Funneling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Funneling, is a term for the act of using a large funnel, or beer bong, to rapidly consume a large amount of beer, or similar alcoholic beverage, as a sort of drinking game. The inherent challenge is to swallow the rapid flow of beer without spilling it. It is a popular pastime on college and university campuses and among young people all over the world.
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[edit] Beer Bong Construction
To do this, one requires a funnel. A funnel (also known as a beer bong) is a high speed induction devise used to consume large quantities of fermented beverage rapidly. A long piece of tubing (generally at least a meter in length) must be firmly secured to the funnel. The volume of the funnel and the tubing should be enough to accommodate the beverage(s) which are to be consumed.
The size of the funnel and length of the tubing vary widely. Generally, a meter of tubing is good for ordinary funneling, although extremely long funnels can be used in situations where the funnel can be held from high above, such as at the top of a staircase, balcony, fraternity house, etc.
The ultimate funnel has a valve of some sort inline at the drinking end of the tube, to cut down on spillage. This is only necessary for beginners, as an experienced "bonger" can manipulate the fluid level to a satisfactory point in the tubing and then proceed.
The best funnels have defoamers, which pump foam back into the top of the funnel. This makes it easier to drink the beer, as there is little or no foam to choke on. To do this, the drinker should put their finger inside of the tube opening and raise the bong up in the air. All of the air bubbles will travel up and the drinker will be left with a nice, clean bong with no foam to deal with. Another common tactic used to reduce foam is running the index finger along the outside of one's nose, then inserting it into the tube and/or funnel, which quickly dissolves the foam back into fluid.
Traditionally, the funnel device is built for one user. However, other designs featuring sectioned funnels linked to many tubes can service up to eight users at once. Another well known embodiment of the funnel is the "uterus" where two funnels are joined by pipes to a single central pipe via a "T" piece. The uterus is so named after its resemblance to that part of the female anatomy, and allows twice the fluid to be consumed.
[edit] Procedure
The drinker begins by stopping the drinking end of the tube with either his or her thumb or by using the valve. The funnel and tube are held up, and the liquid is poured into the apparatus. The drinker then quickly unstops the tube and inserts the drinking end of the funnel into his or her mouth, and falls to his or her knees. The other participants must then hold the funnel up to make the tube as vertically oriented as possible. The effects of gravity will cause the beer or other beverage to be ingested extremely quickly. An average person may drink 24 ounces of beer (2 cans worth) in only a few seconds with the aid of this device. When the alcohol is consumed it moves smoothly down the user's throat. If there is too much foam the person may choke, sometimes resulting in excessive vomiting.
An advanced technique circumvents stopping the tube at all, which is ideal because the unsealing of the tube is typically where the amateur bonger loses the most fluid. After the beverage is poured, the drinker simply holds the bong in the position they typically "bong" from, usually down on one knee. The bong is kept in the same general shape as it was when the beverage was poured in. The holder then allows the fluid level to rise as far up the tube as possible without spilling by lowering the funnel end. When the drinker is ready, they put their mouth over the tube and give the sign to raise the funnel, at which point the holder raises the funnel to its most vertically oriented position and the bonger begins. This can also result in faster bongs by virtually eliminating obstacles such as air.
[edit] Funneling in Pop Culture
A 2006 New York Times article caused a stir when 2004 presidential candidate Senator John F. Kerry was pictured being offered a funnel while attending a tailgate party fundraiser outside of a college football game. [1]
