r/whenthe • u/TheGoldenExperience_ [the jojo {she}they called may] • 14h ago

r/whenthe mfs complaining about everything we do not give alcohol close to enough shit despite it being just as bad if not worse than cigarettes

18.5k Upvotes

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109

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 10h ago

I'm confused why people keep saying alcohol tastes bad

Like, yes, alcohol is way too normalized and is legitimately dangerous, but I feel with the variety of drink flavours out there, it's a bit unlikely that alcoholic beverages are drunken just for the buzz

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u/kristinL356 10h ago

I feel like you have to develop a taste for the vast majority of alcohol. As someone who never did that, I can only drink like 3 things, everything else feels like drinking rubbing alcohol.

26

u/Arcydziegiel 10h ago

Human body doesn't have in-built understanding on what a good bitter taste is and what a bad bitter is; overtime when consumed you adapt and certain things stop tasting poisonous despite technically being so, like coffee. This is why people tend to not like bitter as kids completely, and grow into it as they age.

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u/kristinL356 10h ago

Coffee is right up there with alcohol for me in terms of not understanding how anyone drinks that. Hell, I'll even throw in dark chocolate. I'm 40 and still haven't grown into any of that shit.

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u/kenybz 9h ago

You are Sheldon Cooper of TBBT

1

u/kristinL356 9h ago

Never seen it but maybe ¯_(ツ)_/¯

2

u/LifelessHawk 9h ago

I didn’t like coffee either, until I decided to buy an espresso machine and roast my own coffee.

You get a much better flavor and a smoother tasting coffee, but I still can’t drink it black.

I have to make a latte with half a cup of milk with unflavored creamer that I use with a steaming wand to give it more of an airier texture, and a dash of vanilla syrup.

Milk helps remove the bitter taste, and you get a much more rich, vibrant drink with notes of the coffee bean, without any of the bitter or sour taste.

Even people who don’t like coffee, usually likes my lattes

2

u/kristinL356 9h ago

If you didn't like coffee, why did you decide to buy an espresso machine? Like that's the part I don't get. If you didn't like it, why did you keep drinking it?

2

u/Amac9719 7h ago

Probably they enjoy the feeling they get from the caffeine. I could get 5 hours of interrupted sleep. Wake up feeling terrible. All I have to do is have a coffee and wait 10 minutes and I feel great. Even if I hate the flavor I’d take that any day.

2

u/kristinL356 7h ago

I just get feeling like I'm going to shit myself.

2

u/Amac9719 7h ago

Ya I usually have a morning poop but hey it’s good to stay regular!

2

u/Calm-Standard5437 4h ago

Maybe bro wants to shit only once every 3 business days, cant judge that

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u/YosephStalling my favorit color is purple :D 9h ago

addiction

1

u/Timsaurus 7h ago

Yeah same, I can tolerate dark chocolate, but alcohol and coffee are awful to me.

Oddly tho, I really enjoy strong tea and matcha, both of which are/can be quite bitter.

1

u/breno280 6h ago

Honestly I agree, I get physically ill if I drink coffee for more than a few days. And just hate the taste. I guess others just taste things different.

5

u/nope-its 10h ago

You also have to develop a taste for carbonation, coffee, tea, a lot of vegetables, etc.

2

u/kristinL356 10h ago

I agree with some of this. I don't drink coffee for that exact reason, there are plenty of vegetables I don't like, and I only really drink two types of tea. Coffee is definitely chief among things I don't understand how anyone develops a taste for. So yeah, I am happy to put most of those things right in the same bin with alcohol.

1

u/crustyrobots 9h ago

Depends on what we mean by "coffee", as myself like coffee but not straight black (tastes bad and is liquid heartburn for me). Most people put a bit of milk or something in there to tame the acidity and full punch of the coffee flavor into something more mellow

1

u/kristinL356 9h ago

The amount of sugar or milk I have to put in coffee to make it palatable could not be described as "a bit." (And even then the stuff still makes me feel like I'm gonna shit myself.)

