“On m’a deffendu l’eau, au moins en beuuerie
De peur que je ne tombe en une hydropisie
Je me perds si j’en boy
En l’eau n’y a saueur. Prendray je pour breuuage
Ce qui n’a poinct de goust? Mon voisin qui est sage
Ne le faict, que je croy.”
French total Abstainers between Meals.
In France there is a large class of total abstainers between meals. These observe rigorously the rule of never drinking except at meal-times. They have a set phrase by which they are known, their shibboleth. This phrase is “Je ne bois jamais rien entre mes repas.” They are not teetotallers, as they drink at déjeuner and dinner, but between these periods they observe a strict abstinence, like the Mahometans in the Ramadan fast between the rising and the setting of the sun. They pretend that they are never thirsty, but I do not believe them; it is merely the pride of their sect.
French Gormandism.
The Solace of dull Lives.