This attitude turned buying alcohol into a kind of competitive sport: Bostonians raced to get to restaurants as early as possible, staked out tables, and then tried to “order up the whole wine list” so that they would be adequately provisioned for the entire night. The poor souls who dared to go to the theater before dinner thus found it nearly impossible to find a seat in a restaurant after the show let out—and even if a seat could be found, the latecomers would have to settle for alcohol-free “temperance drinks,” since by that point all the booze was sold out and making its way down the
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