It’s also true that the age is better checked… so much that I was ID checked myself for a can of crawnberry beer. Looking for comrades to start a revolution. Ou genre juste de l’eau ou des sirops…, Mais c’est vrai qu’ici c’est spécial avec l’alcool. For many of us, drinking is a sport. Terraces encroach on the sidewalk and French enjoy their favourite activities: drinking, eating, chatting and smoking. I, on the other hand, was doing my best to avoid drinking at all during daylight hours, knowing that I wouldn’t stop once I started, needing to save strength for a long night of drinking ahead. It is unclear to me why we were under the impression that we couldn’t mix anything with the pseudo-nail polish remover we were downing, but the point is not the vile beverage itself -- it’s the way it was consumed. Described by some as a national product, or as a 'totem drink', wine and its attendant cultures supposedly characterise Frenchness in much the same way as being born in France, fighting for liberty or speaking French. France does produce good wine and a lot of people truly enjoy it, but I am really not sure nursing a can of beer while grocery shopping should be considered “normal” or “part of the culture.” There is no legal drinking age—technically there is but I have never seen it being enforced, and teens can easily buy alcohol at the supermarket or in bars. Je vois complètement ce que tu décris! “Because it’s not taboo or forbidden [in France], booze isn’t super lusted after the way it is with American teenagers. Okay, maybe “amaze” is the wrong word: it actually scares me more than anything. Wine drinking culture in France has traditionally been a source of pride for the French and in an age of concerns about the dangers of ‘binge-drinking’, a major cause of jealousy for the British. No spam, no sales pitch, just two weekly stories. “Here, you take a long lunch, you go home early, you stay home if you’re tired. Though, when I was a kid, I liked tasting wine and cider. I was born and raised in a country marked by binge culture. I had been in Paris not 24 hours when I found myself squatting on a shaded corner in the 9th arrondissement, vomiting into a wax pastry bag, having lobbed the pain de campagne it once held at my boyfriend so I could use it as my personal puke sack. At 22, I went on my first trip to Paris. But in my defense, this was how I learned to drink. You’ve been successfully subscribed to our newsletter! They are taught at an early age that alcohol is something to drink casually and in moderation, not to get drunk. “Drinking was a transgression and you had to hide to do it,” he recalls. The process is delicate, almost surgical. Wine by the bottle sold for a fraction of the price I was used to paying, and it was all markedly better quality (or at least I assumed so, this was France). All You are really good with street photography! Je trouve ça choquand, en y repensant, et je suis heureuse que mes parents ne nous ai pas habitués à l’alcool. But if you learn to savor a glass of red wine at 15, you’re unlikely to distill the practice of drinking into a means to an end. Studies like the ‘European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs’ (ESPAD), 2 the ‘Health-Behaviour in School-aged Children Study’ (HBSC) 3 or the cross-national research-project ‘Alcohol Abuse among Adolescents—Effective environmental strategies for Prevention’ (AAA-prevent) 4 point to the widesprea… Based on beer, wine, and spirit consumption, we ranked the countries by the most and least years of life lost. I wouldn’t say it’s a french thing, as I’ve never seen it elsewhere! Wine drinking culture in France has traditionally been a source of pride for the French and in an age of concerns about the dangers of 'binge-drinking', a major cause of jealousy for the British. You have heard it said that there is no such thing as one drink. So it is a Brittany thing… and I am not the only one being shocked! In fact, the table is such a beloved piece of real estate, the opportunity to sit there discounts the desire for just about anything else. Drinking Down the Days. I read the same about UK teens and I wondered what triggered that (positive!) Growing up, my mother refused to keep dessert in the house, finding it near impossible to limit herself to some of the cake without inhaling all of the cake. Moi à chaque fois que je dis que je ne bois pas de vin, on me regarde croche! You can also subscribe without commenting. There was no middle ground between absence and excess -- in my enclave of the world, New York City, USA, that was just how consumption worked. It came as no surprise that the bottle-and-a-half of red wine, the two gin martinis, the digestif I couldn’t pronounce, and the Champagne “nightcap” I’d consumed the night before had wreaked havoc on my stomach. Folks showed up with wine, with baguettes, with triple-cream French cheeses. We did not enjoy drinking -- we enjoyed being inebriated. According to the new legislation, since 2009, only adults aged 18 years old and above are now allowed to drink alcohol, including beer and wine. Hard liquors are for the rare wild nights out.”, Pierre-Yves’s first foray into American drinking culture was when he was studying abroad. “We do shots and get wasted in France obviously, but not even close to as much as in the US. He tells me this on my final night in Paris -- I had been saving this particular bar to close out my jaunt. But at some point, while I’d been busy tasting things, and wandering aimlessly (the French have a word for that: flâner), drinking became something other than an aversion tactic. Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email, get Next Flight Out for more travel coverage, and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun. He wore gauzy, ineffective cloth scarves that made no secret of his Euro-status. It seemed inarguably true that the French were simply better at drinking. At the same time, you’d be hard pressed to find a majority who truly believes the American approach to drinking is the best one. The fact that you can only buy alcohol in registered shops (= LCBO for Ontario) made also a difference : I see people going out of this shop with a cart filled (I mean filled to the top) with packs of beers. Your email address will not be published. “Americans work and work, then they have all this bad energy they want to do something with, and so they drink,” says Remy, a Parisian bartender at a dim speakeasy called Little Red Door (Petite Porte Rouge) on a residential street in the 4th arrondissement. French 20 year olds in a majority don't drink wine or don't drink alcohol with food. The French are looking at each other, they’re conversing. It was also my understanding that the French could drink anyone under the table. Bibliographic Details. Then came expensive dresses! No matter how much time you spend in Paris, there will always be more to learn. The Merry Drinker (c. 1628–1630) by Frans Hals. Don’t even get me started on French and “la prévention routière”…! France, and in particular Paris, has played an important role as a center of high culture since the 17th century and from the 19th century on, worldwide. They do not possess some remarkable gene that gifts them with supernaturally high alcohol … “They can learn to appreciate it as something that compliments a meal.”. Your email address will not be published. It’s not that the French can drink anyone under the table, but that no one wants to be under the table to begin with. Wine drinking and the culture associated with it are, for many, an essential part of what it means to be French, but they are also part of a national construction. “Oh how American.” he would tease, each time I urged him to take a shot before heading out for the night. “Back when I was waiting tables, French couples would come in, sit down, and begin to talk. Irrelevant coffee table books! I agree with what Candolia said about our generation drinking less to get drunk. This was how I introduced myself to the City of Lights. England is terrible for this too and I feel exactly the same way about it – somewhat ashamed too. France has one of the most expensive licensing system I know, one of the toughest too, and people are shitty drivers. I pranced around in penny loafers and shift dresses, smoking long European cigarettes, lowering my voice to say café s'il vous plaît to bow-tie clad waiters. The irony here, of course, was that I had come to this city -- was here, in this bar, in Paris -- to drink. Drinks at bars! As in drinking with friends for fun at parties, beers,vodka, everything. While sober, we were quiet, awkward, stiff. There’s the fact that the French is one of the unhappiest nation on earth. Wine drinking and the culture associated with it are, for many, an essential part of what it means to be French, but they are also part of a national construction. Yes, Nantes has a strong drinking culture, like most of Brittany I think. But we won’t fully adopt the French wine drinking culture, and why should we? At the time, he was writing a short thesis on Patti Smith, and he spoke arguably better English than I did. Wine drinking culture in France has traditionally been a source of pride for the French, and in an age of concerns about the dangers of ‘binge-drinking’, a major cause of jealousy for the British. “C’est culturel,” “it is our culture.” It is true to a certain extent. Don't subscribe . Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Required fields are marked *. Rennes is even worse… I was shocked when I went there a few years ago, people were drinking beer at breakfast! booze isn’t super lusted after the way it is with American teenagers. I understand like we say here 20/20. Every country has its vices, I guess. Looking back, it is probably why I chose not to drink, even subconsciensly. It is definitely true that wine consumption is on the decline in France and beer consumption and consumption of hard alcohol is on the rise. I had the inverse culture shock when I arrived in Ottawa. “And it was less fun.”