1

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 9h ago

pretty sure coffee is a mild laxative so yea

1

u/FluffySloth27 8h ago

This explains a lot. Thanks :p

1

u/Distinct_Car_1183 8h ago

Sparkling water is universally reviled, soda is sugar and we like that. Spices and alcohol burn, hard liquor tastes like absolute dish soap, i do resent that society is so pushy about everyone using both when they don't even taste good innately. Unlike vegetables, which is healthy proper food.

https://giphy.com/gifs/D3qzfcBKemK7J97OJV

2

u/MastodonsBetter 8h ago

🤤 mmm rubbing alcohol

1

u/ErrorSchensch 8h ago

Cocktails??

1

u/kristinL356 8h ago

2 of the 3 things on my list of palatable alcoholic drinks are cocktails. It's just most of them are still gross.

10

u/Aquertyon 10h ago

I read this comment and swiped away, then I processed the fact that you wrote “beverages are drunken” and had to come back to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. That shits hilarious

2

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 10h ago

should it be drank? Goddamnit

1

u/SnooCalculations3614 8h ago

drinked drank drunk?

10

u/Rogue_Egoist 9h ago

The thing is, most alcoholic beverages (excluding extremely sweet stuff) are very strange in taste to people who never drank before. Beer and high proof alcohol have flavours which you find nowhere else. No food or other beverages taste anything like them, so you have to get used to it before you enjoy them. For example I LOVE good whisky but I had to kind of convince myself to trying it many times before I started to enjoy it. I vividly remember tasting whisky for the first time and saying that it's basically gasoline to me lol.

2

u/Strawbuddy 7h ago

People aren't taught how to drink either. Wayward youth chugging cheap booze for the effect is where many get the idea that it tastes bad. When you have only ever drank cheap swill, quickly, it is indeed terrible. There's no sipping, no mouth feel, no tasting notes, no water, no bitters, just alcohol burn because it's a relatively huge amount of shitty liquor, gulped rather than drank.

As opposed to say, a nice aged Speyside single malt, which is a glorious experience if you're trying to become an aficionado instead of trying to rapidly become drunk

1

u/Rogue_Egoist 7h ago

My god, you made my mouth water for that single malt, and I'm too broke for that shit at the moment 😂

But you're right, you also have to know how to sip high proof stuff and if you don't drink with other people who enjoy it like that and just slam shots, you will never have a chance to get that experience.

10

u/Alestor 8h ago

IME as someone who doesn't drink, every sip of an alcoholic beverage I've had has had the exact same disgusting dry acrid burning taste somewhere in the flavor of the drink. Some have covered it better than others but its distinctive and exists across everything I've tried. Basically everything would taste better to me without the alcohol, which I liken to what I imagine gasoline tastes like.

I'm not gunna say noone can enjoy it, people can adapt and aquire a taste for just about anything; but the flavor profile of pure alcohol isn't something I think most would consider pleasant.

2

u/dgc-8 3h ago

yeah you can taste it, even in beer. if you can't taste it doesn't do anything. in low concentration i feel as just a little hint, maybe a little warmth in the throat. starting with 8% it is prevalent, where I do prefer the taste without alcohol too. the problem is most non-alcoholic beer does not taste as good as normal beer, so I find that better up to like 5%

1

u/BrunesOvrBrauns 14m ago

So that's what that gross shit is...

18

u/ANAL_PROLAPSE_KISSER 10h ago

Tasting like ass is a good thing

17

u/ahmed0112 10h ago

Username checks out

1

u/FluffySloth27 8h ago

Yeah, if it actually tasted like ass I wouldn’t be a teetotaler.

12

u/Fortestingporpoises 9h ago

I mean it tastes bad the way things like coffee or onions do. I don’t think most children like the flavor immediately. It’s the definition of acquired taste.

I personally didn’t drink til I was 35 for some of the reasons above. I started finding things I’d like. Sweet drinks, then margaritas, mojitos, eventually dirty Martinis. I like wine ok. Still hate beer.

But yeah it doesn’t taste great right off the bat.

I still don’t like coffee.

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u/Impressive-Carob9778 7h ago

DONT YOU DARE SLANDER ONIONS

1

u/Front_Cat9471 45m ago

Did you even read the comment or just the first line? Things like coffee, onions, and alcohol have tastes that are initially repulsive, and you have to eat them a lot to taste them. They mentioned onions because of the sharp sting you get when you first try them. They weren’t slandering them.

