Why do British people drink so early in the day?

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  • rjmudlax13
    rjmudlax13 Posts: 900 Member
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    You obviously haven't been to Ireland or Scotland.
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    You obviously haven't been to Ireland or Scotland.

    Lets not forget that Wales should get a mention too
  • surreygirl23
    surreygirl23 Posts: 85 Member
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    OK, I'll play this game!

    Several reasons I think.
    Firstly, there are a lot of pubs in cities, especially London. Up until recently (using a UK time frame), i.e. about late 19th century, it wasn't safe to drink the water in cities, so everyone drank ale, or beer.
    In major cities like London, it's common to leave work and stop off with your work-mates for a pint (or a bottle of lager, glass of wine) to relax before everyone heads off to their home towns, which are often a good hour away by train.
    Therefore, the pubs are busier between 5 and 7, than they are later on.

    Once you're home, you don't want to go out again! My OH probably goes out from work about once a month, it's not that common when you get to a 'certain age'!

    I'm not sure about the 'drunk' thing. That's usually the domain of the younger crowd who go out on a Friday/Saturday night to clubs and bars rather than pubs.
    They will then drink until they can no longer stand, then they crawl in the gutter to the nearest A&E department. :sick:

    But during the fantastic summer we've just had, it would have been great to sit on a wall outside an old traditional pub with a glass of beer, drinking in the atmosphere. Sadly, I'm the one at home with the kids!

    btw - "England was the land of plenty and they had to support their pubs." I think he was having you on with this comment!
    A huge number of pubs have shut in the last decade - mostly out-of-town ones, and I don't think anyone sees our country as a 'land of plenty' any more...
  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 897 Member
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    You obviously haven't been to Ireland or Scotland.

    Lets not forget that Wales should get a mention too

    Been to Ireland.. we stayd at a danish guys home and drank all weekend.. so cant comment on Irish culture ;)
  • barbalari
    barbalari Posts: 43 Member
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    Drinking immediately after work happens in the USA too I imagine. Making sweeping statements about us Brits not going home and not seeing our kids is offensive. I often defend the American people when I hear derogatory comments from British people, however, individuals like you make me wonder why. I suggest you climb down from your pompous high horse and get real.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Drinking immediately after work happens in the USA too I imagine. Making sweeping statements about us Brits not going home and not seeing our kids is offensive. I often defend the American people when I hear derogatory comments from British people, however, individuals like you make me wonder why. I suggest you climb down from your pompous high horse and get real.

    Thank you for this. :flowerforyou:
  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
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    I replied to this question in the other thread. It's true, we do have a culture of tumbling out of work to the pub...it's not great and our British livers are suffering. I guess it's called letting off a bit of steam after work. I don't for one moment believe your comment from the British friend though...makes it all a little fictitious sounding. Unfortunately in some of our work cultures, the after work drink is an important aspect of networking and peer pressure is involved.

    My British friend? Why wouldn't you believe that? If it's a part of social networking, why wouldn't you want to support your pubs? You need them if that's where you get your work done.

    Because if you were in a decent city pub after work in the UK, you'd find the bar full and not feel any concern that the pub would suffer from one or two people not turning up. If the comment was made, it will have been tongue in cheek. It's not where we get our work done by the way, it's where office camaraderie is supposed to be developed.
  • Livingdeadgirl44
    Livingdeadgirl44 Posts: 264 Member
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    I've just returned from a vacation in London and was amazed at the employees hitting the pubs as soon as they leave work. I mentioned this to a British friend and he just replied that England was the land of plenty and they had to support their pubs. He then left work and went straight to the pubs without seeing his kids first - what is the sense of that?? Bars in the US open much later and yet we have alcohol problems here too.

    I can always tell the British tourists here because they are making a beeline for the bars, wearing their I <3 William and Kate shirts, even in the dead of winter.

    I don't get this, if you want to go for a drink with your workmates you have to go after work. Otherwise people are off on their 1hr, 1.5hr, or 2hr commute in separate directions and no one is going to then go back into town after getting changed...

