Photo/Illutration Glasses of beer on a table at an establishment in Osaka’s Kita Ward on Oct. 1, 2021, after the state of emergency related to the pandemic was lifted (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

I may draw criticism for writing that COVID-19 has done us some good, but there is the saying that every cloud has a silver lining.

One windfall that the pandemic has given rise to is more eating establishments with outdoor seating.

This is like having beer gardens everywhere, which is especially appealing at this time of year.

"Toriaezu, biru" (I'll start off with a beer) is a set Japanese phrase for when your waiter comes to take your drink order as soon as you are seated.

In "Ivresses: Ces moments ou l'alcool changea la face du monde," a book in French about how drunks have changed the history of the world, author Benoit Franquebalme says humans may have started growing grains because they craved beer.

One theory states, he goes on to note, beer-making predated bread-making.

By this theory, the first thing our ancestors did was crafting this highly nutritious and energizing brew, and it wasn't until later that they started baking bread.

However, the primeval beer apparently had a low alcoholic content and was closer to a gruel in texture.

The pleasurable sensation we get when beer goes down our throats must have been unknown to prehistoric beer lovers.

Now that novel coronavirus restrictions for dining out have been relaxed, more people must have started frequenting their favorite watering holes.

A senior Finance Ministry official was recently arrested for getting plastered and allegedly assaulting a fellow passenger on a train.

Such an act of violence is unconscionable. We must never allow liquor to control us.

Beer was apparently a popular drink in ancient Egypt, and a document cautioning people against excesses remains to this day.

"If you become intoxicated and fall, your friends will say, 'Throw this sot out the door,'" goes one warning, according to "Biru no Bunkashi 1" (Cultural history 1 of beer) by Yukio Haruyama.

Disgrace is disgrace, in any age.

Every swill of beer comes with the follies and pleasures we have inherited from our ancient ancestors.

It was hot yesterday, and it still is today in some parts of Japan.

A summer day is also a beer day.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 26

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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