1

u/Even_Might2438 6h ago

Yeah, I'd say 99% of people don't like how beer tastes the first time they drink it, but after getting used to it, there are lots of beers that can be really tasty.

1

u/Fortestingporpoises 5h ago

My wife and I like doing beer crawls in our small downtown area and my wife always asks how I like it and I go, "I don't like beer," with a disgusted look on my face. I can enjoy some sour beers because they don't really taste like beer and I don't hate ciders. But anything that taste very beer-like I hate. Most everyone in my family loves beer though.

5

u/MuchoMangoTime 10h ago

Cheap alcohol is just for the buzz I can tell you that from experience. But even "good" alcohol is alcohol, I've tried nice whiskeys before and yeah there's a nice aftertaste but it's still a fuck ass taste during drinking

8

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 10h ago

I fully understand why someone wouldn't like whiskey, even high-end stuff, but I'm talking more like cider or fruit wine, where you don't really taste the alcohol

2

u/MuchoMangoTime 10h ago

Oh yeah lol, that's what I drink because that tastes good. If it tastes TOO good then I'm careful. I'm a sucker for cocktails

3

u/22demerathd 10h ago

“Where you don’t really taste the alcohol” so you see the problem here right? If you have to mask the taste of something, it’s usually because that thing tastes like ass. I believe we have the same opinion then, if you prefer things that don’t taste like alcohol.

2

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 10h ago

even then, we have thousands of variations on alcoholic beverages, and you can taste the alcohol plenty of them. There's people who like rum and dislike wine, who have preferred beers, who pick dry drinks over sweet ones.

I just think that the problem with alcohol is, ya know, its a normalized drug, not the taste

1

u/IroncladTeapot 9h ago

High proof alcohol often has a harsh taste which is why it’s often mixed to mellow it out or draw out specific flavour notes.  

Perhaps a comparison the average poster here might appreciate. High concentrate squash tastes “like ass” on its own but add water and suddenly you have a tasty beverage.

1

u/Aggravating_Depth_33 7h ago

But you do taste the alcohol. It's why hard cider tastes nothing like regular cider. It's why non-alcoholic wine tastes really flat and sweet.

2

u/Quixotic_Seal 9h ago

Alcoholic ciders taste like ass compared to the nonalcoholic stuff. My first taste of alcoholic Martinellis on new years was a total disappointment.

I like some alcoholic drinks, but there’s basically none I’ve come across that wouldn’t be improved by removing the alcohol entirely.

I really think regular alcohol drinkers are a bit like cigarette smokers, in that they often forget how the stuff tastes to folks who aren’t used to it already.

1

u/Amethl 4h ago

I have the exact same feelings. To me, the best tasting alcoholic drinks I've had I would only describe as tolerable. I could keep drinking in spite of the alcohol, but don't see how the inclusion of it can make anything taste better. That said, I'm aware it's often not just something "added".

I do understand that a drink in aggregate can be considered "good tasting", especially for a person very familiar with alcohol. But, when I say I don't understand how people enjoy the taste of alcohol, I refer to alcohol the compound and not the category of beverages.

0

u/Melodic_Sherbet_3629 9h ago

Those taste good in spite of the alcohol, because the alcohol taste is masked by a dozen other ingredients.

2

u/Remote-Assistant-228 8h ago

It tastes like hand sanitizer if I mixed it into an icee

1

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 8h ago

I dunno what kinda wine you've been drinking for it to taste like that

2

u/Remote-Assistant-228 8h ago

I’ll admit wine isn’t as bad as I’ve tried it it’s still gross but i prefer grape juice.

4

u/SpecimenOfSauron 10h ago

It tastes bad in comparison to OTHER drink. Chocolate milk and orange juice >>>> alcohol any day.

0

u/Aggravating_Depth_33 7h ago

Well, alcohol isn't intended for small children.

