Many modern hunter gatherers certainly consume
alcohol -- varieties of "chicha" are made all over the Amazon, usually from

tubers like manioc, but some tribes make it from
fruit.  It's generally made using the chew-and-spit method.  Chicha gets

stronger the older it gets.

Thomas Bridgeland <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
On Tuesday, February 11, 2003, at 11:00 AM, Becky Root wrote:
 >
 > So now my question. Why isn't vinegar ok?

A while back, last spring I think, there was a long and acrimonious
discussion of vinegar, alcohol, and salt. I came down in favor of all
three, at least in smallish amounts. Other people disagreed. You might
check the archives to get the whole thing.

Vinegar is produced in nature. It is one of the stages fruit goes
through as it goes past ripe to spoilt. I have picked fruits that were
naturally vinegary. I doubt paleo man ate it very often, but they must
have occasionally. Same goes for alcohol. Traces of it are natural,
strong concentrations not. I think it is more a question of degree, not
of prohibition. Personally, a splash a few times a week is OK. I had a
small beer tonight too. Some people are a lot stricter than me. They
may be right.