# Follow Me Back to The People's Republic of Ankh Morpork... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2019, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932 "2019-02-04T04:59:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/1 "2019-02-04T04:59:04Z")
What is the ginger beer trick? Is the ginger beer introduced nasally or, um, further South, so to speak? Um, I’m not in any rush to find this out. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/2 "2019-02-04T05:08:44Z")
The trick is well explained. It’s entirely [del]sychol[/del] [del]psicho[/del] headology. The prisoner hears pop-fizz-scream from the next cell, and \*imagines \*some terrible unknown fate awaits him. It’s all in his own mind. The ginger beer doesn’t come anywhere near him. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/3 "2019-02-04T05:29:18Z")
In one comic, the Punisher goes on and on about what a blowtorch will do to a human flesh and how the injury will feel cold at first because the searing fire will burn the nerves so badly they can’t figure it out properly, all this while standing behind the tied-up and half-naked prisoner. Blowtorch in one hand he then pokes the prisoner’s back with an ice cream. I always figured the ginger beer trick is kinda like that. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/4 "2019-02-04T05:34:02Z")
ok supposedly one interriogation trick by certain police agencies is to take a can of coke shake it up have someone hold back the head of the unlucky slob and open it up right under his nose where it burns like all hell……. it was so common in the 70s the mex army put down a prison riot by merely having a coke semi pull up and get unloaded in plain site After having it done a few times im told youd sell out your grandma in ohio for what ever they need to know about …… (theres another one about where they shove a curling iron type of thing in/up the anus and have it burn and shock you at timed intervals ) ……. So ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/5 "2019-02-04T05:44:28Z")
> [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](#): > > In one comic, the Punisher goes on and on about what a blowtorch will do to a human flesh and how the injury will feel cold at first because the searing fire will burn the nerves so badly they can’t figure it out properly, all this while standing behind the tied-up and half-naked prisoner. Blowtorch in one hand he then pokes the prisoner’s back with an ice cream. > > I always figured the ginger beer trick is kinda like that. He also told the prisoner that he would smell his own flesh burning, then uses the blowtorch to cook a steak. The scene was copied in the [2008 Punisher movie.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450314/?ref_=tt_pg) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/6 "2019-02-04T13:22:26Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > The trick is well explained. It’s entirely [del]sychol[/del] [del]psicho[/del] headology. The prisoner hears pop-fizz-scream from the next cell, and \*imagines \*some terrible unknown fate awaits him. It’s all in his own mind. **The ginger beer doesn’t come anywhere near him**. But it **can**. The old technique was to blast a well-shaken bottle of ginger beer up a person’s nostrils. The ginger and carbonation really do a number on their sinuses and it doesn’t leave a mark. Vimes just uses the threat of the unknown in place of actually dosing someone. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/7 "2019-02-04T14:33:02Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > But it **can**. The old technique was to blast a well-shaken bottle of ginger beer up a person’s nostrils. The ginger and carbonation really do a number on their sinuses and it doesn’t leave a mark. Vimes just uses the threat of the unknown in place of actually dosing someone. I believe Vimes also had Colon or Nobby supply some sound effects. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/8 "2019-02-04T14:50:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > But it **can**. The old technique was to blast a well-shaken bottle of ginger beer up a person’s nostrils. The ginger and carbonation really do a number on their sinuses and it doesn’t leave a mark. Vimes just uses the threat of the unknown in place of actually dosing someone. It seemed clear to me that Vimes’ trick was effective because the person Vimes was threatening had used ginger beer on a prisoner (or had seen it done), and knew how painful it was. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/9 "2019-02-04T15:42:13Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > ok supposedly one interriogation trick by certain police agencies is to take a can of coke shake it up have someone hold back the head of the unlucky slob and open it up right under his nose where it burns like all hell……. it was so common in the 70s the mex army put down a prison riot by merely having a coke semi pull up and get unloaded in plain site > > So For hardcore prisoners they summon a Mentos truck as well. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/10 "2019-02-06T00:23:20Z")
Okay, what book was it in? I thought I had read every Pratchett and I don’t recall this. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/11 "2019-02-06T00:24:49Z")
**Night Watch.** ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/12 "2019-02-06T00:43:58Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > **Night Watch.** Which I consider to be one of the best of the books. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-me-back-to-the-peoples-republic-of-ankh-morpork/828932/13 "2019-02-06T04:48:13Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > ok supposedly one interriogation trick by certain police agencies is to take a can of coke shake it up have someone hold back the head of the unlucky slob and open it up right under his nose where it burns like all hell……. it was so common in the 70s the mex army put down a prison riot by merely having a coke semi pull up and get unloaded in plain site So Not saying you’re wrong,but I believe I read this in a John D. Macdonald/Travis McGee novel