Daddy Winebucks

I’ve never seen an episode of “Friends.”

This statement is usually met with shock and surprise, which is understandable since the show has earned a rightful place within our contemporary culture (at least that’s my understanding from those who’ve told me) and will no doubt be shown in reruns even after we’ve been forced to leave Earth for some outer planet, which civilization must colonize for humanity’s survival.

But a clear example of how the show has permeated our existence is the title of this post, as it mirrors the way the writers named each show, “The One Where…” a fact known even by me.

What got me thinking about such a title was an article which made me feel like I finally belong in the previous generation, an admission that perhaps technology, or rather the use of it, has passed me by. 

Happily.

And a bit sadly.

Writers, those who make their living with the written word are now attracting younger readers by integrating their books into video games.  Shocking, huh?  Or is it?

“97% of children 12-17 play games on computers, consoles, and hand held devices” the Pew Internet & American Life Project tells us.  I’d argue that the figure also includes kids 6-8, if my having to kick my own children off the computer to type this post is any indicator.

What does this have to do with wine you ask (correctly)?  This…

Reading, pure reading, fosters conversation.   But in America, we now have libraries hosting video game tournaments.  Think of how alien this is to those of us who still frequent the public library to get BOOKS.  How quaint.

The question again, what does this have to do with wine?

As usual, I think Europe has it right.  The inclusion of long meals, children included, with lots of food and wine in the daily flow of their lives also fosters conversation.  No TV, no Play Sations, just life.  As always, I’m not saying this as a absolute statement.  I assume kids play computer/video games in Burgundy, in Tuscany, outside Barcelona.  But something tells me (maybe naively) that it’s not as all obsessing there as it is here in the States.

When a culture gives up, when novelists need video games to sell books, or we can’t sit down for a long meal without the kids (read: my kids) getting bored and needing to go turn on Sponge Bob, I say we are less a culture for it.

Wine brings us together like no other beverage on earth.  Promise me you’ll try and take that extra time to bring your whole family together.  Use the last few sips of Barolo in the glass, grab a book and read to your kids instead of letting them get away. 

That’s what I’m going to do right now.