I thought Prohibition ended in the 1930′s. Apparently not. WELCOME TO MISSISSIPPI.
As it turns out my hotel is located in a “dry county.” The first time I was told this I thought a practical joke was being played on me… but no… they were serious, this county is stuck in a 1925 way of thinking. Its the deep south. Alcohol is evil.
After we wrapped for the day, a group of us went out to dinner in a neighboring county. We found an amazing restaurant, swanky enough to call Los Angeles home and yet located in Jackson, Mississippi. As it happens Jackson is NOT a “dry county” however our dinner went until well after 10pm here and apparently all places that sell alcohol cease to do so at 10pm. We discovered that by chatting with a few locals who oddly enough suggested certain corners to go see in search of bootleg liquor.
Once again I thought it was a joke. Seriously?! BOOTLEG Liquor? I thought that only happened in movies! But no… after much questioning it seems the locals were serious. They really do buy bootleg liquor here. I didn’t. I couldn’t. I prefer to know where my food and drink come from, and anything sold on a corner is not something I care to ingest (unless its a New York food stand, the only exception really).
We did eventually find a bar and had a few shots of vodka, The bartender refused to sell us a bottle, so we knocked back a few shots and retreated to the safety of our hotel. Tomorrow is a new day, a new adventure and another state to visit. I cannot imagine any other state treating alcohol so coldly. So goodbye Mississippi. All I can say is I am happy I don’t live here. How do you people deal with this? No vodka whenever you please? Such cruel limitations placed on basic human rights. Its our choice!
To drink or not to drink, that is the question… and we can decide just fine all on our own without some state government stepping in and imposing their own ideological philosophies about what we put into our bodies. It seems absurd to make alcohol illegal and yet push fried food everywhere. Think about all that transfat artery clogging goodness. What’s worse, intoxication or artery clogs & high blood pressure? Intoxication is fleeting at least…
Regardless the point remains that our body is our domain and what we choose to do with it or put in it should be up to us. Not the democractic dictatorship that some state governments enforce.
I hope they will change the law. This is absolutely against human being basic rights.
It’s the same in other parts of the country no big deal. Usually the next county is a wet county just have to plan on buying your booze. Anytime I go to a dry county I just plan ahead and buy what I think I need for the trip. State run liquor stores are tough limited hours and sometimes there not even marked as a liquor store.
Alcohol is illegal, cigarettes are legal and guns are legal, the words of the late great Bill Hicks spring to mind.
I guess the ban on alcohol is something dreamed up by far right religious fanatics. Ohh wait a minute, didn’t Jesus turn water into wine. Bx
the saddest thing is that we can not even choose the fate of our lives … Probably we are not free.
Check out the drinking laws in Lynchburg VA! A town run by Liberty Univ, and the late Jerry Falwell.
Interesting article, Coming from England you cannot go out at the weekends and not see some drunk people arguing in the streets or even worse having a fight. Although it is usually between a couple of people or a small group it does create a tense atomshpere and very often spoils a good evening. I do not agree with the powers that be dictating what you can put in your body(i like the odd joint now and then it doesn’t hurt anybody else but me so i don’t see why that is illegal either)but i do like the idea of going out and not being subjected to violence. Thanks for your latest blog once again it’s good reading.
Mississippi ranks in the top 5 in obesity. Maybe they should worry more about preventing their citizen from becoming obese than trying to protect them from the “sins” of alcohol. Nice picture of you eating at the dinner table. Maybe you should show those Mississippian that picture of what its like to be healthy and normal.
@ M,
So funny. Everyone here eats fried food at every meal.
I couldn’t do it all the time like that. It’s a cultural thing.
Its how they grew up… besides not all are like that here.
xo- Aurora
Hmmm, ill drink to that ,I would love to knock back a few shots with you anytime lol, i was pretty lucky we actually shared a shot, in philly, ill never forget it,made my day and more lol,a couple of drinks, or shots, or beers,go down quite nice every now and then lol ,hope your doing well ,xo.
@ lukiebro3,
LOL. Yes, having shots in Philly was great
xo- Aurora
Aurora,
I lived in Texas from the mid 90′s to about 2002, there were not only dry counties but dry areas within the same county. In Dallas area all within Dallas county you have Dallas which will sell liquor, beer and wine but if you go to Carrollton, TX (just the next town up on Beltline Rd) you cannot even buy a six pack at Winn Dixie or Krogers let alone your favorite bottle of vodka. I would drive approx. 3 miles to go get my libations.
Allan
@ Allan Barth,
Wow. I’d drive three miles too! Heck, I’d go even more than that
xo- Aurora
HAHAHAHA, it seems like a nightmare!!! A world without alcohol, without wine, beer and grappa, whisky or vodka…. mah!?
I think it’s our own decision if drink or not. But it’s another thing to die for alcohol or to crash with car cause you get drunk. Perhaps this is the question cause you get no alcoholic drinks after 10 pm. XO Claudio.
@ claudio,
I agree! It is a bit nightmarish…. what’s life without pleasure?
Terribly droll.
