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title: First Drink

date: 2024-01-02T12:16:02+09:00

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My oldest daughter had her first drink yesterday.

I heard that my oldest daughter, who is old enough to drink alcohol this year, has been gathering information for a few days now. She asked her friends and seniors about their experiences and got recommendations on what kind of alcohol to buy. On the last day of 2023, she was a little excited to finally be able to go to the store and buy alcohol with her ID, thinking she had accomplished something, but I don't feel like celebrating. It's not a status she's worked hard for, and she'll just have to wait for it. Unless she gets her driver's license, that is.

Anyway, the year 2024 dawned, and mom and dad decided that they couldn't stay cooped up in the house for the last day of the holiday, so they sent their daughters out, and the whole family went out together for the first time in a long time. The eldest daughter, who had been told by her elders that she should start drinking with her parents, insisted on doing it right away, so an impromptu beer party was organized for the evening. This didn't mean a big meal, but rather a dinner outside while we went for a walk, and a can of beer on the way home. Even though I've been drinking mostly non-alcoholic beers lately, I couldn't pass up a special occasion, so I chose one with alcohol.

As is often the case, she said her first taste of alcohol, especially beer, was not very tasty. The sparkling water we bought together was actually more flavorful. When my younger daughter asked me why I was drinking something that didn't taste good, I told her that it was just to keep me cool, nothing special. Aside from a flushed face, she doesn't feel particularly dizzy or headachey. I think she's going to be a much better drinker than her dad, but I don't know if I should celebrate that or not.

My first memory of drinking was in the fall of my senior year of high school, 100 days before my final exams, I had a glass of makgeolli in Haeundae with my classmates, and I think it tasted pretty good because it was sweet, but after that one drink, I was drunk. I staggered home that way, and when my mother saw me at the front door, she immediately said,

> "Where the hell did you get drunk and come home?"

> "Me? I haven't been drinking."

> "Do you want to talk about it or get in trouble?"

> "Yes, I had a glass of rice wine with my friends, but do I look like I've been drinking?"

> "Look in the mirror. See what your face looks like now."

I was scolded for drinking with my friends without telling the adults. My mom didn't say anything long, but I knew I had done something wrong.

I don't know if young people drink like they used to. Some say they don't drink, others say they play drinking games and get drunk in a short period of time, so I don't know who's right. As a person with a weakness for alcohol, the old drinking culture was very difficult to bear. If I refused to drink alcohol recommended by my superiors or seniors, I was treated as a disrespectful person, so I had no choice but to accept the alcohol and suffered until the next day.

I told my daughter that she shouldn't smoke at all, and that she should eat alcohol, but not too much. If anyone asks her to drink, she should be honest and say no. Maybe none of this matters. Who knows, maybe one day my daughter will be the one to force someone to drink at a party...