Why do British people drink so early in the day?

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Replies

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I don't know, but sometimes in college I drank during class. So whatever, who cares.

    Or came to class drunk and kept it up with a flask...
  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 862 Member
    *Disclaimer: I am repeating stereotypes and observations made by foreigners to each country and this does not reflect everyone and their cat

    Why let others speak for you? Would you not want to be judged by your own words, or the words of others?

    Hmm.. because what I would have to say about the Icelandic stereotype would probably offend everyone else :laugh: Other peoples opinion of us is so much nicer.

    PS I love being asked why I am not blonde.

    We've seen Bjork, could it get worse?

    Blonde up top or both stem and stern?

    Björk is cute, and nice.. and just a little weird.. it can get much much worse, trust me ;)

    and I am not blonde.. though I have been asked why I am not, cause you know scandinavians are supposed to be blonde all over top and bottom and all between. Also blue eyed and can drink anyone under the table.. except the irish.
  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 862 Member
    I don't know why this board is called Chit Chat Fun N Games. It so often makes a quick turn towards anger and resentment.

    That tends to happen when people get a bit judgey.

    To answer the OP- Because it's their lives and they are doing what they want with it.

    but but.. I as a tourist must have food when I want it and how I want it! Its just rude to stop serving food so early in the day and with drunk people in the way all over the place!

    :laugh:

    Oh what's the matter now? Fish 'n Chips not big enough?? That's because it's cod & chips not whale & chips... :smokin:

    But I want the Whale & Chips! Whale is so much better than cod! Cooked right its absolutely delish!
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
    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.

    lol Yes. Good on you.

    Or whatever the troll version of that is. :laugh:
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    Oh what's the matter now? Fish 'n Chips not big enough?? That's because it's cod & chips not whale & chips... :smokin:

    But I want the Whale & Chips! Whale is so much better than cod! Cooked right its absolutely delish!

    :laugh: I bet you're not short of protein!! :bigsmile:
  • diodelcibo
    diodelcibo Posts: 2,564 Member
    Because we can.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    comes from many generations of living with dirty contaminated water. The only thing safe to drink was alcohol, and now it's cultural and remains.

    If I'm correct the only country I know about (besides Islamic countries) to prohibit alcohol is the States, so we have more a tea totaler mentality than most of the world.

    Also since we are a young country our water supply has generally been safe to drink.
  • surreygirl23
    surreygirl23 Posts: 85 Member
    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.
    OMG - penny's just dropped...
    (slaps forehead with hand) Bit slow on the uptake today, obviously need a drink...
    :wink:
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    I don't know why this board is called Chit Chat Fun N Games. It so often makes a quick turn towards anger and resentment.

    That tends to happen when people get a bit judgey.

    To answer the OP- Because it's their lives and they are doing what they want with it.

    but but.. I as a tourist must have food when I want it and how I want it! Its just rude to stop serving food so early in the day and with drunk people in the way all over the place!

    :laugh:

    Well, maybe this is a lesson in tolerance, patience, and working on entitlement issues. :flowerforyou: It's great when you're able to enjoy a culture, people, and life instead of complaining about it :smile:
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    I don't know why this board is called Chit Chat Fun N Games. It so often makes a quick turn towards anger and resentment.

    That tends to happen when people get a bit judgey.

    To answer the OP- Because it's their lives and they are doing what they want with it.

    but but.. I as a tourist must have food when I want it and how I want it! Its just rude to stop serving food so early in the day and with drunk people in the way all over the place!

    :laugh:

    Well, maybe this is a lesson in tolerance, patience, and working on entitlement issues. :flowerforyou: It's great when you're able to enjoy a culture, people, and life instead of complaining about it :smile:

    Is your sarcasm filter not working?
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    I don't know why this board is called Chit Chat Fun N Games. It so often makes a quick turn towards anger and resentment.

    That tends to happen when people get a bit judgey.

    To answer the OP- Because it's their lives and they are doing what they want with it.

    but but.. I as a tourist must have food when I want it and how I want it! Its just rude to stop serving food so early in the day and with drunk people in the way all over the place!

    :laugh:

    Well, maybe this is a lesson in tolerance, patience, and working on entitlement issues. :flowerforyou: It's great when you're able to enjoy a culture, people, and life instead of complaining about it :smile:

    Is your sarcasm filter not working?

    nope

    Might have to do with trying to work on 5k in 25min to meet "fit standards"
  • vanillacoffee
    vanillacoffee Posts: 1,024 Member
    I'm not from the UK but I sure wouldnt say no to going, now! ;)
  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 862 Member
    I don't know why this board is called Chit Chat Fun N Games. It so often makes a quick turn towards anger and resentment.

    That tends to happen when people get a bit judgey.

    To answer the OP- Because it's their lives and they are doing what they want with it.

    but but.. I as a tourist must have food when I want it and how I want it! Its just rude to stop serving food so early in the day and with drunk people in the way all over the place!

    :laugh:

    Well, maybe this is a lesson in tolerance, patience, and working on entitlement issues. :flowerforyou: It's great when you're able to enjoy a culture, people, and life instead of complaining about it :smile:

    Is your sarcasm filter not working?

    nope

    Might have to do with trying to work on 5k in 25min to meet "fit standards"

    Best of luck on the 5k! :flowerforyou:
  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 862 Member
    I'm not from the UK but I sure wouldnt say no to going, now! ;)

    In all honesty I think it would be the culture in Iceland as well.. if alcohol in bars wasnt so damn expensive. We have a culture of drinking at home before going out because its a whole lot cheaper, and yet even when its cheaper its more expensive than a pint at a pub in the UK (or close to that pricetag, depending on how currency is doing)
  • WisiPls
    WisiPls Posts: 359
    Have you seen what british people look like? I would start drinking early too
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    When I want to eat at a pub when touristing in the UK I have to make sure I go super early or all the pubs are filled with drunk people.. what's up with that?

