Kultur 3 Sarah

Of the multiple articles offered, the discussion of public drinking in Germany was particularly interesting to me. When I backpacked through France and Italy, it was very socially liberating to be able to have a beer as I strolled through a park or piazza. In my experiences, the locals would gather to have a fun, but not raucous, evening, which happened to include alcohol. The article "Capping the Bottle" implied that the party-going German youth may have more of a problem maintaining their composure while imbibing than I had previously realized. Growing up with many friends and coworkers from Europe, I was always under the impression that, due to the younger legal drinking age, Europeans were more composed in their excursions; this was certainly the case for my travels. Of course, when we were actively seeking a "party scene" we could find one; however, unlike most American bars after 10pm on a weekend night, the European bars seemed more "in control."

I thought it was amazing that a park in Berlin created a ban on drinking, and the locals just moved to the sidewalks to continue their fun...in the United States, this defiance would be serious, national news. Our solution would be very dramatic and publicized, and the German reaction was to lift the ban and create a haven where drinkers can gather, as well as receive help if they have an addiction problem. While Germans have a reputation for being very strict and formal in some circumstances, in this they seem to be beyond relaxed!

On a related note, in the Beer article, this quote made me laugh:
"Weizenbier/Weissbier is the most Bavarian of all beers, but spreading northwards. It is quite strong, with an alcohol content of 5.4 percent, but nevertheless is part of a traditional Bavarian breakfast completed with white sausage and a pretzel."


Germans know how to do breakfast!