference between vodka and say rum besides colour.

So I'm hoping for a little knowledge of the whole russian vodka references in fic things, if someone drinks beer what do you imagine them going for?

Re: Question

[ms_midwest]

I drink both vodka and beer (a little more than I should of both, I suppose)...but if you're asking what kind of vodka someone who drinks beer would go for, there's really no way to say, they're such vastly different things. Natasha, I think, would definitely drink Russian vodka when she could get it in the US (which is hard) because Russians will swear Russian vodka is more pure (FWIW I'm an American living in Russia, so have tried both). Really, I don't see Clint as a vodka drinker at all- I'd see him going for whiskey.

Re: Question

[oresteia]

So it's more an opinion than fact basically like beer it's all the same?

At least in my head beer is all the same. I obviously can't say from experience. But it seems like besides ingredients it's all just various stages of brown liquid that gets people loose.

Answer :)

[shenshen77]

There are indeed differences between the different kinds of both vodka and beer. I personally don't care too much for beer, except the irish ones, same as icecream_junkie, but I do like vodka :) The best imho would be Grey Goose, a finnish vodka that is really smooth and almost tasteless. Get's you drunk like nobody's business, though ;))) As per my experience russian vodka is a bit stronger in taste than most others, but Natasha would surely go for that.

As for beer, I would expect them to go for Bud or Coors, something American in any case. It is lighter in taste than german beers, which usually are stronger and more bitter, although there are really too many different makes and brewery styles to generalize :) But, as stated above, I don't really drink beer either. And I would also peg Clint as more of a Bourbon kinda guy, if he drinks at all. Hope that helps :)

Re: Answer :)

[oresteia]

well I've plenty of opinions on the subject now, and some research material in case I ever get bored and decide to write a doctrine on the subject of alcohol.

but really who knows if I ever do a bar setting one day, I have a reference point.

Re: Question

[ms_midwest]

Well, I wouldn't say all beer is the same, but yes, it's all a matter of opinion (in that some people will like cheap more than the more expensive beer, not just based on the sheapness, but based on they prefer the taste.) I suppose with vodka there is more variation, as you can get very very cheap vodka and very very expensive vodka and everything in between, and some people will swear a certain brand is better, and Russians will tell you real Russian vodka is better...and while I can tell a difference, I can't say one is better or worse, it's a taste thing.

Answer - sort of

[icecream_junkie]

I think it's hard to say which kind of beer someone would go for, because it depends on personal taste. For example, I don't like beer much. Given the choice between beer and any other kind of alcoholic beverage I would most likely choose the latter - unless it's Irish beer. I can't even explain why - even though I don't like most beers - I like Guinness and Kilkenny.
My brother on the other hand thinks Guinness is disgusting. He prefers German beers and while he says that there's a huge difference between different bands of German beers I personally feel that they all taste the same. But maybe that's simply because I don't like either of them

As for Clint being American, I'm assuming he would go for one of the beers which are popular in America like Samuel Adams or Budweiser. But that's my personal head!canon and not some kind of unwritten law. ;)
And as for Natasha... I have absolutely no clue. Probably whatever Clint drinks. ;)

Re: Answer - sort of

[oresteia]

Brand names are helpful it's ten steps ahead of where I was this yesterday. I generally always planned after I hit 16 to never drink so I cared to learn anything about it.

Answer to an Answer -- Also Sort of

[kadollan]

Unless there is a plot-driven reason to include it, you'd probably do just fine to never mention it one way or another. (Okay, if you have them in a bar, it might be weird if you didn't have them drinking anything), but if it isn't directly related to the story you're needing to tell, it might be easier to side-step the issue altogether.

Re: Answer to an Answer -- Also Sort of

[oresteia]

I typically side step. I'm not someone that writes often because I'm aware it's not a talent of mine. But the few times I do-- having variety helps and I can't always have it unless I address things I'm not so savvy about.

For starters I'm German and understand few American or Russian traditions (I'm better with the Russian to be honest)/certain cultural things go over my head. So it's nice to have backup knowledge in place.

Re: Answer to an Answer -- Also Sort of

[kadollan]

Nod nod nod -- that makes sense too. And for that matter, if we all only ever wrote about things that we have direct experience or knowledge of, we'd be pretty seriously limited. (Or at least, I know I would be.)

I definitely didn't mean make it sound like I was discouraging you from asking or learning more about it!

Re: Answer to an Answer -- Also Sort of

[oresteia]

I spent my life a student (and sometimes teacher) (23 years loosely), and the desire to ask and learn everything is heavily ingrained in me. Though I have found to some it's annoying because it's like a 5 year old that constantly has something to ask. And generally take it that someone has rolled their eyes first so it's totally fine, I'm not offended in the least.

I typically wait until someone is offended by me. Which usually doesn't take very long so I was preparing in advance.

Re: Question

[cybermathwitch]

Here's a really good breakdown of different alcoholic beverages: alcohol.

I think the alcohol choices people tend to make for them in fic come about as much because there are strong cultural associations with certain types of alcohol (Russian Vodka, for instance is obviously associated with Russia, while whiskey is associated with both Ireland and Midwest/Southern USA - Bourbon has stronger Southeastern USA associations). A lot of those associations come from where the particular drink originated or is commonly produced.

It's the same with beer - German beer vs. Irish beer vs. American beer and whatall. :)

Re: Question

[oresteia]

Yeah, I wouldn't know any of that outside the german beer which unfortunately I know a little about. So very helpful, danke^^

Re: Question

[cybermathwitch]

Bitte!

(I think that's right, yes/yes?)

Re: Question

[oresteia]

*nods* we'll get to the harder stuff tomorrow *ha*