Elbows Up
- Gus resaurant
- Aug 21
- 2 min read
When the call to action came. The creed 'Elbow Up', the bourbon and reds came down off our shelves at GUS. In Gus' basement they remain. An expression of resistance and solidarity, similar to the De Derriere les fagots of the best wines during occupied France in WWII.
I, like many of us, move through my days in markets and stores, and take decisions in solidarity with my fellow citizens; to not support a bully south of our border.
Our provincial governments, to demonstrate their lack of satisfaction with the new tariffs by the Golden Haired Hegemone, removed American alcohol from the SAQ and LCBO (and whatever the provincial alcohol monopolies are called) shelves.
A decision many of us agreed with.
However, in doing so, something else was removed, our agency to protest as individuals.
Just because we had to dance with the devil to rid our economy of American trade constipation, does not mean I will put Bourbon back on Gus' shelf.
In fact I will, with my own free will, demonstrate my distaste for the current tenant of the White-house, and keep American booze in the basement.
I will proudly sell Quebec Sour Corn Mash (aka bourbon), like Cirka Distillery in its place.
I understand the need for Quebec and other provinces to defend their sovereignty against federal meddling in our affair. Alcohol is a provincial matter.
But the provinces should also have faith in their citizenry to make their own protests.
If having American alcohol back on Canadian shelves gives Trump a symbolic win, something he can flex about on Fox News, let him have it, if it means trade can flow again.
We as consumers can still avoid their products. Let us, We The People, pick up the symbolic mantles and effective means, and drink our own booze. A pleasurable protest I must say.