    This is a London thing though, because no one in London drives to work. Since moving out of London we only do work drinks a couple of times a year because people have to plan about leaving their cars and how they are going to get in on public transport and the cost of a taxi home.

    the commute is a good point.. I am too used to a quick max 1hour to get to work, max 20 min to midtown routine.. spoiled, I know ;)

    I mean, who wants to spend 3 hours on commute to spend a few more hours with people you see every day the whole day anyway?

    The London commute is crap but the only way to do it unless your earning 60k because houses are so expensive. That's why I moved to Manchester :)
  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 897 Member
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    OK, I'll play this game!

    Several reasons I think.
    Firstly, there are a lot of pubs in cities, especially London. Up until recently (using a UK time frame), i.e. about late 19th century, it wasn't safe to drink the water in cities, so everyone drank ale, or beer.
    In major cities like London, it's common to leave work and stop off with your work-mates for a pint (or a bottle of lager, glass of wine) to relax before everyone heads off to their home towns, which are often a good hour away by train.
    Therefore, the pubs are busier between 5 and 7, than they are later on.

    Once you're home, you don't want to go out again! My OH probably goes out from work about once a month, it's not that common when you get to a 'certain age'!

    I'm not sure about the 'drunk' thing. That's usually the domain of the younger crowd who go out on a Friday/Saturday night to clubs and bars rather than pubs.
    They will then drink until they can no longer stand, then they crawl in the gutter to the nearest A&E department. :sick:

    But during the fantastic summer we've just had, it would have been great to sit on a wall outside an old traditional pub with a glass of beer, drinking in the atmosphere. Sadly, I'm the one at home with the kids!

    btw - "England was the land of plenty and they had to support their pubs." I think he was having you on with this comment!
    A huge number of pubs have shut in the last decade - mostly out-of-town ones, and I don't think anyone sees our country as a 'land of plenty' any more...

    I guess because it gets rarer as you grow older, and younger are usually louder, it leaves the impression that the pub is full of drunk people when it could just be full of really loud people having a pint before going home.


    Only time this has bothered me was when I was trying to find a pub to eat at in Liverpool (first time visiting there and on the first day) and couldnt find anywhere that wasnt full of people! We ended up going to Tesco and eating some sandwitches.. I was really starting to go "WTF is there really no place for a tourist to go eat!!!" ..then the day after we had a bit more time and were allot less travel weary and did find good spots to eat ;) When we visit London we are usually so late in thinking about food anyway, and know the locations of a few restaurants so dont need to go looking.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Because if you were in a decent city pub after work in the UK, you'd find the bar full and not feel any concern that the pub would suffer from one or two people not turning up. If the comment was made, it will have been tongue in cheek. It's not where we get our work done by the way, it's where office camaraderie is supposed to be developed.

    Maybe he just didn't want to say that British people like to drink alcohol?

    Disclaimer: I have no British friends that I am aware of. I have also never been to London. I also have no awareness of British drinking habits.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Drinking immediately after work happens in the USA too I imagine. Making sweeping statements about us Brits not going home and not seeing our kids is offensive. I often defend the American people when I hear derogatory comments from British people, however, individuals like you make me wonder why. I suggest you climb down from your pompous high horse and get real.

    We drink during work.

    "Bourbon or get out of my meeting Wade. No one likes your ideas Wade!"
  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 897 Member
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    Drinking immediately after work happens in the USA too I imagine. Making sweeping statements about us Brits not going home and not seeing our kids is offensive. I often defend the American people when I hear derogatory comments from British people, however, individuals like you make me wonder why. I suggest you climb down from your pompous high horse and get real.

