Biochemistry problem? I think that ^^

[bryan09]

Hello everyone,

I have a question about drunk, i wonder why drunk people like to eat something is sour like young mango, lemon,...? Because i live in Vietnam and i see many drunk do that. Is that problem related to biochem metabolism in our body ? I need to know the reason, i think it is related to glucose metabolism? ( i just guess ^^). Please help me, thanks so much!

[imatfaal]

Hi Bryan and welcome to the forum! This is not my area at all - and hopefully you will get some better replies than mine.

 

1. Do drunk people really want sour things from biochemical necessity - or is it cultural? In England I suppose the trend is to eat spicy food - and that seems certainly cultural to me.

 

2. You will also have a problem generalizing this question across international borders for another reason. Alcohol Dehydrogenase - the enzyme involved in the breakdown of alcohol in the body - has markedly different levels of activity among different ethnic populations.

[bryan09]

Thank imatfaal ! ^^

i think maybe due to Vitamin C, it help detox? Or H+ of acid in lemon, for ex, react with OH- of alcohol to yield water, help to detox? But i think H+ in our body is not less ! Am i right?

[bryan09]

Let say your idea, please ! ^^

[hypervalent_iodine]

Seems like more of a cultural thing to me. Where I'm from (Australia/New-Zealand), the thing to do is eat greasy, hang-over type food. No idea why, that's just what people do.

[Vindhya]

I guess may be it has on significance !alcohol is not so good to taste n just to get good taste they eat things !not sure

[Bioc]

Hi, from personal experience I haven't seen too much people eating lemon when they're drunk, when they do it is more likely because they are on the table next to the tequila hahaha. What I have seen, tough, are a lot of myths regarding alcohol and food, and I asume those myths vary from culture to culture.

[Xittenn]

Capsaicin, the chemical found in many hot peppers that make them hot also act as a diuretic, analgesic, expectorant, and diaphoretic. Hot sauce can numb the tongue and imparts a euphoric sensation. Often drinkers are smokers and hot peppers help clear the lungs during 'festivities,' people also for some reason like to sweat at bars and clubs.

 

I see the OP was a question about sour though *shrugs*

 

Vietnamese--hot and sour??