. But French hosts relished the fact that they could feed their guests. I also agree that there are more problems with drinking in the UK than in France, but that there are some quite serious problems in France with drink driving. I know that because I spent half of my teenage years in France and the rest of them in England. French kids learn how to drink at home with their families, not with each other,” says Louisa Crawford, an American student who studies, currently, at the American University of Paris. Or maybe it’s because our generation is settling down and having children? Salut Zhu, Have fun & be well! I come from Paris, so I was not exactly used to seeing people sat at their doorstep with bottles of beers, like in Ottawa. Drinking culture is the set of traditions and social behaviors that surround the consumption of beverages containing ethanol as a recreational drug and social lubricant. For most Brits a night out = a ride back in a taxi. 14 Countries You Wouldn't Believe Encourage Drinking During … Having arrived from a country where a taste for Sancerre develops at 13, he was struck, unsurprisingly, by the behind-closed-doors binge drinking that characterizes the American college dorm. Apparently, it’s not that the French can drink anyone under the table, but rather, that no one wants to be under the table to begin with. Wine drinking and the culture associated with it are, for many, an essential part of what it means to be French, but they are also part of a national construction. To be honest, I’d rather live with the UK’s binge drinking problems than France’s drink driving. French drink a lot but they don’t realize it. Even though I grew up in France, the drinking culture never ceases to amaze me. Replies to my comments I keep your data private and only share it with third parties that make this service possible. change! Drinks for strangers at bars! It requires its own sad form of athleticism. It seemed inarguably true that the French were simply better at drinking. Subscribe to get new articles delivered directly to your mailbox. The culture of France has been shaped by geography, by historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. Described by some as a national product, or as a 'totem drink', wine and its attendant cultures supposedly characterise Frenchness in much the same way as being born in France, fighting for liberty or speaking French. The Brits have got one thing right, though, and that’s the line of taxis that is always waiting outside the bars. It was a vehicle of presence. Americans might order a wine for each course. Alcohol, of course, was no exception. Meanwhile, I'm writing, travelling, taking pictures and sharing stories. Your goal is not to get drunk, it’s to spend as much quality time in this place with these people as possible.”. French and English teenagers and young adults have the same drinking culture. They’ll flag you down if they want something.”. Well it’s a complex topic and there are different points: * Alcohol culture is often food related. This remains the best martini I’ve ever had to this day. The French are not simply better at drinking. I subsisted on office Cheetos and Keurig coffee -- until I got paid. “[In France] you’re always eating and drinking, drinking and eating,” Costa explains. Wine drinking culture in France has traditionally been a source of pride for the French, and in an age of concerns about the dangers of binge-drinking, a major cause of jealousy for the British. Wine drinking culture in France has traditionally been a source of pride for the French and in an age of concerns about the dangers of \'binge-drinking\', a major cause of jealousy for the British. Wine drinking and the culture, myths, symbols and practices associated with it are, for many, an essential part of what it means to be French, but they are also part of a national construction. Paris has been an important center of politics, commerce, art, music, revolution, and war throughout the world for hundreds and hundreds of … “La modération” is a foreign word here, in Brittany. The St Patrick day feels also a bit too much: I didn’t know and we were there once, and all downtown was drunk. Wine drinking culture in France has traditionally been a source of pride for the French and in an age of concerns about the dangers of 'binge-drinking', a major cause of jealousy for the British. For some countries in Europe, like Italy for example, children are eased into the drinking culture. Personally, I could not recall the last party I’d attended without a BYOB mandate in place -- nor did I think I’d ever attended a party where food was available in abundance. The French are not simply better at drinking. It’s very common people eat with alcohol. I would certainly say that many of the Bretons I know could rival the Scots for their drinking capacities (Understanding Frenchman is an exception!). Wine drinking and the culture associated with it are, for many, an essential part of what it means to be French, but they are also part of a national construction. Not bad for someone who just turned 30 , I also occasionally get IDed in Canada and it makes my day . You have probably made this case, yourself. Wine drinking culture in France has traditionally been a source of pride for the French and in an age of concerns about the dangers of ‘binge-drinking’, a major cause of jealousy for the British. There’s the saying that alcohol drowns your sorrows. 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