‘What’s your poison then Madam?’
My family and I are at a brewery in Washington on a beautiful afternoon in July.
Mother orders and the waitress turns to look patronisingly at me – Oh that American smile.
‘And for you Madam?’ I notice it’s turning into more of a grin at the end.
I’m really wanting to scream ‘Cider. GIVE ME CIDER!’ badly, but the word ‘Coke’ comes out and I die just a little.
Now the last thing I want anyone to take from this is that I’m a rampant alcoholic, because I’m not. But when you feel you’re denied something, doesn’t it just make you want it even more?
I’m sure you are aware of the drinking age disparity between this country and our friends from across the pond. This truly is a disparity by name, and a disparity by nature.
Dining under 21 in the US is like attending a Jewish Wedding. If you are to eat with ‘children’ you will be seated at the far end of the restaurant. In doing this you must not forget to bypass the exclusively labelled ‘Adult Area’, in which a number of 40 something couples and careless socialites sit sipping red wine and stare snidely.
You are seated next to a screaming toddler whose large parents are shovelling fries so fast they couldn’t care to notice their own child. You will experience this at some point – it’s practically guaranteed.
And thus these two worlds exist – distinct.
It sometimes feels like alcohol is treated like the devil in this country. Stores do not stock the stuff, unless of course it is wine. (I in fact learnt the other day I wasn’t even allowed to pick a crate up and put it in the trolley as I wasn’t of age.) I mean, what am I honestly going to do in a down town store in the middle of the day? Pick up six bottles of wine, smash them over my head and drink the contents as fast as possible because I’m just that two years too irresponsible? Spirits can only be bought at a special liquor store, in which the said object I discovered was discreetly packaged in paper and stuffed surreptitiously into a grey plastic bag, to be bundled away as quickly as possible.
Perhaps I have only seen the extreme. There must be a reason behind this insistency to divide, hide and chide anyone and everyone who comes into contact with the stuff?
Scenes on the streets back at home: Figures fighting outside clubs, girls holding back each other’s hair as they ever so subtly puke in the nearest alleyway. Kisses that maybe shouldn’t have happened, other things that definitely shouldn’t have happened. Pointless, poisonous behaviour all in the name of fun.
I am not and never will be one to put drinking down. Yes it can be great to have a laugh, Yes it can be great to socialize and Yes it can sometimes even build on relationships.
Though once you’re drinking don’t you find people think you can be pushed?
A recent survey found that frequent drinkers are more likely to behave anti-socially. Tallying this with the fact that 62% of British teenagers believe that alcohol is a tool for socialization, could it be suggested that a worryingly large proportion of our everyday relationships are enforced by drink?
It would obviously be extremely foolish to believe that underage drinking does not go on in the US. With the emergence of popular cult games such as beer pong, anyone would think that the Yanks were as keen to drink as any of us appear to be.
However during my time here I have noticed that to a vast amount of 15-21’s, alcohol can in fact act as a hindrance. For example, if you’re caught drinking by the authorities under 21, college applications can be ruined, funding lost and even criminal records gained- it’s just not worth it for your future.
Besides, people in the US find other ways of having a good time. I’ve seen gaggling girls at the ‘mall’, groups playing sports at the park and even some working on other ways to interact with and impress their peers such as youtube videos and gaming.
I am aware that we behave similarly but when I was asked what British teenagers do for fun my first answer was ‘ Go out and drink?’ As obviously reductive and ignorant this would have sounded, I still maintain that we should take a leaf from the books of those on the other side of the ocean.
Be Yourself. Yes drink and have fun, but build on life sober also – I believe that some Americans might just lead richer lives because of it.
I have to wrap this up now anyway, my second cider is calling...
Beth Baker
The Arrogance
Follow us: @The_Arrogance
Say Hello: mail@thearrogance.co.uk
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