I was 8 years old, sitting at dinner with my grandparents, watching Gong Gong’s face turn bright red after a few sips of yellow wine. He loved making me laugh, and though he enjoyed his drinks, I think he liked my reaction even more.
Over a decade later, I would recognize the same alcohol flush reaction at parties and happy hours in some of my East Asian friends, and in myself. A few of these friends took histamine blockers like Pepcid AC before going out, hoping to hide the anticipated redness. Once, I watched someone keep drinking through the flush to prove they had a higher tolerance than what their body was communicating.
