From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
“Happy Hour is a marketing term for a period of time in which a restaurant or bar offers discounts on alcoholic drinks, such as beer, wine, and cocktails. Typically, it is in the late afternoon Monday through Thursday, usually taking place at some period between 4 PM and 7 PM. This promotion is intended to boost business on what may otherwise be a slow day. In most cases the "happy hour" lasts longer than a single hour.
The term Happy Hour also is commonly used to describe the gathering of work colleagues at a restaurant or bar after work hours, possibly outside the period of 4 PM and 7 PM.
The specifics usually differ from country to country. In some European countries like the Netherlands, the price of an alcoholic drink is regulated and selling them at half price is prohibited. During happy hour, a customer gets double the amount of drinks instead. In Italy, a customer often pays the same price or even more for the drink but is offered free finger foods. In the United States it typically entails finger foods and discounted drinks.
Happy Hour can also be referred to as the period prior to dinner, where appetizers and drinks are served at ones home.
The term originated in the United States Navy. In the 1920s, “Happy Hour” was slang for a scheduled entertainment period on board a ship during which boxing and wrestling bouts took place, this was a valuable opportunity for sailors to let off the steam accumulated during the long periods at sea.
The idea of drinking before dinner has its roots in the Prohibition era. When the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act were passed banning alcohol consumption, citizens would host “cocktail hours”, also known as “happy hours”, at a speakeasy (an illegal drinking establishment) before eating at restaurants where alcohol could not be served. Cocktail lounges continued the trend of drinking before dinner. "Happy hour" entered civilian use around 1960, especially after a Saturday Evening Post article on military life in 1959.
The push against drunk driving and alcohol abuse has curtailed the use of the happy hour to some extent.
In the 1980s, bars started providing free hors d'oeuvres to patrons in order to reduce the rate of absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, in an attempt to lower blood alcohol content.
In 1984, the U.S. Military abolished happy hours at military base clubs. Massachusetts was one of the first U.S. States to implement a state-wide ban on Happy Hours in 1984.
The Canadian province of Alberta created restrictions to Happy Hours that took effect in August 2008. All such promotions must end at 8 pm, and drink prices must conform to the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission's minimum price regulations at all times
In Ontario, while establishments may vary liquor prices as long as they stay above the minimum prices set by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, they are not permitted to advertise these prices "in a manner that may promote immoderate consumption." In particular, the phrase "Happy Hour" may not be used in such advertisement.”
In the 80’s in Michigan, we sure had Happy Hours. The little place down the street from work went as far as 3 for 1 drinks! This was a amazing number and all gathered swore they were small or watered down, which probably makes sense for the owner. Three one ounce drinks end up the same as two 1 ½ ounce drinks, with a bit more use of glasses, ice and mixers. Many a night I left there after way too many drinks and drove home.
Sometimes they included a bit of finger foods as well.
I remember going out the Detroit airport about that time to go to the bar in the hotel, which had a free taco bar for their Happy Hour. I was there with one of our Board members so I don’t think free tacos was our main purpose for being at the airport, but the free food is what I remember, no surprise there. We had some drinks and some tacos, and I excused myself to go to the men’s room and there it was!
I had never used, or probably never knew the term pedophile at that time, so it was not what came directly to mind. This was many years before the JonBenét Ramsey case and I never had heard of participation in child beauty pageants. Having had three sons, nothing like that had ever come up. And yet, as I walked back from the hotel bathroom, I ran into a well dressed friend of mine accompanied by two small girls, about five or six years old wearing what can only be described as ball gowns, with intense hair and make up. I was stunned!
I knew something was very wrong!
This was unnatural, it was weird and I was immediately concerned. It must have showed on my face. My friend, a perfectly normal guy, quickly understood my concern. He explained the situation to me as he had been hired to be the judge in the” Little Miss Michigan” or maybe it was the” Little Miss Detroit" pageant. They were interviewing candidates and he was escorting some kids to the washroom. He knew it was weird, and I understood his predicament.
No, he was not a pedophile.
No, he had nothing to do later on with JonBenét Ramsey.
It was just clear to me that this event was some kind of unnatural act!
OK, the devil made me do this one:
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