The solution to national gloom: Carnevale?

When I lived in Italy I loved the fact that during the most miserable months of the year, in most parts of the country it was customary to celebrate ‘Carnevale,’ that festival made famous by the Venetians and their masks. While the sheer hedonism of this might have become more muted over the years, and in Venice the masked balls are frequented by more Americans and Japanese than Italians, the idea still remains and carnival parties are thrown all over Italy and to my mind this is a really excellent practice. The darker and viler the weather, the more important it is to make lots of noise, enjoy oneself, and have fun, to follow the primal urge to keep the darkness at bay. What better way to do this than to don a mask and a outlandish costume, get together with some friends and toast away the dark with shared and often experimentally mixed alcoholic beverages?

You would have thought that the UK would have embraced this idea by now, particularly with the state of national gloom that clogs up the streets and lanes of this country at the moment. We are a nation that needs some light relief. Yes, I know that we have some big celebrations coming up this summer in the shape of the Jubilee and the Olympics, but rather than spending millions of pounds, what could be better than just making a mask?! Having a simple excuse for diversion rather than endless debates about the cost of both events on every media channel, so that no matter how hard we try not to think about it, there is always at the very least a small tinge of outrage at the strains that will be placed on the public purse, which gets in the way of any enjoyment we might actually feel when the Jubilee and the Olympics finally arrive. What we need is guilt free light relief.

It is often the case that times of most unease breed the most hedonistic parties, as if deliberate enjoyment were as much of a reaction as a protest. I have to confess that I would rather be dancing the night away as a big and general two fingers up at circumstance than trudging through the streets of London trying not to be kettled, (which I gather is an occupational hazard for the committed protester these days.) If we look at evidence from the time, the Ancient Romans, particularly those from the patrician or upper classes knew how to throw a good party, yet apart from Vespasian, I struggle to think of a single emperor who died of natural causes, and the constant political upheaval must have been exhausting to those involved as they dodged about trying not to be be killed, impoverished or just forgotten. That’s an extreme example of course, but in the same vein 1930s Berlin, the setting for ‘Cabaret’ and city known for its hedonism, was also a city plagued by fear and unease. Even more recently the illegal raves and parties of the early nineties drew thousands of ravers, who danced in a climate of recession unemployment and riots similar to the downturn of today.

So come on Britain, where is your zest for life? We need a general upturn in national mood to battle against the atmosphere of depression prevalent at the moment. Yes, the weather is crap, yes we are all poor, yes we don’t trust anyone from politicians to newspaper journalists to NHS workers, but all the more reason to get on our party shoes and no matter what age or sex we are, do what we all do best in this country: carry on regardless, make the best of everything and have a damn good laugh. Let’s create our own Carnevale.

Could the secret drug of ‘Limitless’ be inspired by coffee?

Napoleon loved it, Voltaire was addicted to it, drinking 50 cups a day and it is better on the continent. These are just a few facts about a substance beloved by many: coffee. I myself am a huge fan. Ever since I lived in Italy and started drinking the ‘hard stuff’ so different from the expensive drool served out by chains that dominate the UK. To me coffee is more than just a drink, it is fuel. I would actually say that some of my better creative ideas are a result of its influence, which does worry me slightly. Voltaire’s predilection for the stuff suddenly doesn’t seem quite so ridiculous after all.

For those of you who haven’t seen the film ‘Limitless’, the premise is that a drug is discovered that enables the consumer to use all aspects and parts of the brain. I have a theory that there is a division within our minds between conscious knowledge that we can access relatively easily, and unconscious knowledge that is in our minds, notwithstanding the fact that we are not aware that we possess it.  The trick is trying to tap into that source, and coffee certainly helps out there.

Admittedly, while each person’s tolerance of it is different, it is used by most to force alertness on a sluggish and unsuspecting brain. Some people just like the high. If you’ve never been affected by coffee, you’ve never had the good stuff. It gets you going as it contains a selection of different stimulants including corsetone and adrenaline which stimulates a ‘fight or flight’ response. The most obvious and well known stimulant in coffee is of course caffine. Sedation or sleep is caused in the brain when a neurotransmitter called adenosine binds to its receptor; caffine blocks these receptors, making it impossible to feel as tired, increasing activity levels by altering a natural process in the brain. Perhaps it is that alert feeling that is the answer to unlocking any creative block I might be going through at the time. For the scientists out there, you can read more here.

Caffine is not only a stimulant but a psycoactive drug. Just to put that in perspective, so are amphetamines and cocaine. It certainly goes a long way into explaining the correlation between increased verve for life in those counties with decent coffee, in compaison with countries where coffee isn’t a part of the culture. Where does the best coffee come from? Places like Brazil, Java, Colombia, places known for passions that rival their warm weather; a Milton Keynes blend just wouldn’t have the same ring to it. Our passions are very different over here, perhaps that is why we have traditionally adopted tea as a favoured drink instead; just enough caffine for a gentle buzz, but heaven forbid that we should actually get fired up about anything as a result of something a bit stronger. Not before 6pm anyway. Yet we are some of the most enthusiastic drinkers in the world. Strange.

Coffee then, apparently possess powers above and beyond normal drinks, superpowers that even alcohol, with all its devoted fans cannot aspire to. Its chemical make up goes a good way to explaining why it has inspired me on so many occasions. So if coffee actually has the power to alter the processes of the brain what does this mean for those people who drink it, people like me? If I didn’t drink coffee would my capacity for ideas shrivel and halve? Should I be worried about this? Or does coffee just access ideas that would appear eventually, only more slowly?

Do you know what? I don’t care. I have to say, I owe a good deal of my first book ‘Fables‘ to inspiration brought on by 1 euro double machiatto at my local cafe when I lived in Bologna, so sod it. I am sure I am not on my own by admitting that I have a lot to thank coffee for, while being aware of its potency. There is nothing quite like a well blended cup of the stuff, particularly at this time of year when it is grey and quite frankly despicably uninspiring outside. After all, all the best things in life are bad for you to one degree or another.