The first round of drinks arrived at the table and before I was allowed to take a sip of the very dirty martini with extra olives, I had to clink my glass and say cheers.
The same insane ritual continued with the second, third and fourth round.
Finally, I had enough.
“What are we cheering here?” I asked. “Are we cheering each other on to see who can drink the most the fastest?”
“It’s just something you do,” he replied.
“I really don’t want to do it anymore,” I said as I got a look that would have stopped a train.
Just like we bless someone when they sneeze (with or without reference to God), saying cheers before taking a drink is one of those things that originated thousands of years ago. A quick search in Google reveals that there isn’t a definitive answer to where and why this custom originated, but many theories abound.
Cheers and bless you may be annoying, but they make up only a small portion of little customs and superstitions that make their way into everyday life.
A Romanian friend of mine screamed like a stuck pig when she saw me put a pair of shoes on a table – apparently that means I’ll be turned into goulash or something.
I saw someone throw salt over their shoulder after spilling some and stood by in amazement as a female friend cried for ten minutes because she broke a mirror.
She blamed her breakdown on PMS.
Tonight at dinner, I’ll politely decline the cheers and deal with the scorn of my dinning companion for the rest of the evening.
Or instead of clinking glasses, I’ll break wind.
I wonder what you say when that happens.