“Beer is the wine of the province.” I have a confession to make. I hate beer. It is bitter and heavy and when I am persuaded to try a glass, I am left feeling bloated and somewhat unwell, like Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, who suffers indigestion after he imbibes. Unlike the great Rabbi, I never find it “ especially pleasant” and do not understand his remark that it “pains on one hand and soothes on the other.” I have been known to sit in cowboy bars in the western US with a glass of wine rather than pint of beer, while getting disturbed looks from the locals around me. I know I must have appeared like an out-of-touch and out-of-place New Yorker. And I do not understand why anyone would want to consume a pint of beer on a hot day, when there is a tall glass of sweet, iced tea to be had.