[Essay] The Cursed Body: The Non-Drinker

The author is a 54-year-old middle-aged man. He has a cursed constitution (he cannot drink alcohol).
His curse is so pathetic that he flushes red after just one glass of beer, so he has lived a life completely unrelated to alcohol.

I should clarify one thing beforehand:

A life unrelated to alcohol does not simply mean a life without drinking.

The "adults" I imagined in my childhood were like the male relatives of the Sazae-san family, who would stop at a bar on the way home to have a few drinks, soothe their daily hardships with alcohol, and enjoy a fleeting moment of freedom.
However, for the cursed, that is an event in a world that is forbidden.

If there is a glimmer of hope that God has allowed us to glimpse, it is that the world is secretly in the midst of a

"solo"

boom.

Enlightened establishments for solo karaoke and solo yakiniku have begun to appear. In fact, Tokyo seems to be in an indescribable situation where more than half of its households are single-person households.

Come to think of it, I feel like the number of people eating alone at restaurants in the city has increased significantly compared to before.
However, in the so-called commuter town where I live, it is a crazy world where even ramen shops are filled with families.

Oh, if only I could drink even one glass of beer, I could greedily devour this hidden world!

I repeat, I am a cursed middle-aged man. I also have a wife and children.

When my daughter was small, we often did things as a family, but as her childhood ended, we each began to explore the city solo more often.
When that happens, I am forced to re-recognize the narrowness of my own range of activities.
My friends have various circumstances, and it is hard to coordinate schedules.

Oh, if only I could drink even one glass of beer, it would look so stylish...

However, there is a primitive and fatal problem here. I

hate beer

.

Of course, beer probably doesn't love me either.

A life where you force yourself to drink things you hate is a nightmare in itself!

However, I think I like the scent of whiskey.

I am trying to find a way forward there.