... after its been in my possession for over a month. And here is a quote that caught my attention this morning on my ride to work. Context: it's from after he describes the difference between the smooth rum of Martinique versus the harsher one from Puerto Rico, and their respective methods of distillation; from my favorite chapter titled "A Little Glass of Rum"*:
*Traditionally, French criminals about to be guillotined were offered a last cigarette and a little glass of rum. The author is referring to the significance of rum as discussed in the chapter and to the possible fate of both the anthropologist and mankind as a whole.
We may suppose, then, that the subtlety of the Martinique rums is dependent on impurities the continuance of which is encouraged by the archaic method of production. To me, this contrast illustrates the paradox of civilization: its charms are due essentially to the various residues it carries along with it, although this does not absolve us of the obligation to purify the stream. By being doubly in the right, we are admitting our mistake... Social life consists in destroying that which gives it its savour (Levi-Strauss, Tristes Tropiques, p.384).
*Traditionally, French criminals about to be guillotined were offered a last cigarette and a little glass of rum. The author is referring to the significance of rum as discussed in the chapter and to the possible fate of both the anthropologist and mankind as a whole.
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