i watched the muppet special and i told pr people i don't drink

millennials really are adult children, huh

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i. practicing sobriety

practicing and retired journalists will tell you they receive some truly absurd pr emails. dabbling in food writing, i get the latest news about weekend menu specials, new cookbooks, restaurant openings, and of course, product launches.

i rarely write articles inspired by pr emails. i barely read any of them and increasingly i block them when they’re especially irrelevant. but for some reason, i intentionally respond to pitches about wine, beer, or other alcohol products. i usually write “i don’t drink and no longer cover local food, so please take me off your mailing list.”

internally, i’m screaming something like “i’m muslim and cover culture, so why is my name on your list?” but suggesting muslims don’t drink is an inaccurate and ahistorical and i don’t want to replicate such simplistic renderings. it would be heavy handed to say “i dont drink due to my religious and cultural beliefs, so please take me off of your list.”

today, for whatever reason, i tried a new line and it felt good: “i practice sobriety,” rather than “i don’t drink.”