Book review: “Päntsdrunk” or drinking at home alone in your underwear

What do we know about the Finns, except that they like to tango, sauna and spend their summers at lakes infested with killer mosquitos? That’s about it, or? Little did we know that the Finns have beaten a path to relaxation which only involves a pair of warm socks, internet access, a few cold ones and bags of crisps. To reach the Finnish Zen state of mind, you don’t need to book yourself into an expensive ashram where alcohol is forbidden and all you get to eat is unappetisingly vegan. All it takes is to read Miska Rantanen’s delightful, politically incorrect book and teach yourself this wholly egalitarian practice.

“Päntsdrunk” is actually an Anglificiation of the Finnish word “kalsarikänni”, a compound noun of “kalsari” (underwear) and “känni” (state of inebriation). At its simplest, päntsdrunk means drinking beer in one’s underwear at home while watching cat videos. The point is total relaxation. Oh, and everyone is allowed to join in. “It is the little person’s justifiable, environmentally harmless way of cherry-picking the best of what life has to offer,” the author says.

To Americans – and presumably countless others – the concept of päntsdrunk sounds sad and lonely, if not a sure path to alcoholism. Not to the Finns. They see a solitary drink at home in your skivvies, while going through a three-course meal of popcorn, pizza and ice cream, as a form of self-care. The goal is turning off the outside world while keeping all your senses. It’s not about getting blitzed or worse, falling off the sofa only to wake up with your face in a pool of vomit.

The book comes with a warning: If you feel like päntsdrunk every day, you’ve got a problem and you should seek professional help.

Obviously, “Päntsdrunk” is a parody of all those self-help books which have mostly failed to give readers the results they have been looking for. But at the same time, it makes a sober argument in favour of beer as a beverage of moderation that can be enjoyed at home, alone, on your own sofa without feeling guilty or ashamed.

If anything, “Päntsdrunk” is an enjoyable and beautifully produced book for those who want to spend an evening at home in their own company – with the TV and internet off.

Miska Rantanen, “Päntsdrunk: The Finnish Path to Relaxation”, New York, Harper Design. Price on Amazon: USD 12.81.