No Wine Spitting allowed!
(... especially with good wine!)
(a new meaning for an unpopular sign...)
As I do periodically, I like to write posts about old wine posters. The last one was an old painting, "Buvez du Vin et Vivez Joyeux!" (Drink wine and live joyfully!), a French ad painted in 1939 by Leonetto Cappiello [1875-1942]. I love this poster.
In 1939, wine was still considered part of French traditions and culture. Advertising was not a problem, and numerous posters were created and displayed. Wine was part of the daily life of most French people, at home, at work, and even in school. In fact, until the law to ban alcohol in schools was passed in 1956, French children were allowed to drink wine, beer, or cider in the canteen. It seems almost unbelievable compared to today's society.
The consumption of tobacco and alcohol increased rapidly with the baby boomer generation in the 1960s and 1970s, which eventually became such a concern that the French government had to create, vote, and pass some laws to counter the problem.
In July 1976, the law "Loi Veil" about the fight against smoking was passed. It states that any propaganda or advertising, whether direct or indirect, in favor of tobacco or tobacco products, as well as any free distribution, is prohibited.
Less than 2 decades later, the law of January 10, 1991, known as "Loi Evin" (the "Évin law", named after its instigator Claude Évin), aiming at combating smoking and alcoholism, was passed. It notably establishes the principle of banning smoking in places designated for collective use and public transport areas. Regarding alcohol, it severely limits the right to advertise alcoholic beverages to protect young people from marketing operations.
France is a global leader in wine production (and alcoholic beverage production in general); however, advertising alcoholic beverages for promotional purposes is only permitted as long as it does not encourage the public to consume them (which is quite tricky and even paradoxal, isn't it? How can you advertise an alcoholic beverage without encouraging its consumption?).
The Évin law regulates advertising for alcoholic beverages but does not prohibit it. Advertising is only authorized on certain media (provided for in Article L 3323-2 of the Public Health Code); moreover, the content must also comply with specific rules given in Article L3323-4 of the Public Health Code.
In short, to prevent encouraging the public to consume alcohol and alcohol abuse, all alcoholic beverage ads must include a message reminding people of the dangers of alcohol abuse, such as "L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé" ("Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health") and "à consommer avec modération" ("to be consumed in moderation").
For good reason, it immediately reminds me of the Prohibition era, the period from 1920 to 1933 when the United States prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages.
And of course, the image of the "No-Alcohol" sign also comes to mind.
No-alcohol signs' primary function is to inform people of the premises' no-alcohol policy. It simply means that carrying or consuming alcohol is prohibited in that area. They are mainly used to maintain discipline in offices, hospitals, schools, etc.
Initially, this post ended like that. However, with that "No-alcohol" sign in mind, I was looking for a similar sign that has nothing to do with wine but could be interpreted as related to wine and/or drinking wine, to finish this post with a humorous note.
Funny enough, an idea struck me a few days later while visiting the YMCA's toilet, where my son takes Karate classes. The joke was clear in my head, and the sign was meant to be. 😉
When I saw the "No spitting!" sign in the toilet, I quickly ensured no one was around (it is weird to take a picture in public restrooms) and immediately took a shot of the sign. The picture was of poor quality, so I edited it to look like a drawing and colored the spit with a wine-colored shade.
Instantly, I thought it would be humorous to associate this classic yet unpopular sign (intrinsically part of Chinese culture and behavior, as it is displayed everywhere here in Hong Kong and China) with wine and alter its meaning by suggesting that it could have been designed for no-spitting wine instead.
Therefore, I renamed this sign: "No wine spitting!" (... especially with good wine!) (a new meaning for such an unpopular sign...).
Putting it in places like bars, restaurants, and tastings would be fun, don't you think? Wine lovers will understand!😉😁👍🍷🍷🍷
Cheers! Santé!
Dom
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