Ok you food history buffs..lets have a "Symposium"

[Pongi]

Speaking of diluting wine...I agree with Pete. Assuming that the alcohol amount is the same, drinking it diluted can reduce its effects because the greater amount of fluid slower its gastric absorption and fasten its elimination, making you urinating more.
The problem is that it's much easier to drink large amounts of something with a low alcohol content,and you can have a lot of alcohol without realizing it. This is the reason why people become drunk so easily with beer.

Apart from that...there is a question that has always intrigued me!

As you know, Homer speaks about "the sea with the wine color".
This sounds odd as we're used to think the sea is blue, or green, and the wine is red or purple (white wine is obviously out of the discussion ). Can you explain the reason of this unusual comparation?

1)As you said, ancient greek wine was totally different from ours, surely darker and possibly with another color?

2)Homer referred to some unusual atmospheric condition?

3)Ancient Greeks had a different color perception?

4)Homer was drunk?

I'm looking forward to your explanations!

Pongi

[Athenaeus]

I was hoping Pongi, who is a physician would explain how alcohol is absorbed by the human body.(Apart from physician Pongi is a woman too )

Homer indeed describes in "Iliad" the sea of wine color and he does that after a fierce battle outside the walls of Troy.

The Sea turns red out of the blood of the wariors...

You see, although the image is violent, by making this comparison it becomes so smooth...

[Pongi]

Thanks Athenaeus!
I had no doubt you got the answer for my question!
As for alcohol metabolism...I'll post something more in the "Nutrition and Cooking" board, hope it's the right place for this thread!

Pongi