Strangely enough, neither the weaker drinks nor the sky-high prices seem to faze this crowd in the least. I figure this is because they feel that payin’ three times the normal goin’ fare for a drink will screen out the rabble one usually has to tolerate when drinkin’ in a public place, thereby insurin’ that they are makin’ their passes at folks of an equal or higher income bracket, and as to the watered drinks … well, the only reason I can come up with that they aren’t complainin’ about this is that they probably figure that booze is unhealthy, so a weak drink is somehow healthier than a strong one.
You see, I have ascertained through eavesdroppin’ that health, and specifically healthy consumables, is a very big issue with these upwardly mobile folks. It’s like they’re used to thinkin’ that you can get anythin’ with enough money … and they’ve gotten it into their heads that by spendin’ more for health foods and health drinks, they is never gonna die. Of course, they spend so much time worryin’ and naggin’ each other about good health, that they tend to generate sufficient stress to keel over and croak from heart attacks … but this seems to be an acceptable, if not desirable, option as it is generally viewed as “the high pressure which is the mark of a successful career person” and therefore has become somethin’ of a badge of status. What is somehow overlooked in all this is that much of the stress is needless anxiety they inflict upon themselves by worryin’ about such things as status and health foods.