Yankee Doodle #2: Open Containers

Time (past time) for another of my observations on life in the UK.

If you come here from the U.S., sooner or later (likely sooner) you will be riding on the Tube or walking along the street, and notice to your surprise that a man next to you or sitting opposite you will suddenly be chugging down a gigantic can of lager (aka beer). Often he will be carrying a carrier bag (aka plastic grocery bag) full of similarly large yet unopened giant cans of beer. But there he is, sipping away on his open can without seeming to give a shit that anyone can see it's not Coke going down his gob (aka throat).

So here's the kicker: they don't have open container laws in the UK. You can walk down the street, ride on the train, and booze it up to your heart's content. There do seem to be laws about taking open containers in cars (what with concerns about 'drink-driving'). But if you're a pedestrian, you can imbibe to your liver's content, without an ounce of shame.

This seems very odd to most Americans, until you live here for a while and get used to it. Once you do, then you get to see how brilliant it is. It's always cheaper to buy beer at the newsagent's across from my flat, and I can get through one of those big cans on the way into town. So I'm already riding a good buzz before I get to the bar! And it is nice to have a respite from the Puritanism back in the homeland.

Now there is a separate matter of the culture of public intoxication here in England -- but that is another topic for another day. Bottoms up!