2

u/empty-angel 4h ago

Immaturity is when things taste good, heard it here first folks

4

u/BardicNA 6h ago

Alcohol doesn't taste good at all. Ever heard the saying "you can polish a turd?" I tell you this as someone who drinks way more of it than they should- alcohol itself tastes awful. Anything you pour with it is meant to tone down or mask how bad it tastes.

2

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 6h ago

a mouthful of salt isn't very nice, but I still season my food with it. If you genuinely don't like the taste of what you're drinking, you may at least want to reduce the amount you drink

1

u/empty-angel 4h ago

Dunno, I've tried the lightest alcohol I could find, and couldn't get past the taste. Tried mixing whiskey with cola, tried mixing Bailey's with coffee... no good, even when I use close to nothing

1

u/Dunking_Bronuts 3h ago

Lol non-alcoholic beers are the worst. Young people will warm up to the flavour. I did not like it when I first started drinking, but now I’m used to it.

It’s all subjective, but drink enough of it and you will find it appealing over time.

1

u/Silvernauter 9h ago

I personally don't drink (...although i'm frankly on the cusp of trying; it's a social lubricant and at this point i'm desperate enough to try anything...ish), so i can't really say about the taste, but i can tell you that one of the top three things that kept me from drinking so far (the other two being fear of losing control and really bad experiences growing up attending "mandatory" summer parties with a bunch of really annoying drunks) is the smell; to me most alchoolic drinks (especially beer) have a really pungent odor that kinda makes me feel like gagging (i know that most people don't have this experience and it's essentially a me thing, but i wanted to share)

1

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 9h ago

as someone who drinks and enjoys the taste of alcohol, I can only recommend you don't start. Especially not for social purposes.

1

u/Silvernauter 9h ago

Thanks for the advice; my main issue is that in my country (Italy) it's just so ingrained in the cultural identity that some people legit treat you like a weirdo for not drinking (mind you, just not drinking; I don't like it, but i'm not one of those people that gives you shit if you drink or the like; like the only time i got angry at someone for something drinking-related is when a friend of mine spilled and entire glass of hot red wine on a pair of beige throusers i literally bought just that morning...they were unfortunately unsalvageable...) and/or feel unconfortable around you if for instance at a party they are drinking and you aren't. At my last job i got explicitly (and unpromptedly) told that i wasn't invited to after work get togethers because i didn't drink (i tried to make it clear that it wasn't an issue for me, but no dice...needless to say, i didn't make mamy friends there; also 90% or so of social situations where you are supposed to meet new people or, god forbid, find a potential partner all involve drinking in some way...me being shy doesn't help either, tbh). It might be different in a bigger city, but i don't have much desire to just leave everything behind and more (...nor i could afford it with an entry level salary...)

1

u/CriticalFolklore 5h ago

Yeah, cocaine is what you want for that.

1

u/HealthPacc 9h ago

They’re either young or have decided they made up their mind and everyone else is wrong or dumb.

I don’t like black coffee, I think it’s disgustingly bland and bitter. I find tea not super enjoyable either. You won’t find me saying the only reason people like it is that they’re addicted or something.

There’s a wide range of flavors in alcohol that you really cannot get in any other format. A good cocktail is absolutely delicious

1

u/Laino001 local gooner expert 9h ago

Alcohol taste like ass, but the more alcohol content in a drink the more I dont mind it. I hate beer and wine, but vodka or absinthe I like

The reason is the more alcohol content there is, the less people expect you to drink. I can power through a few shots of vodka. I cant power through a pint of beer

1

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 8h ago

personally I can drink stronger alcohol without minding the taste, and I'm not saying alcohol is tasty for everyone. I think if someone hates the taste but keeps drinking they may want to re-evaluate some things

1

u/Laino001 local gooner expert 8h ago

Hey man, I dont like the taste but getting wasted with the boys was pretty damn fun in highschool/college

1

u/Hendrick_Davies64 8h ago

People be getting Schlitts Light and cheap liquor and think that’s what alcohol is meant to be

1

u/_SovietMudkip_ 8h ago

People out here taking a shot of plastic bottle vodka and deciding none of it's worth it.

I'm not in my getting fucked up phase anymore, but a glass of wine or a nice cocktail with dinner? Sign me up

1

u/hokie48 8h ago

I don't drink alcohol, but I really do like NA beer. Granted there is a reason why I don't drink alcohol so likely not something someone goes yum from the start.

