Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
But beer drinking is common and ordinary. Comparing which countries drink how much doesn't really tell us much about the country and the culture. What's exceptional is a high level of drinking distilled spirits. And wine, maybe. Comparing all three would tell us more about culture.
Well with Europe you really cant generalize in that the drinking culture changes vastly from country to country. Starting with the young yes it is true that even in the latin countries Italy, Spain, Portugal, and France the young like to drink when they go out to night clubs or pubs however drinking house parties like what we see in the US is non existent.
That being said, the aforementioned latin countries where lunches are long they prefer to drink wine over beer (with perhaps again the exception of the young adults). Also, they do not consume nearly as much liquor per person as the north of Europe. Germany, England, Ireland are countries where alcohol consumption is very high per person and is also culturally accepted.
For instance I just saw an English movie and like many I have seen before a family fight breaks out where even the mother says "forgive me I have had a bit too much to drink"
This NEVER happens in Italy!!! I live in Italy not only have I never seen this happen in real life but you never even see a scene like that play out in any Italian tv show or movie!!!
Also, as far as Germany goes, (I lived there for 6 months total in both Bavaria and Westfallen (by Dortmund) one would think that Germans work until very late. This is very untrue, I found out that living in Germany after 8:00 all the stores and businesses are closed and the only place that was open (besides restaurants) were KNEIPE's which is basically the German version of a pub and thats were people typically congregate. Again this is extremely different then what you find in Italy, here the whole "drink until you are drunk" culture just doesn't exist (except again amongst very few young people) and is NOT socially acceptable.
Well with Europe you really cant generalize in that the drinking culture changes vastly from country to country. Starting with the young yes it is true that even in the latin countries Italy, Spain, Portugal, and France the young like to drink when they go out to night clubs or pubs however drinking house parties like what we see in the US is non existent.
Drinking house parties were the most common party type in my early college years. Also, going out to night clubs, most of the drinking was at before parties, as alcohol in nightclubs is often above the means of broke college students.
Quote:
That being said, the aforementioned latin countries where lunches are long they prefer to drink wine over beer (with perhaps again the exception of the young adults).
True for other latin countries, but in Spain people drink more beer than wine. Also, liquor consumption in France is higher than in most northern European countries.
Also, liquor consumption in France is higher than in most northern European countries.
Did you know that Finland is the only Nordic country which is crazy for cognac? (And the other popular brandy is... surprise: calvados.) We probably have in an average liquor store more brands available than in all the Scandinavian stores combined. During WWII even a drink called "Jaloviina" which is mixed vodka and cognac gained huge popularity, as the availability of real cognac was limited. The drink is still sold today and often used as schnapps or mixer.
Well with Europe you really cant generalize in that the drinking culture changes vastly from country to country. Starting with the young yes it is true that even in the latin countries Italy, Spain, Portugal, and France the young like to drink when they go out to night clubs or pubs however drinking house parties like what we see in the US is non existent.
That being said, the aforementioned latin countries where lunches are long they prefer to drink wine over beer (with perhaps again the exception of the young adults). Also, they do not consume nearly as much liquor per person as the north of Europe. Germany, England, Ireland are countries where alcohol consumption is very high per person and is also culturally accepted.
For instance I just saw an English movie and like many I have seen before a family fight breaks out where even the mother says "forgive me I have had a bit too much to drink"
This NEVER happens in Italy!!! I live in Italy not only have I never seen this happen in real life but you never even see a scene like that play out in any Italian tv show or movie!!!
Also, as far as Germany goes, (I lived there for 6 months total in both Bavaria and Westfallen (by Dortmund) one would think that Germans work until very late. This is very untrue, I found out that living in Germany after 8:00 all the stores and businesses are closed and the only place that was open (besides restaurants) were KNEIPE's which is basically the German version of a pub and thats were people typically congregate. Again this is extremely different then what you find in Italy, here the whole "drink until you are drunk" culture just doesn't exist (except again amongst very few young people) and is NOT socially acceptable.
Well with Europe you really cant generalize in that the drinking culture changes vastly from country to country. Starting with the young yes it is true that even in the latin countries Italy, Spain, Portugal, and France the young like to drink when they go out to night clubs or pubs however drinking house parties like what we see in the US is non existent.
Here until their 18's young people can't go in pubs or clubs so they mostly do house parties, or outside if they live in the countryside. And house parties are still very common when they are older. If you are going to a birthday, an Halloween party, you just to get wasted.. It's very likely to be in a house, and you'll maybe leave around 2 a.m to a club.
From my experience. Less than 20 yo usually get wasted. 20 to 30 yo drink a lot in pubs and clubs. More than 30 yo drink a lot during family/friends lunches and dinners. 60+ yo drink alone in a pub while yelling at the TV screen, or drink like in their 40's with a cognac or whiskey to help the digestion.
Drinking house parties were the most common party type in my early college years. Also, going out to night clubs, most of the drinking was at before parties, as alcohol in nightclubs is often above the means of broke college students.
Ditto here, though we couldn't get into bars or nightclubs.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