It should be our own decision to drink, smoke, and eat as we please. We can make
good or bad decisions, but either way those decisions should be ours to make.
p.s. I don’t ever drink & drive. I am very against that!
xo- Aurora
My hometown in Kentucky just recently voted to go wet. It’s amazing how people hang onto antiquated laws that were proven to not be effective. All it meant is that the tourists that came to our lake bought their booze out of town…and that people leave here to have meals where they can have a glass of wine with dinner.
Finally, they join the majority of the US….just 80 years late. There are plenty of the religious right that are sure we’re all going to hell for allowing it to be voted in, though.
@ DividedbyZero,
Well isn’t everyone going to hell for something or other these days?
Its all kind of silly really.
Congrats on becoming a wet county!
xo- Aurora
Hi, Aurora.
Sorry for misunderstand, I wrote “if you drive car when you’re drunk” to write an example.
I read your words about “people who’s living around us and people we love in our life”, and about your quadriplegic brother; so I think you’re a wonderful, bravehearted young woman, maybe just a bit crazy (like me and other millions of people at the end), but obviously not so crazy and stupid to drive car when you’re drunk.
I think my freedom ends where begins freedom of other people to be not deseased, damaged or injuried by my actions and decisions. Do you also?? I think too much people don’t know this way of life.
I read a new on web, 3 – 4 days ago. In a USA city (I don’t remember what) a drunk man was driving car to 100 Mph; on the car with him, there was his wife and their 4 kids. Fortunately police stopped him before he crashed, but think about if crash should be really happened. How much died, maybe 6 and how much other men, women and kids on street?
In Italy alcohol abuse is a great problem. Do you ever heard or read news about Saturday night slaughters? Youngs went to disco for dance and drank too much. At the end they were drunk, they drive to return home and made car crashes: in a weekend, on Italian streets, there were also 10 – 15 youngs founding Saturday night death. So prohibition to sell alcohol after 10 p.m. (in Italy after 11 p.m.) was write for people like those, without self-control.
I remember only 1 time I was really drunk. I was in holidays in a Dolomiti village and that day was a girl birthday with about 15 young guests, men and women. We started eat food and drink wine at 8 p.m. and ended the day after at 7 a.m., when I went to sleep. At 8 a.m. came a friend of mine (an Alpin Guide) and said me “Claudio wake up, do you remember we have to go climbing on Sass Pordoi?” I answered “I’m drunk, I’ll come only if you drive my car”. I think that was the best climb I ever made. I don’t know why, cause I was really drunk, but I remember it was really fine.
This is all I need to tell you about this question. XOXO, Claudio
@ Claudio,
You make good points. Drinking and driving should never be done, its irresponsible and puts too many in danger. It is so sad to see life ruined over alcohol.
Its the difference between drinking responsibly and not.
xo- Aurora
The American attitude towards alcohol has always mystified me a bit. You’re okay to drive, you’re okay to vote or fight… but not to have a beer. (And American beer is… let’s just say it could use improvement.)
The two times I’ve been in America, I’ve had to show my passport to buy alcohol. (Once it was in Las Vegas, the other at a Target in Texas.) It all feels like too much ado over something that’s relatively minor.
@ reciprocity,
Agreed! Such a big fuss is made over it. It makes no logical sense.
Where are you from?
xo- Aurora
Philippines. Both times I was in the US for work. Spent about three months in Texas, went back last year for a week in Las Vegas.
@ reciprocity,
Sure Vegas was fun! I always have a good time there
xo- Aurora
I had an interesting experience like this. The county in TN where the Jack Daniels distillery is located is ironically a dry county. They couldn’t even sell the alcohol in their own facility until special legislation was passed just for them. And I have heard of bootlegging even today in places where alcohol is legal because the bootlegged stuff has higher than the legal % /volume limit for alcohol
@ P,
WOW. It seems so odd that the Jack Daniels distillery would operate from a dry area.
Never would have imagined!
xo- Aurora
Yeah I know that too well, my mom and stepdad lived in Louisiana near New Orleans for a few years. Yes there were places there you could get liquor but once it got dark, most of them shut down for the night. I also lived near Ocean City, NJ where they strictly enforced “blue” laws on Sunday (meaning no alcohol could be sold/served there on Sunday).
@ Geoff,
It doesn’t make any sense to me. But then again I am from Cali
xo- Aurora
and missouri are they dry lol
Aurora,
Sorry to be Johnny Come Lately here, but I’m a MS native, still here at the moment, and I just wanted to say that a lot of us hate the old restrictions…if I recall, we were the last state to repeal prohibition (in 1966, no less). My great-grandfather was a bootlegger & moonshine man in his time.
Anyways, I dunno if you were in Jackson for a show or not, but if you ever have to pass through MS again, give Oxford a try. It’s a bit different up here–still restrictive, but culturally, we are a nice place to visit.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but as a fan, I extend my hand of southern hospitality to you. :3
-JMK
The closing early thing is more a matter of area than law. They close because its not safe to stay open after a certain time of day and people in the south tend to still be in bed by midnight. The main thing they have to contend with is the south is still the bible belt and folks aren’t ready to give up what they perceive sinful. Its a choice of most counties they vote every so often. It’s a to each its own kinda thing. I don’t drink often and don’t mind people that do but the amount of folks that go in excess and hurt folks i don’t blame them to slowing down “progress”.