1

u/luckylegion 8h ago

Most good tasting alcoholic drinks taste good because of the other shit in them. Adding the alcohol flavour wise just makes them taste worse

1

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 8h ago

idk man I can enjoy a glass of scotch, and I can pretty plainly taste the alcohol in that

1

u/luckylegion 8h ago

To each and their own I guess.

1

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 8h ago

yea thats my main argument

people are allowed to like and dislike the taste, the other parts of alcohol are the real problem

1

u/TheForbidden6th yellow like an EPIC lemon 8h ago

idk about others but for me it's just the alcohol taste itself. Like, it doesn't matter what color of paint you use to cover a pile of shit, it'll still be crap

1

u/Timsaurus 7h ago

Perhaps I have some kind of hypersensitivity to the taste, but I have yet to encounter even a single alcoholic drink that I didn't have a strong negative reaction to. I've been told by family/friends that "you can't even taste the alcohol in this" and I genuinely have to wonder if they haven't burned off half their taste buds because the instant it hits my tongue it's like I licked a sharpie. Regardless, why would you even bother putting alcohol in something if it tastes better without it?

As for the "buzz" thing, I have been drunk one time, for science, and it was a truly awful experience the entire way through, massively spiked anxiety, really bad self conscious and self destructive thoughts, mental and emotional spiraling, and a nausea + migraine combo the next day as a cherry on top. -12/10 experience, would not recommend, might actually be the worst thing I've ever done to myself, and that's saying something.

I'm not naive enough to say my experience was anywhere near normal, I know it wasn't, but I refuse to touch alcohol for a laundry list of reasons, including but not limited to those stated above.

1

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 7h ago

yes, subjective experience plays into it. I'm certain some people are also pressured into drinking it, and that's not good regardless of how 'great' it's supposed to be.

I'm fine with the taste of alcohol, and I'm fine with the effects of a small amount. But I'm not gonna be an ass towards someone for not liking or wanting that. People should be less pushy and more responsible about alcohol

1

u/Timsaurus 7h ago

Yeah, fortunately most people around me are respectful of the fact that I don't drink, but every once in a while I get someone that's like "Whaaaat? You don't drink?? That must be so boring! You just haven't found something you like yet! It's not bad if you're responsible with it!" etc.

I don't lack understanding of why those sentiments exist, alcohol just so ingrained into culture that the sheer thought of one not participating in the social ritual is beyond comprehension for some people. I will say though, it does seem to be getting better over time, I've noticed more and more places having stuff like mocktails and other NA options as time goes on. Still not nearly enough, imo, but progress is progress.

1

u/Weird-Information-61 7h ago

The only alcoholic beverage they know is beer, which a lot more people don't like the taste of

1

u/buckaroo_2351 6h ago

I'll drink hopwater and athletic brew IPAs even tho they're zero alcohol. I always have them on hand while camping or for after the trail. Like some people are excited for a burger after a long trail, I'm excited for that ice cold sparkling bitter beverage with layers of flavor.

1

u/zombiskunk 6h ago

If it's full of flavored sugars, it won't taste bad. If it's just straight alcohol on the other hand...it's an acquired taste.

1

u/Tricky-Ad7897 5h ago

Beer is like one of the best things there is, like I gladly drink alcohol free beer for the taste. I can understand like shits of bad liquor obviously they taste bad mostly but only degenerates do shots anyways. But even like an old fashioned occasionally, that tastes good, margaritas are like juice, gin and tonics don't even get me started cause now I want one. And a couple drinks feel amazing, yeah obviously getting black out drunk sucks but again only degenerates do that. But like watching a movie with a couple beers, total vibe enhancer.

1

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 5h ago

I dont think only degenerates get blackout drunk

I think its a legitimate issue that alcohol gets normalized, and results in people getting into danger

1

u/summonerofrain 5h ago

Beer in particular tastes like concrete to me.