    Why do you just go straight to the pub? Shouldnt you go home first? Change clothes, say hi to the family.. you know, normal stuff!

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    I see what you did there :P
  • FitCurves444
    FitCurves444 Posts: 169 Member
    "touristing" is not a word.....

    Europe in general has a more liberal view of alcohol.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    What??? What part of America do you people live in that there is no Happy Hour and bars don't open until late?

    This. Bars here open at ten a.m. and there's always a happy hour!

    And yes, I live in the US.

    The airport bars in the US open at 8am! :)
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
    (ed) I blame the war.
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
    Lets all have a drink together, who's going to the pub!!! LOL!

    I'm in! Your round :drinker:
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    I'm not from the UK but I sure wouldnt say no to going, now! ;)

    In all honesty I think it would be the culture in Iceland as well.. if alcohol in bars wasnt so damn expensive. We have a culture of drinking at home before going out because its a whole lot cheaper, and yet even when its cheaper its more expensive than a pint at a pub in the UK (or close to that pricetag, depending on how currency is doing)

    Iceland happens to be one of my most favorite places on the planet. Anytime I've been there we started drinking in the afternoon (with lunch). The neat thing is that you can get beer with lunch after a long hike (back at the main building depending on the hiking area). After hiking 3-4 hours straight nothing is more refreshing than a beer at the end of the trail. Yes, alcohol is pricey in Iceland but it's well worth it after a day spent having adventures. :drinker:
  • sherpasmom
    sherpasmom Posts: 24 Member
    Easy answer, because they're 6+ hours ahead of us gmt ;) I'm American with a British bf and love visiting England and Pubs which are sadlly disappearing at an alarming rate to be replaced by chain restaurants. Please keep drinking your pints! ♥ Oh and I don't own an I ♥ Kate and William shirt either!

    Cheers! ;)
  • FizikallyFit
    FizikallyFit Posts: 180 Member
    uhm, I think the correct question here is why doesn't everyone else drink so early in the day! :drinker: :bigsmile: :drinker:
  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 862 Member
    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.

    If I'm looking for food, a pub is never the first place I'd go - we do have restaurants, cafés and café bars, diners, pizza houses and takeaways as well! Even McDonalds!

    Pubs aren't always full. What time of day was this? Was it a Bank Holiday? Or in the football season or something??
    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!

    So it's not a general problem then? You're not really suggesting that Brits neglect their families in favour of heading for the pub - it's only happened once. I see. hmmmmm.

    It was right after work, on a Friday, with a home game that weekend and a bankholiday right after.. so.. yeah not a usual day.:laugh: And, as we found out the day after, if we had gone to a different part (really just a few streets over from where we were looking) we would have found eating places a-plenty.

    You really do have more of a culture about going out for drinks after work than Iceland does.. but most Icelanders blame that on the price of alcohol. As soon as an Icelander moves to the UK they take up the culture very happily*. People might catch a cup of coffee or invite coworkers home to drink instead (after dinner, again culture thing.. probably due to shorter distances between work and home as well).


    *generalising.. know plenty of Icelanders that dont drink too ;)
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
    Also we drink so we don't have to see the kids after work. Nobody likes kids. We only have them to get more benefits that we can use to drink more.


    :laugh:
  • spetermann190
    spetermann190 Posts: 289 Member
    Because they are 6 hours ahead of me (I'm in CST)?
  • MexicanOsmosis
    MexicanOsmosis Posts: 382 Member
    What??? What part of America do you people live in that there is no Happy Hour and bars don't open until late?

    ^This.
  • Event_Horizon975
    Event_Horizon975 Posts: 226 Member
    Who cares? ....and today, you can call me a Brit!
  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 862 Member
    I'm not from the UK but I sure wouldnt say no to going, now! ;)

    In all honesty I think it would be the culture in Iceland as well.. if alcohol in bars wasnt so damn expensive. We have a culture of drinking at home before going out because its a whole lot cheaper, and yet even when its cheaper its more expensive than a pint at a pub in the UK (or close to that pricetag, depending on how currency is doing)

    Iceland happens to be one of my most favorite places on the planet. Anytime I've been there we started drinking in the afternoon (with lunch). The neat thing is that you can get beer with lunch after a long hike (back at the main building depending on the hiking area). After hiking 3-4 hours straight nothing is more refreshing than a beer at the end of the trail. Yes, alcohol is pricey in Iceland but it's well worth it after a day spent having adventures. :drinker:

    :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

    I prefer hot cocoa but thats just cause I generally dislike beer.

    Next time, make sure to enjoy the alcohol in a hottup.. especially if you are travelling during the winter. Lounging in the hottub with a bevarage of your choosing, watching the stars above the snowline is really magical :love:
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    When I want to eat at a pub when touristing in the UK I have to make sure I go super early or all the pubs are filled with drunk people.. what's up with that?

    Why do you just go straight to the pub? Shouldnt you go home first? Change clothes, say hi to the family.. you know, normal stuff!

    I live in the UK and at the risk of upsetting fellow 'brits' , Binge drinking is a massive part of British life.
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