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Signs of Decadence: Food Ashlea Frampton (Victory Gin (He took down…
Signs of Decadence: Food
Ashlea Frampton
Rich Chocolate
she felt in the pocket of her overalls and produced a small slab of
chocolate
.
Even before he had taken it he knew by the smell that it was very unusual
chocolate
.
at some time or another he had tasted
chocolate
like the piece she had given him
The first fragment of
chocolate
had melted on Winston's tongue.
Poor, Party Chocolate
Chocolate
normally was dull-brown crumbly stuff that tasted, as nearly as one could describe it, like the smoke of a rubbish fire.
from next week, the
chocolate
ration would be reduced from thirty grammes to twenty.
perhaps to celebrate the victory, perhaps to drown the
memory of the lost
chocolate
--crashed into 'Oceania, 'tis for thee'.
As short a time ago as February, the Ministry of Plenty had issued a promise (a 'categorical pledge' were the official words) that there would be no reduction of the
chocolate
ration during 1984. Actually, as Winston was aware, the
chocolate
ration was to be reduced from thirty grammes to twenty at the end of the present week.
It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the
chocolate
ration to twenty grammes a week
Chocolate Memories
One day a
chocolate
ration was issued
He remembered quite clearly that precious little morsel of
chocolate
.
his mother broke off three-quarters of the
chocolate
and gave it to Winston, giving the other quarter to his sister.
with a sudden swift spring he had snatched the piece of
chocolate
out of his sister's hand and was fleeing for the door
'Winston, Winston!' his mother called after him. 'Come back! Give your sister back her
chocolate!
'
He turned and fled down the stairs, with the
chocolate
growing sticky in his hand
After he had devoured the
chocolate
he felt somewhat ashamed of himself
When the last of the
chocolate
was gone, his mother had clasped the child in her arms.
it did not produce more
chocolate
, it did not avert the child's death or her own
Victory Gin
He took down from the shelf a bottle of colourless liquid
with a plain white label marked VICTORY
GIN
a slight booziness caused by the
gin
He let out a belch. The
gin
was rising from his stomach.
The
gin
was wearing off, leaving a deflated feeling
From the grille at the counter the steam of stew came pouring forth, with a sour metallic smell which did not quite overcome the fumes of
Victory Gin
. On the far side of the room there was a small bar, a mere hole in the wall, where
gin
could be bought at ten cents the large nip.
Winston took up his mug of
gin
, paused for an instant to collect his nerve, and gulped the oily-tasting stuff down
nothing cheap and plentiful except synthetic
gin
The poorer quarters swarmed with women who were ready to sell themselves. Some could even be purchased for a bottle of
gin
, which the proles were not supposed to drink
Unbidden, a waiter came and filled his glass up with
Victory Gin
, shaking into it a few drops from another bottle with a quill through the cork.
As always, the
gin
made him shudder and even retch slightly. The stuff was horrible.
what was worst of all was that the smell of
gin
, which dwelt with him night and day, was inextricably mixed up in his mind with the smell of those----
Then, seeing that Winston's glass was empty, he brought the
gin
bottle and filled it.
It was
gin
that sank him into stupor every night, and
gin
that revived him every morning.
Two
gin
-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother
Wine
'It is called
wine
,' said O'Brien with a faint smile. 'You will have read about it in books, no doubt. Not much of it gets to the Outer Party, I am afraid.'
Wine
was a thing he had read and dreamed about.
For some reason he had always thought of
wine
as having an intensely sweet taste, like that of blackberry jam and an immediate intoxicating effect
It was important, he said, not to go out smelling of
wine
: the lift attendants were very observant.