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February 05, 2005

Takeaways and beer

It happened. Again. Sweet and Sour chicken balls at 3am. I then started to think, maybe, it’s my fault. Maybe my extreme desire for this takeaway meal has been made worse by the fact that there is a Chinese takeaway that is open at 3am to fuel my early morning, drink induced, obsession. Quite simply, if Lee’s Garden Chinese Takeaway on Old Christchurch Road was not open at 3am to give me my undercooked, slightly cold number 42, then I wouldn’t have it.



Now, compare this to drinking. It is true, most pubs in this country do have to close at eleven. And why? Well, just like may other laws in England, they have been in place for years and never been changed. Just as with all things English, “We have done it that way for years, why should we change” attitude. Becoming modern takes a while, we don't like change, it scares us. The ‘last orders at eleven’ law has been in place since the Second World war. It’s purpose? To make sure all the men working in the ammunition factories got to bed at a decent time. After all, you may be able to get through work half cut in an office after a big night out, but making mistakes when producing high precision weapons to aid the war effort, was a little more important I guess.

So where is all this going? Well, there is a big debate at the moment that has been simmering for the last year about reforming the drinking laws. For the first time in sixty years, all day, all night drinking, maybe become a reality if a drinking establishment chooses to under the proposed new laws.

Just like getting my sweet and sour chicken balls at 3am, I may now have the choice not to go home, but stay a bit longer in the pub. But with choice, comes responsibility. Ok, just because I can get a Sweet and Sour takeaway at 3am, it doesn’t mean I have to. Which brings me onto my next point, the British culture is not ready for twenty four hour drinking, that’s because, on the whole, the country has got a drinking problem already. That’s why when people say “They have no problems in other countries with 24 hour opening times”, they are forgetting a few things.

European families encourage their children to drink early, a glass of wine with dinner, a small beer in the afternoon. It’s called being responsible. The same kids that are sipping wine with their families across the water, are the same kids in England who are sneaking off to down bottles of cider, being sick and passing out. I know, I was one of them, although mine was with vodka and beer in the same can. And yes, I was sick. Five times. In my hand.

The people leaving to go out at eleven abroad, are the people at eleven stumbling out of pubs in England, managing to squeeze that last drink before closing. The culture of drink here is simple, drink as much as you can, in as short as time, as possible. And there are good reasons for this:-

1)Pubs close at Eleven

Ok, obvious I know, but it has become quite an art form when you are set a target to get drunk

2)Drinks are expensive

That’s why people drink so much, before they even get to the pub. So there is speed drinking to make sure you make the bus or you are ready for taxi. Because drinks are so expensive in clubs, the culture is to get so completely drunk pre-club, that you don’t need to buy and triple priced drink in the pub

3)Everyone else is drunk, you need to catch up

It’s all about being in the same drunk frame of mind as your mates, if you feel sober, you drink stronger drinks to catch up

4)In comparison to other countries, the British are more suppressed

It’s true. British people are more reserved, they bottle more things up, and they uncork by getting absolutely hammered at the weekend. It’s a great way to meet new people, whilst looking like a prize idiot in the process

So, I’m still unsure. Freedom to drink when you want is crucial, but with the British culture of drinking so engraved, it could be like leaving a two year old in a toy shop all day, they will either get bored, or end up completely out of control. You could argue that 24 hour drinking will reduce binge speed drinking, reduce the pressure on police resources, taxi’s, and aggression all being bottled up at eleven. Maybe people will start going out later, will pace themselves, and stop having brawls caused my queue jumping and accidental pint spilling.

Now….. Where did I put that beer? Got to shoot,the queues start to get big at nine.


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