    Thank you for this. :flowerforyou:

    We cought one! :noway:

    ETA: Grats on being the first Brit to be offended by the statement.. Though I guess it is easier to be offended at a wall of text than a grinning face. Not sure why it is relevant that you defend Americans.. seeing as I am not one.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Drinking immediately after work happens in the USA too I imagine. Making sweeping statements about us Brits not going home and not seeing our kids is offensive. I often defend the American people when I hear derogatory comments from British people, however, individuals like you make me wonder why. I suggest you climb down from your pompous high horse and get real.

    Also, I know I'm double posting, but this is a thread created by a pompous, trollish Norwegian. Us Americans would be more clever, and probably include pictures of flags, and jet fighters, and say, " 'Murica!"
  • barbalari
    barbalari Posts: 43 Member
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    Drinking immediately after work happens in the USA too I imagine. Making sweeping statements about us Brits not going home and not seeing our kids is offensive. I often defend the American people when I hear derogatory comments from British people, however, individuals like you make me wonder why. I suggest you climb down from your pompous high horse and get real.

    Thank you for this. :flowerforyou:

    We cought one! :noway:

    ETA: Grats on being the first Brit to be offended by the statement.. Though I guess it is easier to be offended at a wall of text than a grinning face. Not sure why it is relevant that you defend Americans.. seeing as I am not one.

    Make yourself clear then....and learn to spell ("cought"???) Your comment is still offensive, whatever your nationality.
  • surreygirl23
    surreygirl23 Posts: 85 Member
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    Drinking immediately after work happens in the USA too I imagine. Making sweeping statements about us Brits not going home and not seeing our kids is offensive. I often defend the American people when I hear derogatory comments from British people, however, individuals like you make me wonder why. I suggest you climb down from your pompous high horse and get real.

    Thank you for this. :flowerforyou:

    We cought one! :noway:

    ETA: Grats on being the first Brit to be offended by the statement.. Though I guess it is easier to be offended at a wall of text than a grinning face. Not sure why it is relevant that you defend Americans.. seeing as I am not one.
    :laugh:
  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 897 Member
    Options
    Drinking immediately after work happens in the USA too I imagine. Making sweeping statements about us Brits not going home and not seeing our kids is offensive. I often defend the American people when I hear derogatory comments from British people, however, individuals like you make me wonder why. I suggest you climb down from your pompous high horse and get real.

    Also, I know I'm double posting, but this is a thread created by a pompous, trollish Norwegian. Us Americans would be more clever, and probably include pictures of flags, and jet fighters, and say, " 'Murica!"

    OI! I am not a Norwegian!

    Except when we are joking with Norwegians that Icelanders are really just Norwegians that wouldnt behave and didnt want to bend the knee.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    You obviously haven't been to Ireland or Scotland.

    I'm wondering if they've ever been to America. Or I must have just lucked out and live in the fun section of America.
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    I have a bad feeling that this one is going to degenerate in the same way that the portion size one did. :frown:

    If nothing else I think we have learned that we are all different, have different habits, laugh about different things, get wound up about different things

    As my old mum used to say "life would be boring if we were all the same"
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Drinking immediately after work happens in the USA too I imagine. Making sweeping statements about us Brits not going home and not seeing our kids is offensive. I often defend the American people when I hear derogatory comments from British people, however, individuals like you make me wonder why. I suggest you climb down from your pompous high horse and get real.

    Thank you for this. :flowerforyou:

    We cought one! :noway:

    ETA: Grats on being the first Brit to be offended by the statement.. Though I guess it is easier to be offended at a wall of text than a grinning face. Not sure why it is relevant that you defend Americans.. seeing as I am not one.

    Considering that page one is almost all people in on the joke/experiment, and this is the first post of page 2, I think the argument that people in any country don't like to be stereotyped or have people ask, "Where's the sense in that??" is gaining some merit.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Wait, so this thread leads me to believe that Norwegians are smarmy teetotallers that are afraid of good drink, and direct sunlight. Would that be accurate?

    That would be a damn shame, aquavit is nice, but really a child's drink. I had been hoping there was something with more backbone from the region that gave us vikings, and zombie nazis.
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