How It All Goes Down
- Chapter 2 starts out with a comparison between the Encyclopedia Galactica, which gives a very dry definition of alcohol; and the Hitchhiker's Guide, which gives the recipe for the best alcoholic drink ever: the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster.
- Drinking a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is like "having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick" (3). Hitchhiker's Guide kindly supplies this recipe, which may be why it is such a popular book.
- Ford orders a huge amount of beer, which is how they do it over there in England. He explains to Arthur that they'll need the beer as "muscle relaxant," a line we've never used before but really ought to try.
- Ford explains—and you should get used to Ford explaining things to Arthur—that he's an alien from Betelgeuse and the world is about to end. Just your average English pub talk.