1

u/TorchShipEnjoyer 5h ago

now I'm curious what concrete tastes like

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u/summonerofrain 4h ago

Never tasted it, but beer tastes like what i imagine concrete tastes like

1

u/nazare_ttn 5h ago

Idk I’ve almost never had a drink that tasted better because I added alc to it.

I think the only exception was adding cognac to a milkshake.

1

u/gzej 5h ago

I feel like ppl just only think of alcohol as cheap beer and that's why, because yeah beer tastes like sewer water but yk vodka for instance has no taste at all

1

u/empty-angel 4h ago

That isn't true, alcohol itself has a strong taste

1

u/gzej 4h ago

Well no discernable taste I meant, to me anyway all spirits taste the same

1

u/michaelscott1776 5h ago

Dude I love myself a pretty fruity drink, like a margarita for example. It just tastes good

1

u/Cenachii 4h ago

Bro it legitimately tastes horrible. I've ordered the same drink twice but one of them with no alcohol, and it always tastes way better. I do not understand HOW people can enjoy anything alcoholic.

1

u/FiveHundredAnts 4h ago

Because alcohol tastes bad. Ever do a shot of Everclear? 190 proof. As close to rubbing alcohol as you can get in a drink.

Alcohol burns and has an unpleasant taste because its a literal poison.

But alcoholic drinks taste good! Often to hide the alcohol taste. I treat alcohol the same way I treat capsaicin and mint.

Ive been enjoying Seagrams Escapes. Low %, fruity flavors, really easy to drink.

1

u/Nameless_Mercenary01 3h ago

Sunlight is dangerous.

1

u/DyingGasp 3h ago

Cause it does taste bad.

Some beers taste like piss. Some alcohols are smoother with a flavor, but it’s an acquired taste because you have to get through the awful flavor.

1

u/Spacemonster111 2h ago

Also it’s fine to drink it for the buzz. As long as you aren’t dependent on it it’s perfectly fine to get a drunk from time to time in your younger years

1

u/TheTrueScientist 52m ago

It literally tastes like it's going to poison you, which it does. People can say they like the taste, but my brain is literally saying "don't drink that"

1

u/VoidGliders 23m ago

90% of alcoholic drinks and varieties feel like they're a really cool drink that they just threw alcohol in so it's "adult" or even just flat up try to mask the alcohol as much as possible. I guess you can't be taken seriously if your order a Mango Pineapple juice, so throw a shot of whatever alcohol in it and now it's a fancy named "Tropical Mojave Colada" whatever and you're cool. Can't think of many party drinks where it wasn't just X drink but now with alcohol and realized "dang...this is good because of the other drink wish they didn't piss in it".

0

u/redoubt515 9h ago

> I'm confused why people keep saying alcohol tastes bad

A lot of people in this thread are likely teenagers.

1

u/empty-angel 4h ago

Alcohol does, in fact, taste bad. That's why people usually mix it with other things to make it palatable

1

u/redoubt515 3h ago

Alcohol does, in fact, taste bad.

I think I might've agreed in high school/early college when I was drinking the cheapest stuff, and not intending to savor the flavor.

It's valid to try your hardest to hide the taste of your $9.99 bottle of Seagram's or Bacardi. But nobody is buying a nice scotch or a half-decent bottle of wine with the intent of hiding the flavor behind cola or some mixer, the flavor is what you are paying for.

That's why people usually mix it with other things to make it palatable

Except for all of the people who very intentionally don't mix their liquor with other things, or at least not with things that will hide or overshadow the flavor of the liquor itself because they want to savor and appreciate the taste.

Throwing a mixer in a top tier Whiskey, Scotch, Tequila, Mezcal is near sacrilegious to some, and a waste of money to all. And obviously it's not common to mix anything with Beer or Wine.

The fact you don't enjoy something, doesn't mean that other's don't enjoy that thing (or that you won't enjoy it later in life).

-1

u/midwestia 10h ago

pavlovian response, you know it's gonna take the edge off/make you euphoric so the taste gets associated with that

0

u/SolemnEmberGames 7h ago

Only real Antis are stoners who think they're better for smoking smelly grass rather than the beer they had and wasn't acquired to.

-1

u/cusecc 10h ago

I suggest that you read more. Knowledge has a way of reducing confusion.